Loftus & Samuel Pullen - Patriot Bio
Monday May 08 2023
Loftus Pullen and his son, Samuel, both provided service during the Revolutionary War. Loftus is my 6th great-grandfather and Samuel is my 5th great-grandfather.
Please note the following county formations that are pertinent to this family:
Augusta was formed from Orange 1783
The following formed from Augusta: Bath 1790, Pendleton 1787, Rockingham 1778, Rockbridge 1776
The following formed from Bath: Highland 1847, Pendleton 1787
Loftus was born about 1720, and was probably of English ancestry. He died in 1801 in Bath County, Virginia. He was a pioneer settler in what is now Highland County, Virginia, settling there in 1745. The next year he built a cabin by a spring overlooking the Bull Pasture River. Loftus was often referred to as "of the Bullpasture" - this area that eventually became part of Pendleton County, West Virginia.
He was married to Ann Jane Usher in about 1750. Ann Usher Pullin had many names used in legal documents (Nancy Ann Jane ,Jenney, Jinny, Genny, Ginny). Most records call her An,n Jenney, Jinny, or Ginny but in Loftus' will is written "To my dear and loving wife, Nancy Pullins"
This is the only record I know of that refers to her as Nancy.
In 1745 James Knox, as guardian of Ann Jenny Usher, executed the first fiduciary bond on record in Augusta County. She married Loftus Pullin of the Bullpasture.
Ann's mother, Jane, was abandoned by her family in England due to her marrying Edward Usher. Jane & Edward had four daughters: Ann, Jane, Margaret and Martha. The following is an excerpt from Families of Greater Bath (pg 201):
One Edward Usher wedded the only daughter and sole heir of a member of the English aristocracy. After a few years she was left a widow and sought a reconciliation with her father. She was walking toward his mansion leading her children when he drove by. The parent merely tossed her a coin with the remark that that was all the brats should have of his property.
It is not known how the three surviving daughters arrived at the Dickenson settlement in Augusta County. On 11 Feb 1745 Ann entered a petition with the Augusta County Court choosing the aforementioned James Knox as her guardian. It is probable he was also the guardian of her sisters although they are not mentioned in the order. (The Usher Sisters of Early Augusta County, Virginia, 2005) More on this order can be found here.
Loftus is found on the 1791 Bath County Virginia Personal Property Tax list and, yes, Bath is also part of this same geographical area. Records for this family can also be found in Augusta County. By 1800 there was a considerable number of slaves in the Highland area. In 1801, Loftus Pullin owned nine of them (see will below) as well as having several indentured servants.
In 1753-1754 Loftus joined with several of his neighbors by filing the following petition:
To the Worshipful Court of Augusta now sitting: We, the inhabitants of this County, have long felt the smart of the great indulgence the ordinary keepers of this County have met with in allowing them to sell such large quantities of rum and wine at an extravagant rate, by which our money is drained out of the County, for which we have no return but a fresh supply to pick our pockets. We, your petitioners, humbly pray your worship to put a stop to the said liquors, which would encourage us to pursue our laborious designs, which is to raise sufficient quantities of grain which would sufficiently supply us with liquors and the money circulate in this County to the advantage of us, the same. We hope that your worships will discover to us that you have a real regard for the good of the County, and lay us under an obligation to pray for your prosperity.
Loftus was also a signer of a petition for a road from Walles Astne's Mill to the road on the had of the Calfpasture in 1751-1752. He served as the vice road overseer of the road from Estill's property to Feamster's property in 1767. And in 1778 he signed the petition to establish a new county from Rockbridge County, asking that the court house be built in Cowpasture "where it may be centrable and agreed upon by the majority of us your petitioners."
Pvt. Loftus Pullen, a solider in the French and Indian War in served Captain William Preston's Company of Rangers from June 8, 1758 to May 4, 1759. The Historical Marker at Clover Creek, Highland County, reads thusly:
Fort George was built in the spring of 1757 by Capt. Wm. Preston, acting on orders of Maj. Andrew Lewis. Local residents assisted in construction of the 80 foot square log fort located on the land of Wallace Estill. It was never attacked directly by Indians, although arrows were shots at it from across the Bull Pasture River.
