Ashtabula County OHGenWeb Revolutionary War Pension Files

Ashtabula County,

OHGenWeb

Revolutionary War Pension Files

Various Ohio Pensioners

If you have Revolutionary Pension papers you would like to share,
please drop me a line!

Copy of Charles Bush RW pension applied for by Joan Bush McAdams

State of Pennsylvania McAdams, Joanna W. 4545 (former widow)
County of Erie Charles Bush

On this the twentieth day of February AD, One thousand eight hundred and thirty nine, personally appeared before the subscribed. One of the Judges of the court of Common Pleas in said County of Erie who in bodily (infirvinity) is scheduled to appear in court Joanna McAdams a widow of the township of Springfield in said County. Aged seventy five years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on her oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefits of the Provisions made by the act of Congress passed. July 7th 1838 entitled the act of half pay and pensions to certain (Melnos). That she was the widow of Charles Bush soldier of the Revolution, that according to the best of her recollection of what she has knowledge of this, states, that he entered in the service in 1779 or 1780 and stayed till the close of the war. She does not know the names of the officers in which he served. When he entered the army he served in the town of Egremont in the County of Berkshire, and state of
Massachusetts. She heard him speak of being, during his service, in the country near the (Hudson?) River, and that she has no documentary evidence of support of her claim. She further declares that she was married to the said Charles Bush on the fourth day of July in the year of Seventy hundred and ninety, and that her husband the referenced Charles Bush died on the Eleventh day of December in the year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and twelve, that she was not married, prior to the first day of his leaving for service. But that the
marriage took place previous to the first day of January 1790. His wife at the time above stated that she has since been married to Andrew McAdams.

Sworn and subscribed in the above day and year before Miron J. (Hutchinson?) Judge.

State of PA, County of Erie. I, Wilson King Proclimentary of the court of common Pleas, in and for said county, do in and hereby certify that Miron Hutchinson whos name appears to above is now and was at the time of Inquiry
the above and acting associate Judge of said court in and for said county, duly compliant and qualified, and as all whose officials acts full faiths and credits are due, and further who’s above signature, reported to be his in genuine,
with my hand and the seal of the said county of Erie September 16th 1839 Wilson King by authority.

ATTACHED:

State of Pennsylvania
Erie County

Harriet Hamilton, spinster, age over forty years and of sound mind and memory, and a free white person, being duly sworn deposeth and sayth that she is the daughter of Charles Bush and Joanna Bush. Declares In late or formerly the wife of said Charles Bush deceased before her is the wife of one McAdams. Deposed further saith that she has resided and lived with the family of the said Joanna McAdams for forty years next succeeding her birth, and that from her this despondence earliest knowledge of events or of baptismal transactions this despondent is positive and sure that no record of births, marriages and deaths was ever kept in the family of or by the said Joanna McAdams formerly the wife of Charles Bush deceased nor by her said husband Charles Bush. Nor by the said
Joanna McAdams and her said last husband at present living with her. And further despondent said not etc, etc.

signed: Harriet Hamilton

Subscribed and sworn to and before me a Justice of the peace for the County of Erie, State of Pennsylvania, this Twelfth day of November AD 1839 Anderson Hubbard Justice of the Peace.

Pension Application of David Niles, Sr.

S16213: Vermont Militia

State of Ohio, Ashtabula County

On this 25th day of September 1832, personally appeared in open court, before the Judges of the court of Common Pleas now sitting, David Niles a resident of Monroe in the county of Ashtabula and state of Ohio, aged 72 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 act of congress passed June 7, 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated.

"In the year 1777 about the 1st of June when Burgoynes army came down to Ticonderoga there was a call for one man from every class of eight, he was a resident at that time of the town of Clarendon then in Bennington County in the state of Vermont, he went out as a soldier under that call under the command of Capt. Elkanah Cook and Lieut. John Bowman of the Vermont State Troops, we rendezvoused at Castleton about Seven hundred in number and was marched from there under the command of Colonel Seth Warner of the Continental army to Ticonderoga, we remained under his command about two months, and the remainder of my engagement which was originally four months was spent under the command of Capt. Cook engaged in scouting and saving and processing forage and provisions for the army. In the latter part of July of that year we succeeded in taking about sixty head of cattle supposed to be destined to the enemy between Rutland and Castleton and drove them to Springfield on Connecticut River(?).

"In the year 1878 about the first of May he volunteered in the Vermont Militia for five months under Capt. Thomas Sawyer and Lieut. Samuel Campbell, was stationed at Rutland in Vermont with other Troops under Captain Gideon Bronson of the Continental army, was engaged in building blockhouses, barracks and a picket fort and Scouting, served the term of his engagements and was honorably discharged but received no written instrument.

