Reuben Henry Ratliff Jr (1759 - 1852)

Born 1759 in Augusta County, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Phoebe Ratliff — married 1 Jul 1786 in Franklin, Virginia, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Oct 1852 at about age 93 in Caney, Morgan County, Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Reuben Ratliff Jr was a Virginia colonist.

Private Reuben Ratliff Jr served with Washington County Militia, Virginia Militia during the American Revolution.

Reuben Ratliff Jr is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A094661.

When Reuben Ratliff Jr was born in 1759 in Augusta, Virginia, his father, Ruben, was 35 and his mother, Francis, was 33. ^[1] He fought in the U.S. Revolutionary War. ^{[2] [3] [4]} He married Phoebe Ratliff on July 1, 1786, in Franklin, Virginia. ^{[5] [6] [7]} They had seven children in 14 years. He died on October 19, 1852, in Caney, Kentucky, having lived a long life of 85 years, and was buried in Morgan, Kentucky.

1850 US Census Morgan Kentucky

1. David Lykins Male 59 Virginia
2. Hannah Lykins Female 50 Virginia
3. Reuben Ratliff Male 83 Virginia
4. Silas Ratliff Male 12 Kentucky

Children

• Jonathan "John" Ratliff, abt 1787-1849, m. Judeth abt. 1810
• Winnifred "Winnie" Ratliff, 1791-1881, m. Samuel Osborn
• Silas Ratliff, 1795-1858, m. 1-Delila Osborn, m.2-Winnie Kilgore
• William Ratliff, 1797-?, m. Elizabeth Barker 1828
• James Ratliff, 1798-?, m. 1-Elizabeth (nee Lawson) Godsey, m.2-Eleanor Slade.
• Hannah Ratliff, 1799-1874, m. David Lykins 1843
• Richard Ratliff, 1801-1856, m. 1-Sarah Spradlin, abt. 1825, m. 2-Elizabeth Bane, 14 Oct 1831
• Wood Ratliff, 1803-?, m. Nancy Price
• Elijah Ratliff, 1806-1899, m. Mary Burchett 1828

He passed away in 1852.

Pension Application

State of Kentucky, County of Morgan

On this 2nd day of June 1834 personally appeared before me the Subscriber, a Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Morgan & State of Kentucky.

Reuben Ratliff, a resident of the County of Morgan & State of Kentucky aged Seventy two years & being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he was in the service of the United States under the following named officers & served as herein stated. He states he entered the service in the month of September 1776 under the command of Capt. Gilbert Christy, Major Shelby & Col. William Christy [sic, William Christian] as a volunteer under the orders of the County Colonel.

I Joined the army at Long Island on Holston River in Washington County, Virginia where we were marched from there near to the Cherokee town on the Tennessee River where we remained some short time after Destroyed some Indian property, we were marched back to Washington County, Virginia & discharged having been out four months; he states he again entered the service of the United States between the 1st & 10th of June 1777 as a volunteer under the command of Captain Long , Col A. Campbell [Arthur Campbell]; he was immediately marched to Long Island on Holston River where we were stationed about Two weeks, we were then marched against the Cherokee towns on the Tennessee River which we destroyed & staid there some 5 or six weeks, we was then marched back home to Washington County & discharged in December 1777—

I again volunteered in the month of May 1779 in the service of the United States under the command of Capt. A. Brown who was a Captain of the Spies on the Frontiers of Virginia. I Joined him in Montgomery County, Virginia where I then lived & served a tower [sic, tour] of three months & was in the month of August 1779 marched back to Montgomery County, Va (& after having been out on the New River & Holston) & discharged .

In August 1780, I volunteered under the command of Abram Trigg, Captain; Joseph Cloyd, Major, we were rendezvoused at a place called Chiswell Lead Mines on New River & was marched within some short distance of King's Mountain (say about 15 or 20 miles) we was then turned & marched to the Shallow ford of the Adkins [sic, Yadkin] River in North Carolina where we had a battle with a party of Tories who we repulsed, we remained there about a week & were then marched home to Montgomery County, Virginia & discharged having been out three months the time for which I volunteered.