This is probably where Loftus earned the designation of an "Indian Fighter." For his service he received 200 acres of Bounty Land from King George II. This land may have been 239 acres of "corner land" on Clover Creek, now commonly called the Bull Pasture, a branch of the Cowpasture. A record of this land grant is recorded in the 1954 book Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776 by William Crozier.
His Revolutionary War service was recorded in Abercromie & Slatten's book, Virginia Revolutionary Pulick Claims, Vol 1, (pg 87) which notes that he was paid for military aid in Augusta County. This qualifies as "Public Service" for the war effort. According to the Library of Virginia:
during its session begun in May 1780, the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the governor to impress supplies needed by the American army. The governor appointed commissioners of the provision law in each locality to carry out the terms of the act. The commissioner, when he impressed property, gave the owner a certificate describing what was taken. Between 1781 and 1783 county courts held special sessions at which certificates were presented and authenticated, and booklets listing authenticated certificates were compiled and sent to Richmond for settlement. Two commissioners appointed to settle the claims recorded those for which they authorized payment, and warrants were issued by the auditor of public accounts.
As of this writing the particulars of Loftus' claim have not been located.
Loftus' will was submitted on 3 Feb 1802 in Bath County:
May 2, 1801 Bath County, Virginia (now Highland County)
Book: 1, page: 206 January Term of Court 1802
To my dear and loving wife, Nancy Pullins [ed.: Ann Jenny Usher], I leave this permanent house, all the furniture, the tall horse, gray mare and colt, her choice of cow hides and three negroes: Dafane, Jerbel and Loudow during her life and some land.
To my son John Pullins, one dollar with all my wearing apparel of clothes.
To Loftus Pullins, my son now living in Kentucky, one negro woman named Philles and her child named, Peter.
To my son, Samuel Pullins, the negro boy that lives with him named Ben.
To my son Jonathan Pullins, to have the lower end of my land.
To my son, Thomas Pullins, the land I now live on after my wife's death and one Mulatto boy named Joe.
To my daughter, Jane Ann (Boude) ten dollars.
To my grandson, Lofty Cook, one negro boy named Sampson.
To David Cook one dollar.
To my daughter, Martha Henry, one negro girl named Mirma and ten pounds of spices and the place Hugh Henry lives on, he is to live on it for two years.
The negro boy Jerbel named above goes to my son, Thomas, after my wife's death.
My personal estate not above mentioned to be sold, debts paid and the rest equally divided amoughst my heirs.
I appoint my sons, Samuel and Jonathan Pullins, to be my executors of this my last will and testament.
Signed: Loftus Pullins.
Ann died in Bath County, Virginia in 1805 and was buried in the same cemetery as her husband. Her will was probated in Bath County:
September 16, 1805 Bath County, Virginia
Will Book: 1, page: 335
First: I give and bequeath, on my own free will, freedom to a black woman, Dafany. She is to be clearly set at liberty immediately after my burial and to have her spinning wheel clear of expenses.
Secondly: I give to my well beloved daughter, Martha Henry, a little black girl, Amy, she being about four years old. Martha is to have the said black girl clear of all demands.
Thirdly: I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved daughter, Ginny Estill, a black child named Hannah, being about ten months old and clear of all expenses.
Fourthly: It is my desire to giver unto my son, Thomas Pullin , my young grey mare and clear of all expenses at my decease.
Fifthly: I give to m y granddaughter, Eleanor Pullin, the late John Pullin's daughter, a feather bed and bolster with quilt stone blanket and one sheet and without any demands.
Sixthly: the reminder of my property I wish to be sold at public action and the money disposed to paid my funeral expenses and the rest of the money to be equally divided amongst my surviving sons and daughters.
Witnesses: Thomas Pullin - Samuel Pullins
Signed: Ginny Ann (X her mark) Pullins.