"On the first day of April 1779, he enlisted in the Vermont State Troops under Capt. Sawyer for eight months was stationed at the post before mentioned, principally under the command of Capt. Bronson. Col. Warner called at the post occasionally, the duty was to keep the post and scout between that and Lake Champlain, at the expiration of my term I received an honorable discharge in writing on which I once made application under a former law and delivered the discharge to the Hon. Neh. King, who has now removed from the country and said discharge is now casually out of my possession and control.

"About the 20th of Sept. 1780 was again called out for two months under Capt. Ichabod Robinson rendezvoused at a small picket fort at Castleton in Vermont, was detached for a few days to Mount Independence, at the expiration of the term was discharged without a written instrument, was not in any general action with the enemy, but was in occasional skirmishes with small parties."

He 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.

(Signed) David Niles

Sworn to and subscribed, the date and year aforesaid. Len. Moffitt, annotate judge.

We, Henry Smith residing in the town of Salem and Earl Pierce residing in the same place hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with David Niles who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be 72 years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a solider of the revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.

(Signed) Henry Smith
(Signed) Earl Pierce
Sworn, and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.
L. Moffitt, annotate Judge

And the said court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatores prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states. And the court further certifies, that it appears to them that Henry Smith who has signed the preceding certificate is a resident in the town of Salem and that Earl Pierce who has also signed the same is a resident of the same place and is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.

I, Sam. Hendry, clerk of the court of Common Pleas do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of this application of David Niles for a pension. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this 25th day of September, A.D. 1832.

(Signed) Sam. Hendry Clerk
____________________
Note: David Niles' remembrance of his military service does not quite agree with the State of Vermont Revolutionary War Rolls which credit him with three stints in the Clarendon militia in 1777, 1780 and 1781. Whether he ever received his pension is unknown; no additional information was in the file sent by the National Archives. Although listed in the "Official Roster of The Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio" [NILES, DAVID, In Monroe, O. Nov 18, 1843. Age 85 yrs. Native of Rhode Island and a pensioner in service in Clarendon, Vt., p. 272], his name does not appear on either the 1835 or 1840 Ashtabula County pension rolls.

submitted by:   Carol Page Tilson

Revolutionary War Pension File of Sinkler [Sinclair] Fox

S. 18404: Continental and N.H. Service

September 25, 1832, Sinkler Fox of Salem,
Ashtabula County, Ohio,
73 years of age, deposed:

That he enlisted Jan. 1, 1776 for one year with Sergeant Rollins; and served under Capt. Moore, Col. Stark, until the middle of February, 1777 as when his term expired, he was requested to continue a short time longer;

That August 1, 1777 he enlisted again and served until October 1, 1777 -- two months -- under Capt. Dearborn, Col. Stickney;

That he resided in the town of Raymond, N.H. at the time of the two terms of enlistment;

That he was in the battle of Trenton, N.J.;

That at the time of the battle of Princeton, N.J. he witnessed an action between a Division under General Washington and the British army; but the Division in which he served under Gen. Sullivan did not come up with the detachment of British against who he was directed to move;

That he was also engaged in a battle at Bennington, Vt. and was among the number that attacked and carried a Breastwork defended by a band of Tories;

That in the first service he marched across the state of Massachusetts to Winter Hill, near Boston; then to New London, Connecticut by land, and then sailed to New York and afterwards to Albany; marched from there to Lake George, cross the lake to Ticonderoga; marched through St. Johns to Chamblee Falls, Upper Canada and sailed from there to Sorell; returned by water to Chamblee Falls; then marched by land to St. Johns, Crown Point and Mt. Independence; sailed from Mt. Independence to the head of Lake George; disembarked near an old French fort and marched to Albany; sailed from Albany between 50 and 100 miles down the Hudson river; landed and marched across the country to Newtown, N.J. where they met the army under General Washington, then to Trenton, Princeton and Morristown, where he was discharged;

That during his second term he marched to Charlestown, N. H. then across the Green Mountains to Bennington, Vt. then to Stillwater, N. Y. where he was dismissed;

That at New York when the troops with whom he marched were mustered, he was judged unfit for service from his size, but the Captain to whose company he belonged, would not discharge him but kept him on the roll until he was dismissed in February, 1777 and he performed the same service as the others; that when they were retreating from the British in Canada, almost one fourth of the army were infected with Small Pox; the sick were moved to Chimney Point, opposite Crown Point and the regiment to which he belonged and one other, remained there until all the soldiers who had not had the disease, were inoculated and had time to recover;

That while stationed at Mt. Independence the American and British fleets met, and not one craft employed by the Americans escaped capture by the British, or being burnt by the Americans themselves, except one vessel on board of which the sick were placed before the action and the wounded, after the action commenced. That vessel came down to Ticonderoga;

That at Trenton when his term expired, the troops were paraded and Gen. Sullivan addressed them. He told the troops that the British knew as well as the Americans themselves that their term of service was about to expire, and that no sooner would they commence their return home (if they left then) than the remnant of the army would be attacked, and it would be unable, probably, to effect anything against the enemy and perhaps unable to maintain a position in the vicinity; that his regiment did not agree to stay at the time of the address but Gen. Poor, who was very popular with the troops visited the soldiers in their tents and induced them to consent to stay;

That he never received a written discharge;

That he was born in Raymond, N. H. August, 1758; lived there until 1780; then moved to Grafton, N. H. where he lived until 1813, then to Salem, Ohio where he has resided ever since.

