Semiquincentennial - - Revolutionary War - - David Faulkenberry

 - A series of posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -

250 Years; 1776 - 2026

Our Family was there, from the Beginning

David and his brother, John, both served in the South Carolina Militia Information on John's service is limited.  

David Faulkenberry

c 1746 Virginia – 1841 Tennessee 

Son of Jacob Faulkenberry; Husband of Phoebe

My 6th great uncle

 

Seargent, South Carolina Militia 

David Faulkenberry was one of five sons of Jacob and Phoebe Faulkenberry who grew up in Virginia. We know little about his life but we know he served when the Colonies became the United States. 

He applied for a Revolutionary War pension in 1832. Those pension papers teach us about his service. According to David he was “eighty five or eighty six years” old when he tried to remember the details of his service so he could receive a pension.

David was living in Kershaw County, South Carolina when he entered service. 

 

[David] entered the service in behalf of the United States some time before the engagement took place at the Hanging Rock in South Carolina, but he cannot state in what year or month. At the time he entered the service, he lived in Kershaw County South Carolina. He was a drafted militia man and entered the service in Captain John Kennington’s Company*, but he cannot remember the names of any of the other of his company officers. He belonged to the regiment of Militia commanded by Col. Joseph Kershaw, and he thinks Gen. Williamson had command of the troops to which he belonged. He was in the engagement at the Hanging Rock … He served he thinks five or six months during this tour, and was then discharged and returned home. How long he remained at home he cannot state, but after some time he was again drafted and served another tour of five or six months. On this tour he was under the same Captain as in the first tour and he thinks Col. Kershaw again commanded his regiment. … during some part of his services he was in General Sumter’s army … He was in the army of Gate’s defeat … He was not directly engaged in the battle, but was detailed as guard to take care of the baggage wagons, and was Seargent of said guard.”[i]

 

David participated in The Battle of Hanging Rock which took place in Heath Springs, South Carolina on 6 August 1780, commanded by Thomas Sumter. The American troops attacked a British outpost at Hanging Rock. This helps us to know when John entered his service. 

 

Although the Americans withdrew, Hanging Rock is considered a Patriot victory. While the American forces suffered more casualties, The victory at Hanging Rock served to further embolden Patriot efforts to dislodge the British in the south.[ii] 

 

David was attacked by the enemy at his home.

 

He is a cripple in both of his hands, which affair has a connection was produced at his own house by the Tories on account of his attachment to the Whigs, by cutting him to pieces with their swords. He was also wounded by a ball at the same time which is now in his arm.[iii]

 

David moved to Rutherford County, Tennessee. He was living there at the time he applied for his Revolutionary War Pension. His son, Jacob, wrote that his father was “very old, and extremely infirm.”[iv]

 

 

Revolutionary War Series:

#1  William Stark Kelly, Private in the North Carolina Militia

#2 Captain John Kennington, Camden District Regiment, South Carolina Militia 

#3 Sergeant John Brumfield, Patriot & Spy South Carolina Militia 

#4 Charles Brumfield, Gave Patriotic Service

#5 Captain Johannes Ritter, Sr., Northampton Co., PA Militia  

Read more about our family's pioneers & patriots.

This is my newest book, published in late 2024. It includes chapters on these families:

Alford, Ashely, Brown, Brumfield,

Fortenberry, Hollis, Kelly, Kennington,

Lawrence, Ott, Smith & Spurlock

Buy from me: Price: $95.00 + $10 shipping & packaging. No credit cards.

OR: use credit card & purchase through Troy Book Makers.

 

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[i] NARA, US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900; Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900; Record group 15; fold3 (fold3.com) accessed Feb. 2026; John Faulkenberry.

[ii] “Hanging Rock”, American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org) accessed Feb. 2026.

[iii] NARA, US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900; Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900; Record group 15; fold3 (fold3.com) accessed Feb. 2026; John Faulkenberry.

[iv] NARA, US, Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900; Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900; Record group 15; fold3 (fold3.com) accessed Feb. 2026; John Faulkenberry.

 

Additional Sources:

 

Moss, Bobby Gilmore, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983)

White, Virgil D., Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, Volume II: F-M. (Waynesboro, TN: The National Historical Publishing Co., 1991) 1163.

Gurr, C. B. and D, R. Gurr, The Ties That Bind us Together (Salt Lake City, UT).