"Let me see generation times, will we hear children singing rhymes? Sweet memories gone by..."

04 July 2022

Aaron Belvin

[Revolutionary War Patriot Series, Part 7 of 12]

 

Born:  1754 in Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia
Died:  circa 1825 in Gloucester County, Virginia

Service:  Private, Patriotic Service

  • Private under Capts. Charles Tompkies, Reuben Lipscomb, Henry Young, and Cols. William Dangerfield and Alexander McClenachan
  • Paid supply tax, 1783

Wife:  Elizabeth Dobson

Children:

  • Frances Ann, wife of Sterling Rowe
  • John Allan
  • Grace Elizabeth, wife of Henry Allen Atkinson


  

Timeline:

21 April 1754
Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin, son of John and Lucy Belvin, was baptized, aged 7 weeks.  He was the fourth of the couple five sons listed in the parish register:  John, born 5 May 1743;  Lewis, born 4 October 1749;  James, born 15 October 1752;  and George, born 9 December 1757.


 

February 1776
Aaron Belvin enlisted in the 7th Virginia Regiment for a term of two years.  He initially served under Captain Charles Tomkies and Colonel Dangerfield.

 

January 1777
Per an advertisement in the Virginia Gazette, Aaron, along with his brothers Lewis and George, had deserted from the Capt. Tomkies’ company, now commanded by Reuben Lipscomb.  A reward of $10 was offered for their apprehension.


21 May 1777
Aaron and his brothers had returned to service by May, when they appear on the muster rolls under Captain Reuben Lipscomb and Colonel Alexander McClenachan, dated in May and July.

 

7 August 1777
By August, Aaron was serving under Captain Henry Young and Colonel Alexander McClenachan, appearing on their muster rolls through January 1778.

 

3 February 1778
Aaron, along with brothers George and John, was discharged at Valley Forge.

 

1782
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin began appearing on personal property and land tax lists.  Over the years, he was taxed on owning between 1 to 4 slaves, and between 1 to 3 horses.  Most years, he was taxed on 54 acres of land located on the Severn River, though briefly (1797-1804) he was taxed on 64 acres of land.


 

1786
Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin signed a petition regarding the Episcopal Church in Virginia:

The Petition of the Church Wardens and Vestry of Abingdon Parish in the County of Glostir, + sundry other members of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the said parish, Humbly shews that your Petitioners being Informed that Petitions will be presented to the General Assembly, praying for a repeal of the Act which Incorporated the said Church, + thinking themselves + their Church deeply Interested in the continuance of that Act, Humbly pray that it may not be repealed, declaring at the same time in that notwithstanding they think the Protestant Episcopal Church has from her peculiar situation a Right to expect every Indulgence + Aid the Legislature can grant, they would be far from Asking for the Continuance of the said Act, If it did or could in any manner affect the Religious or Civil Rights of their fellow Citizens.



1810
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin’s household in the 1810 U.S. Federal Census included 1 male under the age of 10;  1 male between 10-15;  1 male over the age of 45; 1 female under the age of 10; and 2 females between 10-15.

 

15 August 1811
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron’s daughter Frances Ann was born.

 

26 November 1814
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron’s son John Allan was born.

 

22 May 1818
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin appeared in court and made his declaration to obtain a pension as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

Aaron Belvin ... did declare and say that some time in the month of February in the year 1776 he enlisted in the Continental Service of the United States in the 7th Virginia Regiment in a company commanded by Capt. Charles Tomkies for two years and served in the said corps in the 7th Regiment commanded by Col. Dangerfield on continental establishment, that some time about the latter end of 1776 or the beginning of 1777 he marched to the northward & joined the Continental Army (as well as he recollects) at a place called Middle Brook, that he was at the battles of Brandy Wine Darby Town & several others, that he continued to serve till some time in February 1778 when he was legally discharged at the Valley Forge by order of Brigadier Gen. Woodford, that he served two years the time for which he enlisted, that he has no other evidence of his services in his power, that he is upwards of 64 years of age, that he is now in reduced circumstances and stands in need of the assistance of his country for his support.


4 September 1819
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin received a pension payment of $128.


Circa 1820
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin’s daughter Grace Elizabeth was born.

 

1820
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin’s household in the 1820 U.S. Federal Census included 2 males under the age of 10;  1 male over the age of 45; 2 females under the age of 10; 1 female between 26-44;  and 10 slaves.

 

10 March 1820
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin appointed attorney Overton Seawell to collect his pension payment of $48.

 

1 May 1820
Aaron Belvin’s pension was suspended under the Act of Congress in 1820, which required applicants to submit a certified schedule of their estate and income.  The Secretary of War was authorized to remove from the pension list the names of those persons who were not in need of assistance.

 

Circa 1825
Gloucester County, Virginia
Aaron Belvin died sometime circa 1825, when his estate appeared personal property tax records.  In 1829, his estate appeared on the land tax records, and would continue to appear thus until 1841, when it appeared under his son-in-law Sterling Rowe’s entry, noting that he had purchased the land from Aaron’s heirs.


 

 

Sources:

 

See also this blog post from 8 years ago:  Private Aaron Belvin

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