Josiah Phelps was born in Buckingham County, Virginia and died in Madison County, Kentucky.  He applied for pension in Madison County, December 4, 1832 for services in the Revolutionary War.  His claim was granted and shows that he was in services of Virginia in the years 1777-1782. 

Josiah Phelps and brother George Phelps both aided in the defense of Fort Boonesborough and both served in the Revolution War.

Pension File- National Archives, Washington DC  where his application for a pension is on file.   This application was notorized by Joseph Turner,  Madison County, Kentucky.

  Josiah Phelps, age 77 years, December 4, 1832 when the application was made.  His testimony:    That in the fall of 1777 while on his way from the state of Virginia to Kentucky, on the Fork of the Holston  River, he entered the service of the United States and had his named enrolled under Captain Richard May and marched to Boonesborough on the Kentucky River and remained there as a guard till the last of June, 1778.   Some of the men called it enlisting under Captain May,  does not know whether it was so or not--he received no bounty, but as Captain May seemed to lack men to make up his company he agreed to have his name enrolled it might properly speaking be called volunteering.

    In July 1778 he again entered the service as a substitute for Robert Bowman under Captain John Montgomery at the Falls of the Ohio ( now Louisville )  and marched under Col. George Rogers Clarke to the town of Kaskaskia, then held by the British and returned back to Boonesborough.  He was engaged in this expedition  three months. There was a Captain Helm and Captain Bowman under Col. Clarke.

     That is the spring of the year 1779 he went on an expedition under Col. Bowman against the Shawnee Indians and had two engagements with them, one in Ohio and the other in the woods near the tavern.  He was engaged on this tour upwards of three weeks.

On the list of soldiers in the memorial building on the site of Fort Vincennes, Indiana, under the command of Captain Bowman, is the name of Josiah Phelps.

Josiah Phelps was with the expedition to capture Indians from the British under George Rogers Clarke.  

Captain Bowman Memoirs

http://earlyamerica.com/review/winter2000/vincennes.html

George Rogers Clarke Diary

http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/grcexhibit.html

Land allottments

http://www.statelib.in.us/www/ihb/landallottments.html

    In the summer, he thinks June, 1780 he was sent by Captain James Patton from the Falls of the Ohio River to a fort on the Mississippi River a few miles below the mouth of the Ohio River with orders to Col. George Rogers Clarke to return with his troop to the Falls of the Ohio, for the purpose of marching against the Shawnee Indians.  He was one month engaged in this service.

    In the latter part of the summer 1780 he volunteered again under Captain Oldham and was again under Col. Clarke and marched against the village of the Pickaway Indians.  There was a pretty severe battle between us and the Indians, fifteen or twenty killed on each side.  We destroyed their town and all their crops.  He was engaged upwards of one month in this service.

    In the year 1781 or 1782 he again volunteered under Captain James Surges in his horse company and was again under Col. George Rogers Clarke.  We marched against the Shawnee Indians---had a little skirmishing with them and took some prisoners.  He was engaged in this service upwards of one month.

This ends the services of his country.  When all his services are put together, thirteen months and a half.   He never received a discharge for any part of his service and has no documentary evidence and know of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services.  He was born in Buckingham County, Virginia the 11 th day of February, 1755.  The record of his birth is in his Family Bible, which he took from that of his father.

    Josiah Phelps of Kentucky,  was a private in the army of the Revolution, is entitled to $ 45.00 during his natural life, commencing on the 4 th day of March in 1831 and payable semi-annually on the 4 th of March and the 4 th of September in every year.  On the 14 th of February, 1834 affidavit of Josiah Phelps of Madison County, Kentucky, belonged to a company commanded by Captain Richard May in the Regiment commanded by Colonel George Rogers Clarke.

 . Commissioner of Dept. of Interior-pension Office, Washington D.C.   

 Revolutionary soldiers  Madison County, Kentucky 

ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ky/sgorin/military/pioneer/kyr-204.txt

http://www.starbase21.com/kybiog/madison/phelps.j.txt

Pioneers at Fort Boonesborough

  http://www.users.mis.net/~chesnut/pages/fortboon.htm 

 Josiah  was living at Fort Boonesborough in 1778, where the French and Indians by siege tried to take the Fort.  The two brothers George and Josiah Phelps fought together in the war.  They were with General George Rogers Clarke on several of his expeditions.    