Samuel was the ninth of Loftus & Anne's ten children. Born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1761, he married Sarah Henry on 22 Jan 1793 in Rockingham County, Virginia. Their marriage bond is between Samuel and John Henry, Sarah's brother. Her father, Henry, was alive at the time so it is not known why the bond was with her brother instead of her father. The couple had possibly 7-9 children.
Samuel's pension has the following information - it appears that he and Them Kinkaid provided testimony for each other as to their participation in the war.
…that he is acquainted with Thomas Kinkaid and that he was with him at the Battle of Gilford, that himself and said Kinkead belonged to the same company which was commanded by Capt. David Gwin, but how long the said Kinkead was in service he cannot say but he left the said Kinkead in the service when he left the army and that Gen. Green was commander, but who the Col. or Maj. was, he does not recollect.
Samuel appears on the 1790 Bath County, Virginia tax list as owning 6 horses. This indicates that he, too, was well-off. Loftus' eldest son, John (1751-1806), spent his entire life on the Pullen farm. John, Samuel, Loftus and Loftus Jr obtained many grants of land in Pendleton County. Between them they owned quite a bit of the county.
Samuel's obituary appeared in the Staunton Spectator on 9 Oct 1850 and on 14 Oct 1950 in the Alexandria Gazette:
The last Staunton Spectator records the death of two Revolutionary heroes, Mr. John Stuart and Mr. Samuel Pullen. They were natives of Augusta and bore an honorable part in our struggles for independence. Mr. Stuart was in his 90th year and was present under Gen. Washington at the surrender of Yorktown. Mr. Pullen was engaged in the battle of Guilford Court house and at the time of his death was in his 89th year. They were both members of the Methodist Church.
He was buried in the Pullen/Cobb (Shumate) Cemetery in McDowell and his grave is marked with a military tombstone.
My family line starting with my Grandmother (Generation 3):
Gen 3: Hazel Julia Brooks Betler Houchin
Gen 4: Richard Thomas Brooks & Landona Belle Curry
Gen 5: Luke Perkizer Brooks & Barbara Julia Rexroad
Gen 6: Thomas Rexroad & Sarah Pullen
Gen 7: Loftus Pullen & Francis Hammer
Gen 8: Samuel Pullen & Sarah Henry
Gen 9: Lotus Pullen & Ann Jane Usher
Please note the following county formations that are pertinent to this family:
Augusta was formed from Orange 1783
The following formed from Augusta: Bath 1790, Pendleton 1787, Rockingham 1778, Rockbridge 1776
The following formed from Bath: Highland 1847, Pendleton 1787
Loftus was born about 1720, and was probably of English ancestry. He died in 1801 in Bath County, Virginia. He was a pioneer settler in what is now Highland County, Virginia, settling there in 1745. The next year he built a cabin by a spring overlooking the Bull Pasture River. Loftus was often referred to as "of the Bullpasture" - this area that eventually became part of Pendleton County, West Virginia.
He was married to Ann Jane Usher in about 1750. Ann Usher Pullin had many names used in legal documents (Nancy Ann Jane ,Jenney, Jinny, Genny, Ginny). Most records call her An,n Jenney, Jinny, or Ginny but in Loftus' will is written "To my dear and loving wife, Nancy Pullins"
This is the only record I know of that refers to her as Nancy.
In 1745 James Knox, as guardian of Ann Jenny Usher, executed the first fiduciary bond on record in Augusta County. She married Loftus Pullin of the Bullpasture.
Ann's mother, Jane, was abandoned by her family in England due to her marrying Edward Usher. Jane & Edward had four daughters: Ann, Jane, Margaret and Martha. The following is an excerpt from Families of Greater Bath (pg 201):
One Edward Usher wedded the only daughter and sole heir of a member of the English aristocracy. After a few years she was left a widow and sought a reconciliation with her father. She was walking toward his mansion leading her children when he drove by. The parent merely tossed her a coin with the remark that that was all the brats should have of his property.
It is not known how the three surviving daughters arrived at the Dickenson settlement in Augusta County. On 11 Feb 1745 Ann entered a petition with the Augusta County Court choosing the aforementioned James Knox as her guardian. It is probable he was also the guardian of her sisters although they are not mentioned in the order. (The Usher Sisters of Early Augusta County, Virginia, 2005) More on this order can be found here.
