An excerpt of a photocopy of the James Barrow Book which is included in the David Crenshaw Barrow papers in the Hargrett Library, University of Georgia Athens. Partially transcribed by Laura Herzbrun Stotler April 21, 2012

 

I now lived with this man Mr. Yaughan, until the year 177__ himself being a pious man and a sensible Christian, I began to have serious thoughts about charnal things attended with reformation of life and finally ended with a very welcome reception into the Baptist church on Kehukee, where my uncle and _______ were then both members, now in my 18 year. –But from circumstances that followed; I have ever doubts whether this was a real work of grace or not. However I think this was one of what I hope, afterwards completed the whole. –while I continued in a short apprintisship, I learned so much a________, as to be greatly advisable to me afterwards.The war now began to rage in every part of our country. Soldiers were every where called for, and the most ensnaring intrigues made use of to inlist them, among other hed___ youths, april 1776 in my 19 year I enlisted into the army, for two years and a half, under officers not worth mentioning here I was marched immediately away to Wilmington, in my native State, and from there to Charlestown in South Carrolina, where I was when independence was declared and published, and from that place we continued on under the direction of General Lee to Savannah in Georgia, where about three of five of our men fell a prey to sickness and death. Through the providence of God I was among the Survivors, who were marched back in the December of that year to Halifax in North Carolina, at which place we were allowed to our several homes, and in the Spring following (1777) called together again at the same place, and Marched to the northward, and on way, at George Town on the Patomac River I had the Small pox by innoculation, and about the last of June we joined the army Pensylvany. I was this year (1777) in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, still being preserved by the same Providence we incamped this winter at the valley forge on the Schulkill River early the next spring (1778) I was called from the army(?) to the city of Lancaster in Pensylvania to assist in making the ____________ six weeks from which time I joined the army again in _________of New York, and after various movements of the army, I was finally, discharged from this service about the 18 of November 1778, being now in my 21 year. I returned again to the place of my nativity, and went to work, disposed to take my leave forever of the army, but was quickly drafted into the militia and called to atone in South Carolina under Col. Jonas Johnson a man of excellent meine. I was again discharged and returned to the same place and went to _____________________ at the house of Joseph Sumner on Tar River in Edgecomb County, from whence I took on another tour in the militia to the Southward from which I returned safe, and took up my board at the same place for the space of three years, in the mene time I went to school, and from a beginning learned the rule of three in arithmatick in about six weeks, now being about twenty Six years old, and then having spent the time from my first enlistment into the army (May 1776) in quite a careless manner, It now pleased God (as I hope) to bring me again to awful and __vious thoughts about my latter end, which ended (as I trust) in settled hope in Christ. Forever be remembered the last nine verses of the first chapter of the gospel according to Saint John from the 43 to the 51, here my wary Soul found rest----

 

(This explains why the SAR has him as a soldier of North Carolina and the DAR has him as a soldier of South Carolina. He was both.)