• General Notes

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  John Rolland Godlsmith Sr. (a bricklayer by trade) served in the Revolutionary War.  He enl isted in February 1776 for two years in the 9th Virginia Regiment under Co. Matthews and wa s discharged form service at Valley Forge.  The 9th Regiment was nicknamed "The Tall Virginia ns".  In December of 1776 he was at the battle of Valley Forge where large numbers of his reg iment were taken prisoner.  John suffered cold, hunger, and sickness and had to occassionall y be hospitalized.  When he was discharged, he was suffering form black-water fever.  on 25 O ctober 1789, after having moved to Burke County, North Carolina, he purchased 100 acres o n a branch of Peppers Creeek on the north fork of the Catawba River.  He  remained ther for o ver ten years, raising his fmaily there.  It was here that the Goldsmiths met the Sutherlands .  Soon after 1800 both families crossed two borders into the new state of Kentucky wehre the y settled in Casey County and bought farms.  By 1820 John, now 63 years of age, was living i n the town of Shepheardsville in Bullitt County, Kentucky where two of his sons, Samuel and J ohn Jr. and his brother, Samuel were farming.
     He received a pension for service on July 33, 1825.  (No. 35974)
  
  State of Kentucky - Bullitt County
  
       On this fourth day of July one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five personally appeare d in open court, being a court of Record for Bullitt County, John Goldsmith resident of sai d County, aged sixty-eight years who being first duly sworn according to the law on his oat h make the following Declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the act of Congres s of the 18th March 1818 and the 1st May 1820: That he the said John Goldsmith enlisted for t he term of two years on the ___ day of February 1776 in the state of Virginia in the Compan y commanded by Captain James Woodson in the 9th Virginia Regiment commanded by Colonel Matthe ws in the line of the State of Virginia on continental establishment that he consented to ser ve in said company until the expiration of the time for which he enlisted to when he was disc harged rorm service at Valley Forge in the state of Pennsylvania.  That he hereby relinquishe s every claim towit to a Pension except the present: That his name is not on the Roll of an y State except Virginia and that the following are the reasons for not making earlier applica tion for a pension towit.  He obtained a discharge form an officer whose name he does not rec ollect and having lost said discharge by accident and having been informed that his Captain h ad long since departed this life he knows of no person nor does he yet know of any person b y whom he could prove his service and he was advised that it would be necessary to prove hi s service by writing before he could be placed on the Pension list persuance of an Act of th e 1st of May 1820 I do solemnly swear that I am a present citizen of the United States the 18 th day of March 1818 and that I have not since that time by gifts taken or in any manner disp osed of my property or any part thereof with interest thereby so to diminish it or to bring m yself within the provisions of an act of Congress enlisted an act to provide for enlisted per sons engaged in the ___ of ___ service of the United States in the Revolutionary War papers o n the 18th day of March 1818 and that I have not nor has any person in trust to me any proper ty or securities, contracts or debts due to me nor have I any income othe than what is contai ned in the schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed.  That since the 18th of March 1818 t he following changes have been made in my property.  About that time I had a Equitable clai m to one hundred acres of land (of third rate), a mare and colt, about twenty dollars worth o f cattle and about thirty dollars worth of hogs. The Declared further states that he is a Bri ck layer by trade but is now too old and infirmed to pursue it for a support.  He has a wif e nearly of his own age who has been sick upwards of four years and he has been forced to dis pose of is land, mare and colt and a part of his cattle and hogs to pay doctor bills for th e support of himself and wife.  He has five children to wit, three boys, two daughters who ar e grown and who have left him and he derives no support form the.  The Schedule of his proper ty now claimed by him is as follows:
    One cow and cafl at $7, 13 head of small hogs at $8, 2 chairs at 50c, Household and kitche n furniture at $3.oo, 1 small garden hoe, shovel, plough and bold axe $20.50.  by John X Gold smith
     His son John Goldsmith, Jr. notified the court of his fathers death in 1825.  Date of deat h October 30, 1825 leaving Jane Goldsmith his widow and Samuel Goldsmith, Molly Goldsmith, Po lly Nichols, John Goldsmith, Matilda Hopewell his heirs and representatives.  Book E, p. 38 , Feb. 6, 1826 Court Orders, Bullitt County, Kentucky.
  Source:  Ruth E. Schultz, Hines, OR

Details of John Rolland's family with Jane POWELL