I immediately (after I served out my time named above) went to North Carolina,

Henry County. I volunteered in May 1781 under Captain Arter, Colonel Green as a spy or ranger for Three months against the Tories, we were out Scouting through the Country from Henry County to Caroline County at the end of my Term of service of three months. I was discharged by my Capt. He states that he cannot distinctly recollect all the officers whom he saw in the service, he states he has no documentary evidence of his service & that he knows no person from this State by whom he can prove his service.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the

present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. He states that after being discharged by his captain he moved at Tazwell County, Virginia where I lived for some years & moved from there to Morgan County, Kentucky where I have lived ever since. Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid

S/ Reuben Ratliff, X his mark

We Elias Johnson a clergyman residing in Morgan County & J G Hazelrigg residing in the same hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Reuben Ratliff who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be 75 years of age, that he is respected & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that opinion.

Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid.

S/ Elias Johnson, X his mark

S/ J G Hazelrigg

Research Notes

From Find A Grave:

• Son of Reuben & Frances Ratliff.
• Married his cousin, Phoebe Ratliff on July 1, 1786 in Franklin Co., VA d/o Silas Ratliff & Elizabeth?
• Rev. War soldier: Sept 1776 - in services of Capt. Gilbert Christy of Long Island on the Holston River, Washington Co., VA. May 1781 - Spy and Ranger under Capt. Arter & Col. Green against the Tories, Henry County, NC. Fought until 1785.
• After his discharge, he moved to Russell, Tazwell Co.,VA.
• Moved to Morgan Co. ca 1835. Found in the 1850 Census for Morgan Co., VA, living with his daughter Hannah & her husband, David Lykins.
• There is much confusion over his birth year. According to the DAR headstone, it was 1759. According to the math (d.1852 at age 84) it would have been 1768. According to the Census records, it is 1767.
• If he was 84 at the time of his death, as his original headstone states, then he would have been born in 1768 or possibly 1767, depending on the month.

Sources

1. ↑ Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C. - 1850; Census Place: Morgan, Kentucky; Roll: M432_214; Page: 115B; Image: 271
2. ↑ Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C. (Pension Year; 1834)
3. ↑ Revolutionary Soldiers in Kentucky: Also a Roster of the Virginia Navy, page 130 (Private; Yearly Penson - $43.33)
4. ↑ Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, page 651
5. ↑ Wingfield, Marshall. Marriage Bonds of Franklin County, Virginia. Memphis, TN, USA: West Tennessee Historical Society, 1939. (Spouse; Phoebe)
6. ↑ Dodd, Jordan, comp.. Virginia Marriages to 1800. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Virginia. (Spouse; Pheby Ratliff)
7. ↑ Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M65N-Q66 : 22 December 2020), Reuben Ratliff in household of David Lykins, Morgan, Kentucky, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19207061/reuben-ratliff: accessed 11 November 2023), memorial page for PVT Reuben Ratliff Jr. (1759–19 Oct 1852), Find a Grave Memorial ID 19207061, citing Caney Cemetery, Morgan County, Kentucky, USA; Maintained by Sherry (contributor 46901840).

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/), "Record of Reuben Ratcliff", Ancestor # A094661.

See Also:

• FamilySearch Person: LHD8-SWY

• Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Census Place: Scott, Virginia; Page: 197; NARA Roll: M33_139; Image: 213

• Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Census Place: Morgan, Kentucky; Series: M19; Roll: 40; Page: 75; Family History Library Film: 0007819

• Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. - Census Place: Morgan, Kentucky; Roll: 120; Page: 320; Family History Library Film: 0007830

• Annals of southwest Virginia, 1769-1800 (Year; 1786)

• Kentucky Pension Roll for 1835

• Kentucky Census, 1810-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes. (Year; 1800 - Residence; Green County)

• Kentucky. Vital Statistics Original Death Certificates – Microfilm (1911-1964). Microfilm rolls #7016130-7041803. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky. (Child; Richard)

• Kentucky. Vital Statistics Original Death Certificates – Microfilm (1911-1964). Microfilm rolls #7016130-7041803. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky. (Child; Hannah)

• The Kentucky Land Grants. Vol. I-II. Louisville, KY, USA: Filson Club Publications, 1925. (Year; 1835 - Morgan County)

• Virginia Census, 1607-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes. (Year; 1785 - Botetourt County)