Signed by mark.

Rev. Jacob Bailey of Kingsville, and Henry Smith of Salem, both of Ashtabula County, Ohio certified to their belief in soldier's veracity.

Claim allowed for 15 months, 23 days and Certificate 13419 Pittsburgh Agency for Ohio; was issued July 20, 1833, Act of June 7, 1832

____________________

June 9, 1835 Isaac Bennet, David Niles, John Thayer, George Starkweather, Joslyn Ring, Almon King, John W. French and Hiram Niles wrote the Department stating that "Sinkler Fox has acknowledged that he absconded from the army the evening after the taking (of) the Hessians at Princeton" and asked that his pension be stopped.

December 16, 1835 Isaac Bennet, 46 years of age, testified that in 1828 or 1829 he was at the house of Sinkler Fox and was reading the History of the United States when Fox told him that in 1775-6 he lived with a Mr. Cram in New Hampshire "got somewhat irritated and left him and joined the army" in the spring of 1776; that "when they came to the North river a prominent old Dutchman who was wealthy, wanted to hire him to help him get his pay and harvest and offered to advance money to get him clear from the army; and offered him one of his daughters if he would marry and live with him but he declined saying that Cram would follow him and get his wages" . . . "that when it was proposed to go over the river to Trenton and take the Hessians, they were divided into three divisions and that the division that he was with was ordered to cross at Trenton Ferry a little below the village; that they never came up until the Hessians had given up so that he never had a chance to fire his gun and after the Battle, some time in the afternoon of the same day they went back to the ferry; he had to wait until very near dark when he cross over the river and he and another left the army and when home and never had his discharge";

that about a year afterwards Fox repeated the same story to him.

Claim suspended.

____________________

February 17, 1836 Sinkler Fox of Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio wrote the Department asking to have his pension paid; stating that the affidavit was signed by persons who did not like his son, Samuel, and repeating his former testimony, and forwarded a number of papers for the Commissioner to read.

Signed by mark, in the presence of Diana Fox and Horace Fox.

The papers were returned to have the writers certify to their statements and were not sent back to the Department.

____________________

Note: It is yet unknown when Sinclair Fox died, but if it was soon after 1836 returning any papers as requested would be a moot point. He is listed in Ashtabula County on the 1835 Revolutionary War Veterans Pension Roll but not on the regular 1840 Census or 1840 Census of Pensioners. ____________________

submitted by:   Carol Page Tilson

Revolutionary War Pension File of 
Luther Reeves

The following is copied from the Revolutionary pension file of Luther Reeves. I have transcribed it as it was written including spelling, capitalizations, and punctuations. The areas that I could not decipher are left blank.

State of Connecticut

New London

Be it remembered that at said New London on this 3rd day of April 1818, before me Jerimiah Brainard a Judge of the Supreme Court of the State of Connecticut personally came and appeared Luther Reeves of the town of Lyme in said State of Connecticut and being duly and solomly sworn according to law and the usage of said State on such solemn oath by me to him administered declared and said that on the first day of February 1777-he enlisted as a private soldier in the company commanded by Captain Christopher Ely in the first Connecticut Regiment of the Continental army-then commanded by Colonel Jedidiah Huntington to serve during________. That after having served about three years he was appointed sergeant in which capacity he served until the eighth day of June 1783-when he was honorably discharged at West Point as the documents herewith accompanying will show-that he now is and always has been a Resident Citizen of the United States-that he is now 59 years old-and that from his reduced circumstance he needs the assistance of his country for support.

Luther Reeves

State and District of Connecticut

On this 27th day of June 1820 personally in open Court, before the County Court holden at New London within and for the County of New London in said State, on the 2nd Tuesday of June 1820, the same being a court record, proceeding according to the coarse of common law, with a jurisdiction unlimited in point of amount, keeping a record of its proceedings, and having power of fine and imprisonment, Luthe Reeves aged sixty one years, resident in the town of Lyme in said State, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath declare that he served in the revolutionary war as follows:In july 1776 I enlisted in the New York line and served ten months. In February 177_ I enlisted in Capt Christopher Ely's company in Col. Huntingston Regiment during the war and served until the _____ ______ in the _______ before I was discharged upwards of seven years. I was in the battles on Long Island, in the ________ of Danbury, Connecticut and was _____ in ____ _______ ________ two days until they went on board their ships. I was at the battle of Monmonth. I enlisted, a private and after about ____ years was made a sergeant and as such continued. My original declaration was made about the 3rd April 1818 and I have received a pension certificate dates May 7th 1818 and is No. 402.

