Local History: John Edwards and his Revolutionary War pension file

How many Revolutionary War veterans would you think are buried in Cape Girardeau County?

I was very incorrect when I thought the entire bunch would fit neatly into a pamphlet, biographical information and all. Turns out more than 50 patriots who served in the Revolutionary War are buried in Cape Girardeau County, according to a compilation from Jim Bizzell of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) A.L. Oliver Chapter. Jim and I have been working on this census for some time now, and he actually has a list including surrounding counties’ Revolutionary War soldiers as well, which he was kind enough to share with the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center.

This impressive list of a couple of hundred sites in eight Southeast Missouri counties adds to the information on Revolutionary War patriots we have in the county archives.

Recently, I had an email request from a university professor out of state who wanted more information on John Edwards. Absolutely I can help with that.

First, I sent him to the Cape Girardeau County Commission Minutes, online at the Archive’s website, www.capecounty.us/archive-center, for an 1833 application for a Revolutionary War pension. At that time, he would have been 83 years old.

Another bit of information on John Edwards was in a box of military information at the Archive. This paper record included a narrative about his time in the Revolutionary War, then of his work in and near Missouri and Kentucky, warring with Native Americans. He describes burning villages, killing “enemies,” really horrific stuff that nonetheless is vital to understanding more about the early days of settlement.

The text itself was fascinating, written in handwriting that was a touch difficult to decipher and riddled with non-standard abbreviations. However, I and my colleague sat down and went word by word to see if we could improve the transcription. We could, a little bit. I am hoping the patron might be able to puzzle it out further, and we can, incrementally, improve our understanding of the records a bit more.

The patron then asked if we had any information on a woman who, by his research, had been owned by Edwards: Priscilla (spelled many ways) Johnson. I checked a resource here compiled by the late researcher Margaret Mates, "A Resource Guide to the Slaves, Slaveowners and Free Blacks of Cape Girardeau County: 1797 - 1865". I found John Edwards listed as owning a man, Bob, no age given, and using a deed of gift to transfer ownership of him to “his housekeeper Priscilla Johnson.” The entry further notes that Edwards “was guardian of her children.” This was dated July 1, 1814.

Records from this time period are scarce, whether they were lost in a fire or flood, or never created at all. These pension files contain fascinating information and are an excellent way to get a glimpse of biographical information on people who might not otherwise have had much of anything about their lives recorded.

Marybeth Niederkorn is the director of the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center in Jackson. She is a member of various societies devoted to the region’s history, and is on Jackson’s Historic Preservation Commission. Educated at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, she holds degrees in philosophy and professional writing.