Loftus is found on the 1791 Bath County Virginia Personal Property Tax list and, yes, Bath is also part of this same geographical area. Records for this family can also be found in Augusta County. By 1800 there was a considerable number of slaves in the Highland area. In 1801, Loftus Pullin owned nine of them (see will below) as well as having several indentured servants.
In 1753-1754 Loftus joined with several of his neighbors by filing the following petition:
To the Worshipful Court of Augusta now sitting: We, the inhabitants of this County, have long felt the smart of the great indulgence the ordinary keepers of this County have met with in allowing them to sell such large quantities of rum and wine at an extravagant rate, by which our money is drained out of the County, for which we have no return but a fresh supply to pick our pockets. We, your petitioners, humbly pray your worship to put a stop to the said liquors, which would encourage us to pursue our laborious designs, which is to raise sufficient quantities of grain which would sufficiently supply us with liquors and the money circulate in this County to the advantage of us, the same. We hope that your worships will discover to us that you have a real regard for the good of the County, and lay us under an obligation to pray for your prosperity.
Loftus was also a signer of a petition for a road from Walles Astne's Mill to the road on the had of the Calfpasture in 1751-1752. He served as the vice road overseer of the road from Estill's property to Feamster's property in 1767. And in 1778 he signed the petition to establish a new county from Rockbridge County, asking that the court house be built in Cowpasture "where it may be centrable and agreed upon by the majority of us your petitioners."
Pvt. Loftus Pullen, a solider in the French and Indian War in served Captain William Preston's Company of Rangers from June 8, 1758 to May 4, 1759. The Historical Marker at Clover Creek, Highland County, reads thusly:
Fort George was built in the spring of 1757 by Capt. Wm. Preston, acting on orders of Maj. Andrew Lewis. Local residents assisted in construction of the 80 foot square log fort located on the land of Wallace Estill. It was never attacked directly by Indians, although arrows were shots at it from across the Bull Pasture River.
This is probably where Loftus earned the designation of an "Indian Fighter." For his service he received 200 acres of Bounty Land from King George II. This land may have been 239 acres of "corner land" on Clover Creek, now commonly called the Bull Pasture, a branch of the Cowpasture. A record of this land grant is recorded in the 1954 book Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776 by William Crozier.
His Revolutionary War service was recorded in Abercromie & Slatten's book, Virginia Revolutionary Pulick Claims, Vol 1, (pg 87) which notes that he was paid for military aid in Augusta County. This qualifies as "Public Service" for the war effort. According to the Library of Virginia:
during its session begun in May 1780, the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the governor to impress supplies needed by the American army. The governor appointed commissioners of the provision law in each locality to carry out the terms of the act. The commissioner, when he impressed property, gave the owner a certificate describing what was taken. Between 1781 and 1783 county courts held special sessions at which certificates were presented and authenticated, and booklets listing authenticated certificates were compiled and sent to Richmond for settlement. Two commissioners appointed to settle the claims recorded those for which they authorized payment, and warrants were issued by the auditor of public accounts.
As of this writing the particulars of Loftus' claim have not been located.
Loftus' will was submitted on 3 Feb 1802 in Bath County:
May 2, 1801 Bath County, Virginia (now Highland County)
Book: 1, page: 206 January Term of Court 1802
To my dear and loving wife, Nancy Pullins [ed.: Ann Jenny Usher], I leave this permanent house, all the furniture, the tall horse, gray mare and colt, her choice of cow hides and three negroes: Dafane, Jerbel and Loudow during her life and some land.
To my son John Pullins, one dollar with all my wearing apparel of clothes.
To Loftus Pullins, my son now living in Kentucky, one negro woman named Philles and her child named, Peter.
To my son, Samuel Pullins, the negro boy that lives with him named Ben.
To my son Jonathan Pullins, to have the lower end of my land.
To my son, Thomas Pullins, the land I now live on after my wife's death and one Mulatto boy named Joe.
To my daughter, Jane Ann (Boude) ten dollars.
