Daniel Goff

African American Revolutionary War Soldier

Pension Declaration S.15586
 

State of Kentucky

County of Boone

On this 4th day of February in the year 1833 personally appeared before the Justice of
the Boone County Court which is a court of Record Daniel Goff a resident of said County
of Boone & State of Kentucky aged seventy nine years in June next who being first duly
sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain
the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832

That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the County of Chesterfield & State
of Virginia where he then lived states he enlisted in 1777 with Capt James Harris and
served in the 15th Virginia Regiment in Continental Army & Served in the regiment & line
under Col. Crafford he enlisted for three years & served out the tour of his enlistment
& after serving under Capt Harris apart of the time He was put under Capt Wells & served
under him a part of the time & when his troops with which he was - was marched to the
south he was put under a Capt Dandridge - He in the time of his enlistment was first
marched to Williamsburgh Va & soon after marched to the Northward in guarding some
waggons to Lancaster - & then went to the Valley forge & joined the army there under
Genl Woodford & a Major Wallace & went on into New Jersey & the North and was in the
battle of Monmouth after which he was marched Southwardly to Charleston S. C. & there
was under Capt Dandridge & served there for some time & was put under a Capt Carter
who went back to Va & this affiant with him & was there discharged at the end of
the three years service [illegible] at Chesterfield Court house he recd a discharge from
Col Davis in his service he recollects when seen & been under: Genl Washington,
Scott Wayne Muhlenburgh - & Lafayette at different times

He hereby relinquishes every claim what ever to a pension or an annuity except the present
and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state -
He has no evidence nor does he know of any that he can procure of his service except
the affidavit of John Bridges here to annexed - & he now has no discharge - a number
of years ago he gave it to Genl Taylor to take to the Cty of Washington who has lost or
mislaid it so that this affiant cannot get it

Sworn to and Subscribed the day and year aforesaid

Daniel X Goff

Attest Willis Graves Clk



Affidavit of John Bridges

I John Bridges of the County of Boone State of Kentucky after being duly sworn do depose
& say that Daniel Goff was an enlisted soldier in the army of the United States & in the
15 Virginia Regt. Commanded by Col Crapper & fought at the Battle of Monmouth & served
three years in the army to with 1778. 79 & 80. to the best of my recollection these were
the years of his service.

John X Bridges



Affidavit of James Taylor

The affidavit of James Taylor of Newport Kentucky resident to endeavor to procure
Daniel Goff his pension. This affiant states that he has been acquainted with the
said Goff for upwards of Forty years. That his first knowledge of him was in the year
1793 at which time he was living with Majr David Soileth in the now County of
Campbell. That this affiant remarried the widow of the sd Soileth & soon after the
said Goff came to live with him as a gardner & laborer, that he sd Goff lived with him
& near him for upwards of twenty years & has resided not far distant from him up to the
present time, that this affiant has had numerous conversations with said Goff in relation
to his service as that his account of his services in the revolution has been respectively
the same, & from this affiants knowledge from history & his character of many of the
officers he Goff served with & a personal knowledge of some of these he especially
believes that he served as he has sworn & stated in his declaration made before the
Boone County Court in the State of Kentucky. This affiant many years ago advised the
sd Goff to apply for a pension & aided him to have his Declaration made before one of the
Couth of records in Campbell County which was sent on to the proper department and sent
back to this affiant for further proof. this affiant felt much for this poor colored man
who had become old & infirm. Goff ultimate found two men who testified to his service
in the revolution, whose affidavits this affiant drew for him, one was Mathew Gregg,
who resided in Campbell County aforesaid whom this affiant knew for many years as a
sober and orderly man of highly respectable convictions, who stated in his affidavit that
he knew the sd Goff in the service & that he was in one or more battles with him that
he knew he was an enlisted soldier for three years, that he was convinced from his conversations
with him that he was not mistaken in the man from his knowledge of the battle field & many as
in names they conversed about. Mathew Gregg was a pensioner when he moved from Newport
to Indiana & died over three years ago.

The other affidavit he this affiant drew for said Goff in support of his service was that of John Scott,
who was also a pensioner who resided in the state of Ohio. This affiant drew land warrants
for each of the said witnesses for Greggs services for three years from Richmond, for Scott
for the U. States bounty for the bounty for the war. The substance of Scotts affidavit was
substantially the same of Greggs. he Scott inlisted at or near Petersburg Virginia. This
affiant saw him & Goff together heard them converse about their services together, this affiant thinks
was in one or more battles together, this affiant is as fully convinced as he is of any
fact he not personally known to him, that the sd Goff was an inlisted soldier in the
Virginia Continental line & served out his time faithfully. Their affidavits this
affiant kept & he thinks was put with his Goffs former Declaration & he expected
to find them among the files of the pension office or some of the other offices but
cannot find them, this affiant testifies they were more than once sent on & returned
to him. This affiant has made Diligent search among his papers at home but cannot find them.
This affiant states that he was long acquainted with sd Scott [illegible] and him an honest
industrious man, he knows he some few years ago removed from his residence about 20 miles from
Cincinnati Ohio to some distant part of the State or perhaps out of the state & this
affiant has made an inquiry for him & understands a messenger was sent to search for him
without success to get his evidence again in Goffs case he must be now if alive near 80
years old & it is probable he is dead.

This affiant examined the record at Richmond Va he thinks in the year 1799 to see of a
warrant had opened for the service of sd Goff & found a warrant has opened for a person of
that name he this affiant thinks for one hundred acres This affiant states that sd Goff is
mistaken in supposing he gave this affiant his discharge, he thinks sd Goff gave him
a paper a memorandum relating to his service as a soldier, this affiant is not certain whether it
was signed by an officer or not, but it certainly spoke of different officers he sd Goff
had served under & had every appearance of the writer having knowledge of sd Goff serving.
This affiant states that he made out the said affidavits of sd Gregg & Scott in or about
the year 1826 that they were severally sworn & subscribed before a Justice of the peace
in his presence & he this affiant took charge of them to be filed with the declaration
& which he had made & if another was necessary to be made in support of each one that the
whole papers has been lost or mislaid & this affiant verify believes it is out of the power
of sd Goff to procure at this late day any further evidence of his said services This
sd Goff is a very old man, infirm & has to be principally supported by charity & that
this affiant has in several instances for years past contributed to it.

James Taylor