    In the year 1788 the House of Burgesses of Virginia repudiated all claims of the Transylvania Company and those who had secured their lands by pre-emption were left landless.  The Phelps Family suffered this loss.  Josiah Phelps had a farm of some 1400 acres in what is now Madison County.  The Phelps Family picked up lock, stock and barrel and removed to where Louisville, Kentucky now stands where they bought land, helped build a Fort and lived for a number of years.  Later the House of Burgesses gave the land title back, Josiah and George moved back to Madison County on their land.  George died long before Josiah and the care of the widow and children fell on Josiah, who maintained a tutor at his home for the children of both families.  

  Josiah Phelps also signed the petition to the Virginia Legislature to include the city of Louisville, Kentucky and in 1818 represented Madison County in the general assembly of Kentucky.

The Kentucky Land Grants  volume 1 part 1 Chapter 11 Virginia Grants (1782-1792)  The Counties of Kentucky  page 106 Grantee:  Phelps, Joseph  Acres: 400  Book: 1  Page: 440  Date Survey: 6-2-1783  County:  Lincoln  Watercourse:  Otter Cr.

The Kentucky Land Grants  volume 1 part 1 Chapter 11 Virginia Grants (1782-1792) The Counties of Kentucky page 106  Grantee: Phelps, Joseph   Acres: 1,000  Book: 1 Page: 455  Date survey: 6-2-1783  County:  Lincoln  Watercourse:  Otter Cr

    Josiah married  in Virginia, Elizabeth Patterson by whom he had three children.  Elizabeth died around the time of the last born, which was 1777,  was probably buried in or near the Fort, since the Indians were very troublesome at that time.

     Josiah Phelps was a man of six feet in height, a blonde and up into his old age a stout man.   He lived not far from Richmond, Kentucky accumulated a large estate of land and slaves.  In his "Will"  he left his wife Martha 400 dollars, in trust of Anderson Chenault, the remainder of his estate to his son Jarrot and Thomas and two daughters,  Susan Chenault and Nancy Baker in trust of his two sons Jarrot and Thomas.

                                           Husband      Josiah Phelps

                                                   Date born         February 11, 1755

                                                 Buckingham County, Virginia

                                                   Died          June 17, 1835    

                                                   buried on his plantation

                                                  Madison County, Kentucky

                                           Wife #1    Elizabeth Patterson

                                                   Date born    probably Virginia

                                                   Died     1777  Ft. Boonesborough

                                                  Marriage date    1774  Virginia

                                      Children                                   Date born

                        2.   Jane Phelps                                   April 17, 1776

                        3.   Elizabeth Phelps                   September 25, 1777

                                              Wife #2    Susannah Simmons

                            Daughter of Samuel Simmons and Verlinda Willette

                                                     Date born    1763

                                                     Died    unknown

                                         Marriage date   February 5, 1785 

                                               Jefferson County, Virginia

                                       Children                                   Date born

                         2.    Nancy Phelps                           February 20, 1788

                         3.    Guy Phelps                                      March 5, 1792

                         4.    Thomas Phelps                        September 29, 1793

                         5.    Josiah Phelps                                 March 28, 1802

                                              Wife #3    Mary Barr ( Collins )                     

                                                        Date born    unknown

                                                        Died    unknown

                                            Marriage date    June 10, 1822  

                                                   Fayette County, Kentucky

                                                     Children       NONE

                                         Wife #4    Martha Cameron ( Massey )

                                                        Date born    unknown

                                                        Died    unknown

                                                   Marriage date    unknown

                                                     Children    NONE

 1810 census  Madison County, Kentucky

Josiah Phelps    1 male under 10     3 males 16 thru 25      1 male 45 and over

1  female  45 and over  slaves 8

1820 census  Madison County, Kentucky

Joseph Phelps  1 male  16-26  1 male  45 and over  1  female  16-26  1 female  26-45      slaves  11

1830 census  Madison County, Kentucky

Josiah Phelps    1 male  70 - 80  1 female  60 - 70  slaves  15