To my grandson, Lofty Cook, one negro boy named Sampson.
To David Cook one dollar.
To my daughter, Martha Henry, one negro girl named Mirma and ten pounds of spices and the place Hugh Henry lives on, he is to live on it for two years.
The negro boy Jerbel named above goes to my son, Thomas, after my wife's death.
My personal estate not above mentioned to be sold, debts paid and the rest equally divided amoughst my heirs.
I appoint my sons, Samuel and Jonathan Pullins, to be my executors of this my last will and testament.
Signed: Loftus Pullins.
Ann died in Bath County, Virginia in 1805 and was buried in the same cemetery as her husband. Her will was probated in Bath County:
September 16, 1805 Bath County, Virginia
Will Book: 1, page: 335
First: I give and bequeath, on my own free will, freedom to a black woman, Dafany. She is to be clearly set at liberty immediately after my burial and to have her spinning wheel clear of expenses.
Secondly: I give to my well beloved daughter, Martha Henry, a little black girl, Amy, she being about four years old. Martha is to have the said black girl clear of all demands.
Thirdly: I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved daughter, Ginny Estill, a black child named Hannah, being about ten months old and clear of all expenses.
Fourthly: It is my desire to giver unto my son, Thomas Pullin , my young grey mare and clear of all expenses at my decease.
Fifthly: I give to m y granddaughter, Eleanor Pullin, the late John Pullin's daughter, a feather bed and bolster with quilt stone blanket and one sheet and without any demands.
Sixthly: the reminder of my property I wish to be sold at public action and the money disposed to paid my funeral expenses and the rest of the money to be equally divided amongst my surviving sons and daughters.
Witnesses: Thomas Pullin - Samuel Pullins
Signed: Ginny Ann (X her mark) Pullins.
Samuel was the ninth of Loftus & Anne's ten children. Born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1761, he married Sarah Henry on 22 Jan 1793 in Rockingham County, Virginia. Their marriage bond is between Samuel and John Henry, Sarah's brother. Her father, Henry, was alive at the time so it is not known why the bond was with her brother instead of her father. The couple had possibly 7-9 children.
Samuel's pension has the following information - it appears that he and Them Kinkaid provided testimony for each other as to their participation in the war.
…that he is acquainted with Thomas Kinkaid and that he was with him at the Battle of Gilford, that himself and said Kinkead belonged to the same company which was commanded by Capt. David Gwin, but how long the said Kinkead was in service he cannot say but he left the said Kinkead in the service when he left the army and that Gen. Green was commander, but who the Col. or Maj. was, he does not recollect.
Samuel appears on the 1790 Bath County, Virginia tax list as owning 6 horses. This indicates that he, too, was well-off. Loftus' eldest son, John (1751-1806), spent his entire life on the Pullen farm. John, Samuel, Loftus and Loftus Jr obtained many grants of land in Pendleton County. Between them they owned quite a bit of the county.
Samuel's obituary appeared in the Staunton Spectator on 9 Oct 1850 and on 14 Oct 1950 in the Alexandria Gazette:
The last Staunton Spectator records the death of two Revolutionary heroes, Mr. John Stuart and Mr. Samuel Pullen. They were natives of Augusta and bore an honorable part in our struggles for independence. Mr. Stuart was in his 90th year and was present under Gen. Washington at the surrender of Yorktown. Mr. Pullen was engaged in the battle of Guilford Court house and at the time of his death was in his 89th year. They were both members of the Methodist Church.
He was buried in the Pullen/Cobb (Shumate) Cemetery in McDowell and his grave is marked with a military tombstone.
My family line starting with my Grandmother (Generation 3):
Gen 3: Hazel Julia Brooks Betler Houchin
Gen 4: Richard Thomas Brooks & Landona Belle Curry
Gen 5: Luke Perkizer Brooks & Barbara Julia Rexroad
Gen 6: Thomas Rexroad & Sarah Pullen
Gen 7: Loftus Pullen & Francis Hammer
Gen 8: Samuel Pullen & Sarah Henry
Gen 9: Lotus Pullen & Ann Jane Usher