Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements

Pension Application of John Hudgins (Hutchings): R7515

Transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris

The State of Georgia}
Habersham County} SS

On this 24th day of June 1845 Personally appeared Before me Thomas Mcrea one of the Justices of the Inferior Court in and for said county Rutha Murphy a resident of the county of Habersham in the State of Georgia, aged Eighty Seven (87) years, who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the Benefits of the provision made by the acts of Congress passed July 7th 1838 and the 23rd of August 1842, granting Pensions to widows of persons, who served during the revolutionary war. That she is the widow of John Hudgins of Chatham County State of North Carolina, who was a
Captain and served as such in the Militia for the time of Seven years in the revolutionary war on the part of the United States (commencing in the year 1776, and ending in the year 1783) and was in and under the following line of higher officers now recollected. To Wit. Col Literal and Maj Broox [Brooks?]. performed his services in the States of North & South Carolina and was in the Battle at Brewer’s Mills in North Carolina where Col Literal was killed. also in the Battle at Camden, South Carolina, August 15th [sic: 16th] 1780, in the Battle at the King’s Mountain in October [7th] in the same year, and in the Battle at Guilford Court House (North Carolina) March 15th 1781. She also declares that she was married to the said John Hudgins on the fifteenth (15th) day of February one Thousand Seven hundred and Seventy five (1775) By the Rev Elnathan Davis (Baptist minister of the Gospel) That her husband the aforesaid John Hudgins died of the Small Pox in the month of February One Thousand Seven hundred and ninety one (1791) in Chatham County NC. She further declares that after the death of her husband aforesaid She was married to James Murphy in the year One Thousand Eight hundred and Twelve (1803). That he died in the year one Thousand Eight hundred and thirty one (1831) and that she is still a widow. Sworn to and subscribed on the day & year above written.

Rutha herXmark Murphy

State of Georgia}
Gordon County} S.S.} On this 27th Day of September one Thousand Eight Hundred and fifty three Personally appeared before the Judges of the Inferior Court in and for the County aforesaid James Hudgins a Resident of said County aged sixty Eight years who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his Oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the
amount of Pension which accrued and fell due to his mother Ruth Murphy Dec’d formerly widow of his Father John Hudgins Dec’d under the provisions of the Act of Congress passed 4th July 1836.

He Declares that he is one of the sons and Heirs at Law of him the said John Hudgins and wife Ruth as aforesaid and that he the said John Hudgins was an officer in the War of the Revolution and served as follows. he entered the service some time in the year seventeen Hundred and seventy six (1776) in the County of Chatham N. Carolina as Captain of a Company
of Militia who his Field Officers was at the Time of his entering the service he cannot state though he recollects to have heard his mother say that he served under Col Ambrose Ramsey and Major Mial Spurlock. how long he served under those officers he cannot state. but after being in the service some time he was appointed Brigade Quarter Master and served in that
capacity until the close of the War. He further Declares that his Mother the said Ruth was married to his Father the said John Hudgins in Chatham County North Carolina on the 15 day of February seventeen Hundred and seventy five and that he the said John Died some time in March seventeen Hundred and ninety one leaving surviving him the said Ruth his Widow, who afterwards married James Murphy in the Year one Thousand Eight hundred and three (1803) and that he the said Murphy Died some time in the month of November One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty one leaving the said Ruth again a widow in which state she remained the
Ballance of her live. That she died in Habersham County in this state on the seventeenth day of November in the Year one Thousand Eight Hundred and forty seven leaving surviving her Thursay who Intermarried with Levi Murphy, Delilah who Intermarried with Robert Trotter, Benjamin Hudgins and James Hudgins the only surviving children and heirs at Law of her the
said Ruth Murphy all of whom continue to survive.

[signed] James Hudgins

NOTE: On 6 Sep 1845 Rutha Murphy filed a deposition explaining that John Hudgins’s name “was written (Hutchings) by the old people in the days of her husband’s lifetime but pronounced as if written (Hudgins).” In the file is a document stating that at the time of his death John Hudgins had seven children under age 16: Mary, Terresa, Philip, William, James, Delila, and Benjamin J. Hudgins.