Semiquincentennial - - Revolutionary War - - John Faulkenberry

  - #14 and the last in a series of  posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -

250 Years; 1776 - 2026

Our Family was there, from the Beginning

John Faulkenberry

[Also seen as John Fortenberry]

c 1740 Virginia – 1815 SC

Son of Jacob Faulkenberry; Husband of Hannah Eubanks

3x great grandfather of Roy Jessie Brown

 

Private, South Carolina Militia 

John Faulkenberry was a Revolutionary War soldier and diligent farmer. He began his life in Virginia but, like many in his family before him, he headed south and settled in South Carolina. In November 1758, when he was about 18 years old, John “Faulkenburough” bought 150 acres of land on Flat Creek, a branch of Lynches Creek in Craven County, South Carolina. The land was “Bounded on all sides by vacant land.”[1]

This is the area where our Kennington family also lived.[2]

Settlement was made in the lower part of the present Lancaster County on Hanging Rock Creek. The South Carolina colony first made a grant to settlers there in 1752; it included the overhanging mass of rock for which the creek was named. About the time the colony opened up this section, other settlers came in and settled along Lynches Creek, Little Lynches creek, Flat Creek, Beaver Creek, and lower Camp Creek. In coming to the Lancaster area, the first settlers followed old Indian paths. The increased traffic began to enlarge the paths and improve them as dirt roads.[3]

John married Hannah (Eubanks) Faulkenberry in Flat Creek, Lancaster, South Carolina on 4 December 1769. The Eubanks family lived on Great Lynches Creek[4] and were most certainly neighbors to the Faulkenberry family. John and Hannah were the parents of at least six children: William Jasper Fortenberry [William married Violette (Kennington) Fortenberry], Lee Faulkenberry, Jacob Faulkenberry, Israel Faulkenberry, Nathaniel Faulkenberry and Robert Faulkenberry.[5]

            On 2 August 1776 news of the Declaration of Independence arrived in South Carolina. On 5 August troops paraded to Charleston’s Liberty Tree and the Declaration was read. Support of the revolution was mixed. In 1776 more than two thousand South Carolinians enlisted as Continentals or Regulars but by 1778 only a handful were still in service. Monetary incentives and land bounties were used to entice soldiers. In 1779 the war arrived in South Carolina with a series of attacks by the British who were destructive and who stole horses, silver, furniture and slaves. Charleston fell to the British in May 1780.[6]

John Faulkenberry served in the Revolutionary War, circa 1782, as a private under Captain William McKenzie in Colonel William Hill’s Regiment of State Troops.[7]^, [8]^, [9] His brother, David, served as well. David served as a private with Captain John Kennington in 1781 and 1782.[10] (This John Kennington was to become the father-in-law of William Jasper Fortenberry, who was the nephew of David Faulkenberry.)

 

John Fortenberry’s name in a list of Pay Roll of Captain William Mckenzie’s Troops, 1782

 

Fortunately, South Carolina had many heroes, both famous and unknown, who helped to win the Revolutionary War and defeat the British. However, many areas of South Carolina suffered damage from the war.

Homes, farm buildings, and mills had been burned. Fields had been abandoned and were overgrown. Horses and livestock had been taken by one side or the other. There were thirty thousand fewer slaves in the state than there had been in 1775. In addition to those carried away in the loyalist evacuation, about twenty-five thousand were stolen by the British. With the dissolution of the ties with Great Britain, South Carolina lost its primary trading partner and the indigo bounty. The state’s economy was in a shambles.[11]

Lancaster County, in the Camden District of South Carolina is located in the north central area of the state, just across the border from North Carolina. We have evidence of John’s residence there when he purchased 150 acres of land there in 1760 and sold it in March 1774 to Isaac Fortenberry.[12] He purchased 100 acres in 1786.

