Joseph came to America and enlisted in the Revolutionary War in 1776 and served various periods until 1781. Family lore says that he came to America to escape a despised parochial school and was bound to a hatter for his fare.
From a letter received from Pamela Pyatt "My line goes back to a Richard Pyott in England, who was born around 1700. His grandson, Joseph Pyott, for some reason, was not happy in England. He stowed away to America at age 11, and may have possibly had a brother living here already. He changed the name to Pyatt once he got to America. One of his sons changed the name to Pyatte. When he grew to adulthood, he married and raised his family in Western North Carolina. He had eight children, 4 daughters and 4 sons. Two of the sons have gotten extensive coverage in several books, but at least some of the info in some of those books is incorrect. I have been in contact with descendants of a third son, and, of course, I am descended from the fourth son. Not much is known (at least by people I am in contact with, about the daughters). I think one or two of them may have never married."
Joseph and Sarah had the following known children:
On the 1830 census of Burke County, North Carolina:
They appear on page 161 (Ancestry.com image 107/180). I would guess that the female 30-40 years old is probably a widow and the two children would be hers. In looking at the children of Joseph and Sarah, I do not see a daughter or daughter-in-law widowed by that date or with children the right age. So, that leaves the possibility that it was a niece or some other relative or friend. Living next door was Joseph's son, William Pyatt, as follows:
Joseph gave a deposition for his Revolutionary War pension in Burke County, North Carolina:
On This 22nd April A D 1833 - Formally appeared in open court before the Justice of said court now in session Joseph Pyatt aged about 78 years having first been 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 on the 7th June 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as hereinafter stated. I served for the space of six months in the state of Virginia in what was then called the Minute Men, in the year 1776 under Captain Peter Pickens, from the County of Pittsylvania Commonwealth of Virginia at the time that Lord Dunmore fled aboard a British ship, it was at a place called Gwins Inland. My next term of service was an engagement for the regular service in a Georgia Regiment for 18 months under on Captain John Dooly in the last of March or first of April 1777 - I served for the term of 9 or 10 months first under Capt. Dooly who disobeyed orders for which he was broken, then Captain Stark of a Georgia Regiment took command and marched us to Savannah and sent us up on Ageechee to watch the motions of the enemy from Florida, we were in a very sickly country neglected by our Commanders and such bad discipline that we broke up and went home to Virginia. My third term of service was for two months when I took the place of George Davis who was a private from Pittsylvania. I was taken as a kind of a guard to serve under General Cadwelder Johnes of the quartermaster department. I then took the place of Samuel Stanley for the term of six weeks, the balance that he had to serve, in the Brigade of General Lawson of the Virginia militia who was stationed in the reserve at Williamsburg at the time Lord Cornwalice was besieged at Little York in Virginia. Part of General Lawson's Detachment went on to York, but I mongst other remained at Williamsburg and was discharged about two weeks before Cornwallice's surrender, my time being out. That he knows of no persons whose testimony he can procure who can testify as to his service. I hereby relinquish every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present and declare that my name is not on the pension list roll of the agency of any other state and that I always served as a private soldier. Questions propounded by the Court: Q: Where and in what year were you born? I was born in the city of Coventry Warwickshire England, as I am told in the year 1755. Q: Have you any record of your age? I have not. Q: Where were you living when called into the service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War, and where do you now live? I was living in the County of Pittsylvania Commonwealth of Va. when first called into service and lived there until about 1792 when I moved to this county where I now live and have lived ever since. Q: How were you called into service? I was enlisted the first time as a minute man in the service of the Commonwealth of Virginia - next enlisted as a private in a Regiment of Georgia commanded by Major Habersham and the same was under General Elbert who died by the breaking of a blood vessel - I was serving in Savannah at the time of the rejoicing for the capture of General Burgoyne. Q: State the names of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served such Continental and Militia Regiments as you recollect and the general circumstances of your service. The first campaign we were under no officer higher grade than Captain Peter Perkins, until we had gone down to Gwins Island and stationed some time when a British ship of war lay in the Rapohanock I think called the Roe Buck; when we came up home we were then called out to go over against the Cherokee Indians under Col. Christie to the large Island of Hoston and from there drove pack trains in the service under Col. Shelby to the Over Hill Towns in the Cherokee Nation on Sitko and Felicia where there were no regular officers with us these times. When I went under Captain John Dooley of the Georgia Troops, after he was broken, I fell under Captain John Bilbo of the Georgia Continentals; when sickness on the one part and want of attention on the part of our officers of the other part broke us and for the safety of ourselves we came home, where I came to serve as a substitute as before stated in the year 1781. I saw General Lafayette, Steban, General Wayne and a great variety of French officers.
I find the following two ladies living together in McDowell County, North Carolina on the 1850 census:
Sources:
