Hezekiah West was born in Frederick County, Maryland on November 7, 1763. At the time of the American Revolution he resided in Camden District, South Carolina and he enlisted as a ranger in the South Carolina Militia. He served an additional two tours in the infantry, one of which was spent guarding wagons near Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1781. He ended the war on a second tour as a mounted ranger near Orangeburg. He later moved to Johnson County, Illinois and in 1842 he gave an affidavit in support of Rosana Murray's widow's pension claim, stating that he had conversed with Murray's husband about their involvement in the war at Orangeburg. He died in Johnson County on July 29, 1845.