John … purchased 100 acres of prime property in the vicinity of Flat and Lynches Creeks. This land was purchased from John's father in law, John Eubanks on 15 April 1786. John actually resided on the property before it was purchased by him. His relationship with his in laws was cordial and respectful. John subsequently bought several adjourning tracts of land in the Flat Creek area, totaling about 400 acres.[13]

At this time we do not know what John grew on his land to sustain his family. He may have grown one of the colony’s top three exported agricultural products. In the eighteenth-century South Carolina’s leading export was rice. It could be grown in freshwater inland swamps. A portion of the swamp was damned to create a reservoir to provide a reliable water supply. With regular irrigation high yields of rice were produced. Rice was transported to Charleston in bags or casks. By the early 1720s South Carolina exported an average of six million pounds of rice. Over the next decade it rose to thirty million pounds. Before the Revolution more than sixty-six million pounds were exported and between 1766-1775 prices were higher than any previous time in the colony’s history. Rice was called “Carolina gold.” Second to rice, planters grew indigo. During the French and Indian War it was difficult for the British to obtain indigo from the West Indies and they turned to South Carolina. The quality of the indigo was not as high as in the West Indies but it was easier to obtain. Hemp was another agricultural product planters could grow for export. Planters could sell hemp in Charleston for twenty pounds sterling for every 100 pounds.[14]

In 1790 John Faulkenberry was among those heads of households included in the first census of the United States. In March 1790 our country included 12 states. Nine months were allowed to count the heads of households in those states. Counting the people of South Carolina took twice that long, longer than any other state. About 240,000 square miles of the country were settled when the federal marshals traveled by foot, horse, stage or coach over that area. Their journeys included many difficulties, including speaking to the residents. Many did not want to reveal too much about themselves, fearing a taxation scheme was associated with the count. Others objected on religious grounds.[15] When John was counted he was living in Camden District, Lancaster County with neighbors Andrew, Jacob and Joseph Faulkenberry. Nearby was Isaac Faulkenberry. There were also Faulkenburghs in Camden: David, ‘Widow’, Robert and Henry.[16] Both Faulkenberry and Faulkenburgh were probably the same family. John’s known brothers were Jacob, Henry, David and Robert. Those match up with most of those men mentioned in the census. 

On 21 November 1790 John purchased land on Flat Creek from Benjamin Haile. On 7 March 1795 John purchased land from David Faulkenberry, his brother.[17] In 1800 John and family were shown as ‘Faulkinburg’ in the US Census. Henry, Isaac, Jacob and John were in Lancaster County.[18]

In 1810 John was again listed in the Lancaster County Census.[19]

He was an industrious farmer and lived the remainder of his life in this area. He loved his wife and together they worked hard to rear their children as strong, stalwart, and faithful Christians. Hannah supported her husband in his desire to provide an adequate lifestyle for their family. In 1815 John died at his home in Flat Creek and is buried there. He was 75 years of age.[20]

            John and Hannah had at least six children: William Jasper Fortenberry, a daughter, Jacob Faulkenberry, Israel Faulkenberry, Nathaniel Faulkenberry and Robert Faulkenberry. They may have had other children who died young. Notice that some sons used Faulkenberry but William used Fortenberry. 

While life on the frontier was uncertain everywhere, in South Carolina death by disease made life more precarious than anywhere else in British North America.[21]

Yellow fever, malaria, smallpox and typhus came to South Carolina with the Europeans and Africans. Influenza, measles, whooping cough and dysentery were present. Between 1670 and 1775 fifty-nine major epidemics hit South Carolina. Infants, children and women were especially vulnerable. Many of those who raised rice lived near their fields which were breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Couples had large families. Infant mortality was high and childbirth was often fatal for the mother and child.[22]

            Despite the diseases in the area and the uncertain life in the wilderness, John lived to be 75 years old and Hannah was 67. They both died in 1815.[23]

 

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

#6 Sgt. David Faulkenberruy, SC Militia 

#7 Lt. Moses Hollis, Lieutenant in the South Carolina Militia

#8 Pvt. Jeremiah Smith

#9 Richard Dillon, NC Militia 

#10 Captain Jacob Ott II, SC Militia

#11 Lt. Johann Jonas Wolf, York Co. Militia, PA

#12 Captain John Hollis, SC Militia

#13 Pvt. William Hollis, SC 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.

 

---

[1] South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Colonial Plat Books; Series S213184, Volume 7, Page 113, Item 3; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed Feb. 2024) John Faulkenburough, 1758, Craven Co., SC.

[2] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Colonial Plat Books; Series S213184, Volume 7, Page 113, Item 3; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) John Faulkenburough, 1758, Craven Co.

[3] Lancaster County, South Carolina, History; digital image, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org: accessed March 2019).

[4] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. State Plat Book; Series S213192, Volume 39, Page 178, Item 2; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) John Eubanks, 1802.

[5] Criminger, Adrianne Fortenberry. The Fortenberry Families of Southern Mississippi. (SC: Southern Historical Press, 1984).

[6] Edgar, Walter. South Carolina, A History (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1998) 229-239.

[7] Daughters of the American Revolution. Ancestor record, Ancestor #AO41319, John Fortenberry; digital image (dar.org: accessed 2017).

[8] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Pay Roll of Captain William McKenzies Troop in Colonel William Hills Regiment of State Troops; Series S213089, Box 4, Folder 29; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) John Fortenberry, 1782.

[9] South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Accounts Audited of Claims Growing Out of the Revolution; Series S108092, Reel 47, Frame 460; digital image (scdah.sc.gov: accessed March 2019) John Fortenberry.

[10] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files; NARA catalog 300022, Record Group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed July 2018) David Faulkenberry.  

[11] Edgar, Walter. South Carolina, A History (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1998) 244.

[12] Holcombe, Brent H. Lancaster County, South Carolina Deed Abstractss, 1787 – 1811 (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press) 117.

[13] Gurr, C. B., & Gurr, D. R. The Ties that Bind us Together. (Salt Lake City, UT: C.B. Gurr, 2006).

[14] Edgar, Walter. South Carolina, A History (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1998) 139-150.

[15] Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790; South Carolina (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, 2004) 3-5.

[16] Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790; South Carolina (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield, 2004) 24. 

[17] Holcombe, Brent H. Lancaster County, South Carolina Deed Abstractss, 1787 – 1811 (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press) 106.

[18] Holcomb, Brent H., Index to the 1800 Census of South Carolina (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1980) 77.

[19] Small, Otha B. 1810 Lancaster County South Carolina Census (Monroe, NC: n.d.) 14.

[20] Gurr, C. B., & Gurr, D. R. The Ties that Bind us Together. (Salt Lake City, UT: C.B. Gurr, 2006).

[21] Edgar, Walter. South Carolina, A History (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1998) 156.

[22] Edgar, Walter. South Carolina, A History (Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 1998) 156-159.

[23] Fortinberry, G. K. Abstract History of the Fortinberry Family; 1795-1940's; (Family History Center Microfilm #1036152).

 

 

 

 

Semiquincentennial - - Revolutionary War - - Private William Hollis

  - #13 in a series of  posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -

250 Years; 1776 - 2026

Our Family was there, from the Beginning

William Hollis

16 Feb 1748 Fairfax, VA – c 1836 Alabama; 

Son of Moses Hollis & Rosannah Berry Hagan

My 6x great uncle

 

Private, South Carolina Militia 

 

William Hollis volunteered for service May 1776 and went to Sullivan’s Island. Both William[i] and his brother, John Hollis, participated in the Battle of Sullivan’s Island on 28 June 1776. 

The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American forces. … The land assault was frustrated when the channel between the two islands was found to be too deep to wade, and the American defenses prevented an amphibious landing. The naval bombardment had little effect due to the sandy soil and the spongy nature of the fort's palmetto log construction. Careful fire by the defenders wrought extensive damage on the British fleet, which withdrew after an entire day's bombardment; the British withdrew their expedition force to New York, and would not return to South Carolina until 1780.[ii]

 

Both brothers, William and John Hollis,  were also at the Battle at King’s Mountain on 7 October 1780.[iii] The battle took place 9 miles south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina.  British Major Patrick Ferguson, after receiving intelligence of an oncoming attack, decided to retreat to the safety of Lord Cornwallis's army. However, the Patriots caught up with the Loyalists at Kings Mountain near the border with South Carolina.

 

Achieving a complete surprise, the Patriot militiamen attacked and surrounded the Loyalists, inflicting severe casualties. After an hour of battle, Ferguson was fatally shot off his horse while trying to break the Patriot line, after which his men surrendered. Some Patriots gave no quarter until their officers re-established control over their men; they were said to be seeking revenge for alleged killings by Banastre Tarleton's militiamen at the Battle of Waxhaws, under the slogan "Remember Tarleton's Quarter". Although victorious, the Patriots had to retreat quickly from the area for fear of Cornwallis' advance. Later they executed nine Loyalist prisoners after a short trial. The battle was a pivotal event in the southern campaign. The surprising victory of the American Patriot militia over the Loyalists came after a string of Patriot defeats at the hands of Cornwallis, and greatly raised the Patriots' morale.[iv]

 

