David Truax

David Truax was born 19 February 1756 at Morris Co., New Jersey; His pension declaration states 1756 while the cemetery stone and obituary indicate 1755.^2,3,1 He married Mary (---) about 1785.⁴ He died 11 February 1855 at Dixon Township, Preble Co., Ohio.^3,1

On 21 September 1832 he made his declaration to obtain a pension for service in the revolution (paragraphing added for readability):
State of Ohio
Preble County

On this 21st day of September AD 1832 personally appeared in open Court Before the Honorable the Judges of the court of common pleas now sitting in & for the county of Preble and State of Ohio David Truax--a resident of Dickson Township Preble county and state of Ohio aged Seventy Six years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832

That he entered the service of the United States & etc he thinks the first part of the month of August 1776, he entered the service as a volunteer in Loudoun county in the state of Virginia in Captain James Radican's company of Virginia Militia and served a tour of duty of one month was stationed at Alexandria Va and employed in Building Gun Batteries. He was discharged at Alexandria after serving a tour of duty of one month as aforsaid.

That about the first of September entered the service again as a volunteer in Loudoun County Virginia in Captain J. Radicans company of Virginia Militia. Marched to Pittsburgh Pa was there some time under the command of Col Gibson & from this place was marched to wheeling Va, where the army lay all winter under the command of Col Shephard this body of troops consisted only of two captains companeys one from Berkley & the other from Loudoun County Virginia. From Wheeling they were marched Home and discharged sometime in the month of March 1778 after remaining in the service six months.

And that some time in the month of July 1781 he was drafted for a two month tour of duty and entered the Service at Loudoun County Virginia in Capt Hugh Douglass' company of Virginia militia & in Col Merryweathers Regt of Virginia Militia. Was marched to Williamsburgh Va, and was Stationed in the neighbourhood of that place during this tour & was discharged a few days before the Surrender of Cornwallis & served three months this tour.

He does further declare that he did serve the tours of duty aforesaid during the Revolutionary War [ ] aggregately ten months service in the Virginia militia and that he has no documentary evidence of his said service and that he knows of no persons whose testimoney he can procure who can testify to his service, he has no written discharges he does not recollect whether he ever had any or not if he had they are lost long since.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any state. He further says that he has no record of his age but believes he was born in Morris county in the state of New Jersey on the 19th day of February 1756. That he lived in Loudoun county in the state of Virginia when called to service and served in the militia of that state and since the revolutionary war he lived in Adair county in the State of Kentucky and from that place he came to Preble county in the state of Ohio where he now resides and has resided for twenty two years last past and that he is known to and acquainted with Robert Rhia, Hugh [ ] & others in his present neighbourhood who can testify as to his claim for varacity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution.

Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
J. C. Hawkins, Clerk

Signature of David Truax.²

The Eaton Register carried his obituary:

"An Hundred Years Old"
Departed this life, on the 11th of February, 1855 at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Lydia Larsh, in Dixon Twp., Preble Co., Ohio, DAVID TRUAX, Sen., at the advanced age of one hundred years, less eight days. The deceased was born February 19, 1755, in Morris County, New Jersey. At the age of 14 years, his parents moved to Louden County, Virginia, where he continued to reside till the close of the War of the Revolution in which he served his oppressed country in the "tented fileds and battle's storm". Thence he emigrated to Washington Co., Penn. Again in 1792, he penetrated the wilds of the West and located first in Fayette and then Adair County, Kentucky, where he remained until the year 1809, when he removed to what is now Dixon Twp. (then not organized) in this county, where he "pitched his tent" for the residue of his long and eventful life. When the War of 1812 broke out he was "anxious and willing" again to do service in the defence of his own and his neighbors' hearthstones, whose quiet was often assailed by the cruelties of the Indian warfare. But by previous exposure, having partially lost his hearing, he had to remain at home, yet took great interest in arming and equipping three of his four sons (two of them in their "teens") for the Army of the Northwest commanded by the lamented Gen. Harrison. The writer of this note recollects with pleasure the enthusiasm manifested by this Revolutionary Patriot, in consoling the weeping wife and wailing mothers, when taking leave of their loved ones and cheering the "beardless braves" as they were deployed into line by their Captain (D.E. Hendricks). The deceased voted at every Presidential election, since the organization of the Government to the present - voted for Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Clay, Harrison, Taylor, and Scott; was the father of six children, only four of whom survive him; and died as he had lived, at peace with the world and its Creator. Eternal peace to his remains.
H.

This obituary changes his migration route as stated in his pension declaration, adding Washington Co., Pennsylvania and Fayette Co., Kentucky, as well as making him a year older.⁵