The Battle at Cowpens was on 17 January 1781 when the British had 800 troops killed, wounded or captured and the patriots had less than 100 casualties. The victory was a boost to the morale of the patriots. William was a part of that encounter with the British.[v]

An American army of 2,000 regulars and militia under Brigadier general Daniel Morgan defeated a force of 1,000 British and Loyalist troops commanded by Lieutenant-colonel Banastre Tarleton. It was the worst defeat suffered by the British in North America during the conflict following the 1777 Saratoga campaign. … Tactically, the battle demonstrated that militia, when deployed properly, could defeat experienced regulars, something which American military and political leaders had previously considered impossible. [vi]

                  Afterwards, he volunteered on many occasions. He was with Colonel Cleveland on the Broad River and General Marion on the Pee Dee River. General Francis Marion was the infamous “Swamp Fox” who outfoxed the British on many occasions. William was “under the command of General Marion [Francis Marion] on the Pedee [River] when they killed twenty-three Tories.”[vii] 

William “was in many skirmishes during the Revolution against the British & Tories.”  He was “wounded by the sword by Captain Isbel near Orangeburg.”[viii]

William stated “he continued in the Army until the end of the War. … he was stationed in Orangeburg at the end of the War. …And he further states that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of his memory he cannot swear positively to the precise length of his service buy according to the best of his recollection he served not less than five years.”[ix]

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

#6 Sgt. David Faulkenberruy, SC Militia 

#7 Lt. Moses Hollis, Lieutenant in the South Carolina Militia

#8 Pvt. Jeremiah Smith

#9 Richard Dillon, NC Militia 

#10 Captain Jacob Ott II, SC Militia

#11 Lt. Johann Jonas Wolf, York Co. Militia, PA

#12 Captain John Hollis, SC 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.

---

[i] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.

[ii] “Battle of Sullivan’s Island”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026). 

[iii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) William Hollis.

[iv] “Battle of Kings Mountain”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026).

[v] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.

[vi] “Battle of Cowpens”, Wikipedia (accessed March 2026).

[vii] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.

[viii] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.

[ix] Graves, Will. Southern Campaigns American Revolution Pension Statements & Roster; (revwarapps.org); accessed March 2026; William Hollis.

 

 

 

 

 

Semiquincentennial - - Revolutionary War - - Captain John Hollis

 - #12 in a series of  posts about our family's Revolutionary War soldiers -

250 Years; 1776 - 2026

Our Family was there, from the Beginning

Captain John Hollis

3 Dec 1751 Fairfax, Virginia – 4 November 1836 South Carolina

Son of Moses Hollis & Rosannah Berry Hagan; Husband of Nancy Knighton

My 6x great uncle 

Captain, South Carolina Militia

John Hollis, born 3 December 1751 on the Potomac River, Fairfax County, Virginia, was 26 years old and living on the Wateree River in Craven County, South Carolina when he first served with the patriots. In the winter of 1775, he was a private under Captain Samuel Boykin and Colonel Fletcher for one month.^{[i], [ii], [iii]}

            His second tour of service lasted for 18 months. He served under Colonel Thompson. His pension papers show his rank, during this tour, as either sergeant or lieutenant. This tour began in November 1775 and lasted through June 1777 and included the Battle of Sullivan’s Island on 28 June 1776.[iv] This took place near Charleston, South Carolina when the British troops tried to capture the city. American troops had begun construction of a fortress built out of palmetto logs and sand to defend the island and the channel into Charleston Harbor.  The British and American forces faced each other across the channel. The British launched a naval bombardment on Fort Sullivan. Due to the nature of its construction the fort absorbed the cannonballs rather than splintering. When night fell the British withdrew.[v]  John had been on the island during the battle.[vi]

After this battle John Hollis was transferred to Richard Winn’s company. They marched to the Georgia, Florida border area.[vii] Fort McIntosh, Georgia was a small stockade of 100 square feet on the bank of the Satilla River. About 80 patriots, led by Winn, were inside the fort. After a battle of several days the British took the fort in March 1777. Winn surrendered[viii] and John Hollis became a prisoner. He was held for a short time and then received a parole and was allowed to return to his home in South Carolina where he remained until his enlistment expired.[ix]^, [x]

            An 1833 letter written by John Buchanan in support of John’s pension included the following description of John.

We have no revolutionary soldier whose case excites more general interest in this District than his. There is no one better entitled, there is no one who stands in greater need of his Country’s assistance. He was gifted by nature with a robust and athletic frame, a daring courage and an unbending spirit of resistance to opposition, and singularized himself throughout the war as one of the most active and efficient officers of his rank in this section of the Country. He is now reduced from easy circumstances to a state of poverty by the workings of providence…[xi]

Starting with John Hollis’ third tour of duty he was a captain in rank. He served for one month and a half under Colonel Thomas Sumpter. Captain William Miller was absent without leave and his men were assigned to Captain Hollis’ company.[xii]

His fourth tour lasted two months under Major John Odair. They were “engaged in marching through the country.”[xiii] It must have been during the third and fourth tours that John was a part of the Battle of Rocky Mount that took place 1 August 1780 at Rocky Mount, Lancaster County, South Carolina. Sumpter was unable to defeat the British at Rocky Mount. He had the British trapped in log cabins.[xiv]

Sumter rolled a burning wagon against the cabins. The Tories put up a white flag and was going to surrender. Just at that time, a torrential downpour appeared and the rain quickly put out the fire. The Tories withdrew their surrender request and engaged the Americans again.[xv]

John Hollis was also at the Battle of Hanging Rock on 6 August 1780.[xvi] Colonel Thomas Sumpter and Major William Richardson Davie led this battle. They attacked a British camp. The British had 200 men killed but the Patriots lost only 12 men in this victory for the Patriots.[xvii] On 15 August they were a part of the skirmish at Carey’s Fort on the west bank of the Wateree River Ferry in Kershaw County. 

Sumter and his men took 70 British soldiers, 150 loyalists, some horses, 44 wagons loaded with supplies, a drove of three hundred cattle and a flock of sheep. When Sumter learned of the British preparing to cross the river and retrieve their American prisoners and stores, they then made a hasty retreat up the west side of the Wateree River.[xviii] 

John was involved in the Battle of Camden on 16 August 1780 which was a devastating defeat.[xix] And on 7 October 1780 John participated in the Battle of King’s Mountain, a series of hills inside the South Carolina border. The colonists steadily fought their way up King’s Mountain and killed or captured the British troops.[xx]

During his fifth tour he commanded a company [xxi] and was involved in the Battle at Fort Granby, which was fought May 2 – 15, 1781 in Lexington County, South Carolina. Captain Hollis was one of 400 – 500 men who served under Colonel Sumpter as he laid siege to Fort Granby, a British post. An American victory was the result of musket and cannon fire.[xxii] Captain Hollis said there was “a considerable body of militia at the taking of the fort at Granby, perhaps one thousand men.”[xxiii]

During his sixth tour of two months John was under Colonel Edward Lacy in the 3^rd Regiment of South Carolina Rangers. John was frequently “out scouting.”[xxiv]

John’s next three tours were all served as captain in the Orangeburg area of South Carolina and each lasted two months. Edward Lacey was in command during his seventh tour. The “army attacked and defeated a body of Tories.” During this tour, John Stallings, a British Captain with 25 or 30 men surrendered themselves a prisoners of war. In a sudden quarrel shots were fired. Captain Hollis “received one of the balls through his left arm.”[xxv]

He served under Major Wise during his eighth tour. There were several regiments serving together.[xxvi]  In his final tour in Orangeburg they oversaw the surrender of between 200 and 300 soldiers.[xxvii]

In his recollections to the court John Hollis said, “he was never at home more than one month at a time and seldom from the year 1778 to the conclusion of peace and during all this period was in active duty as Captain of a Company when his Company’s services were required.”[xxviii]  

He [John Hollis] stated that he was wounded in the right leg and his horse shot in an engagement on ‘the Juniper’, and was also wounded by a musket ball passing through his left arm on his first tour to Orangeburg …[xxix]

In 1790 John lived in the Camden District, Fairfield County, South Carolina.[xxx] In 1800 he was still in Fairfield.[xxxi]

In 1830 Captain Elijah Hollis wrote a letter in support of John’s pension application. Under oath Elijah swore that he was the brother of John Hollis and that John was “out almost the whole time of the Revolutionary War”.  Elijah verified that everything in John’s statements about his service to the country were accurate.[xxxii] When Elijah petitioned for a pension for himself he claimed service under Lieutenant John Hollis.[xxxiii]

In 1831, as a part of his petition for a pension “for Military services rendered the State of South Carolina in the war of the revolution”[xxxiv] John listed his property. That list includes:

·      150 acres of land in Fairfield District, their quality three fourths cleared and one half of the clearing lands worn out worth $400.00

·      2 horses 15 years old worth perhaps $20.00

·      3 yearlings $3.00 each

·      15 head of sheep at $2 each[xxxv]

Records kept by the Daughters of the American Revolution note John’s parents as Moses Hollis and Rosannah Berry (Hagan) Hollis, daughter of Berry Jacob Hagan. His wife was Nancy (Knighton) Hollis and their children were Isaac Knighton Hollis, Elizabeth Hollis, Margaret H. Hollis, John Hollis, Jr., Sarah Emmaline Hollis, Darling Jones Hollis, Susannah Hollis and Nancy Hollis.[xxxvi]

Captain John Hollis’s application for pension was granted.[xxxvii] Hopefully that money made his last years of life easier. One of the documents in his file said John was supporting four daughters and four grandchildren. He died 4 November 1836 in South Carolina.

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

#6 Sgt. David Faulkenberruy, SC Militia 

#7 Lt. Moses Hollis, Lieutenant in the South Carolina Militia

#8 Pvt. Jeremiah Smith

#9 Richard Dillon, NC Militia 

#10 Captain Jacob Ott II, SC Militia

#11 Lt. Johann Jonas Wolf, York Co. Militia, PA

#12 Captain John Hollis, SC Militia

#13 Pvt. William Hollis, SC 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.

[i]Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[ii] Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed Sept. 2020) Hollis.

[iii] Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR, Volume 15; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed Sept. 2020) p. 189, John Hollis. 

[iv] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 24, John Hollis, SC.

[v] The Battle of Sullivan’s Island, American Revolutionary War; digital record, (revolutionarywar.us: accessed Sept. 2020).

[vi] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Flol3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 25, John Hollis, SC.

[vii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[viii] Revolutionary War Raids & Skirmishes in 1777; digital record (myrevolutionarywar.com: accessed Sept. 2020).

[ix] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 5, John Hollis, SC.

[x] Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed Sept. 2020) Hollis.

[xi] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 14, John Hollis, SC.

[xii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 25, John Hollis, SC.

[xiii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[xiv] The Battle of Rocky Mount; digital record, (revolutionarywar.us: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xv] The Battle of Rocky Mount; digital record, (revolutionarywar.us: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xvi] Daughters of the American Revolution, Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR, Volume 15; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed Sept. 2020) p. 189, John Hollis.

[xvii] American Battlefield Trust. Battle of Hanging Rock; digital record (battlefields.org: accessed Sept. 2020). 

[xviii] Skirmish at Carey’s Fort; digital record (myrevolutionarywar.com: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xix] American Battlefield Trust. Camden; digital record (battlefields.org: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xx] American Battlefield Trust. King’s Mountain; digital record (battlefields.org: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xxi] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[xxii] The Siege at Fort Granby; digital record, (revolutionarywar.us: accessed Sept. 2020).

[xxiii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 26, John Hollis, SC.

[xxiv] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 22, John Hollis, SC.

[xxv] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 27, John Hollis, SC.

[xxvi] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[xxvii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 27, John Hollis, SC.

[xxviii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) John Hollis, SC.

[xxix] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 9, John Hollis, SC.

[xxx] Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790; South Carolina (Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Co., Inc., 2004) 19 – 20.

[xxxi] Holcombe, Brent H. Index to the 1800 Census of South Carolina (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1980) 115.

[xxxii] Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; NARA record group 15; digital image, Fold3 (fold3.com: accessed Sept. 2020) page 7, John Hollis, SC.

[xxxiii] South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Accounts Audited of Claims Growing Out of the Revolution (S108092), Reel 72, Frame 561; Elijah Hollis.

[xxxiv] South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Accounts Audited of Claims Growing Out of the Revolution (S108092), Reel 72, Frame 5796, file 3705; John Hollis.

[xxxv] South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Accounts Audited of Claims Growing Out of the Revolution (S108092), Reel 72, Frame 5796, file 3705; John Hollis.

[xxxvi] Daughters of the American Revolution. Ancestor Record, Ancestor #A056678, John Hollis; digital image (dar.org: accessed Oct 2020).

[xxxvii] Ervin, Sara Sullivan. South Carolinians in the Revolution (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1976) 38.