And I do further swear that in consequences of my long service in the war my constitution was greatly impaired so that I left the service sick and so continued for nearly 2 years. The duty I had to perform was at times very hard, at one time I was ______ ______ in the army with a detachment of men to take a body of ________ near Maid fort- and for two nights respectively we had to cross the _______ _______ by wading through the snow _____ and ice without any opportunity of changing or drying our clothes. I have been more or less afflicted with the rheumatism ever since I left the army, am also lame in one leg which was badly broken some years ago. I have not been able to perform any labor for about five years past. My occupation was formerly that of a laborer at farming and I have worked some with the _______ of a carpenter. My wife Anna, aged 58 years, has been sick about 16 years past and for about 8 years past bedrid the most of the time as she is unable to do anything to support herself upon. My daughter Mary age 24 lives with us. She is of a feeble weakly constitution. I have a son in law that lives in the house with us and improves my land. We are entirely dependent upon our pension and what little we get from our son in law for our support. before I got my pension I generally had my ______ abated from these payments ______. After I was obliged ot leave off laboring I sold all the cows. I had _____ one _______ something to live upon. I also got considerably in debt-since I drew my last pension. I need money enough out of it to buy two cows. I have ever lived in the most frugal and economical manner when I came out of the army. I had very little property what little was all spent in the sickness that followed. What little property I have was aquired by my boys before they became of age.

Luther Reeves

Signed Sworn to and declared on the 27th day of June AD 1820 before said County Court.

Charles Lathrop Clerk

I Charles Lathrop Clerk of the County Court for New London County, do hereby certify that the foregoing oath, and the schedule thereto annexed, are truly copied from the record of the said Court; and I futher certify, that it is the opinion of the said Court, that the total amount in value of property exhibited in the aforesaid schedule is eight hundred and Nineteen dollars and seventy five cents, and that said Luther justly owed the _____ of four hundred twenty five dollars.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the seal of said Court, on this 27th day of June 1820.

Charles Lathrop

Clerk of the County Court for the County of New London

A schedule of the real and personal estate of Luther Reeve comprising every article of the _______ except my necessary bedding and clothing vis About 100 acres of land-it is very poor, rough, barren and mostly covered with __________. There is very little land upon it that can be improved at all. There is an old small one story house and small old barn upon it. 1 yoke oxen $50. 3 cows $40.00 1 heifer $8 1 old mare and old wagon $25.00. 1 hog #3.00. 1 hog #3.00. 1 old plow $1.00. 1 axe .50. 2 old saws .50. 1 _____ .50. 1 old watch $1.00. 1 old gun, given me when I left the army $2.00.

$137.50

A few old articles of necessary furniture consisting of 1 old ______, 2 chests, 3 old tables, 11 chairs, 1 iron pot

$15.00

1 crow bar .75, 1 grindstone $1.00, shovel .50, 1 _____ $1.00

$3.25

--------------
$649.75

I owe to different persons about $395. besides the interest upon some of the debt amounting to between 50 $ 60 dollars-----------

I have due to me about $170--

Amount of property $649.75

Deduct debts 395.

___________

$252.75

Add for debt due me 170.00

____________

422.75

Deduct interest pay 30.00

____________

$392.75

Luther
Reeve

The State of Ohio

Ashtabula County

On this seventh day of July Anno Domine one thousand eight hundred and forty three. Personally appeared before me, Jonathan Warner on of the Associat JUdges of sd county, Anna Reeves a resident of the Township of New Lyme in the county of Ashtabula aged seventy nine years who being first duly swore according to law doth on her oah make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 entitled an act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows. That she is the widow of Luther Reeves who was a sergeant in the third Connecticut Regiment in the services of this United Stated taking rank from the fifteenth day of August AD 1780 which Regiment was commanded by Col Samuel B ______ his ________ was given him at the Garrison of West Point and bears date the first day of January AD 1783 fir further particulars refference may be had at the War Department he having regularly received a pension as Seargent during his life time.

She further declares that she was married to the said Luther Reeves January the thirty first AD one thousand seven hundred and eighty five that her husband the aforesaid Luther Reeves died on the thirteenth day of December AD 1842 that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service but the marriage took place previous to the first of January seventeen hundred ninty four (_____) at the times above stated and that she still remains the widow of Luther Reeves not having since been married to any person. The said Anna Reeves further declares that by reason of _______ bodily infirmity she is unable to attend court.

Anna Reeve

Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year above written.

Jonathan Warner

Associate Judge

I hereby certify that the above named Anna Reeves is unable to attend court by reason of great bodily infirmity.

Jonathan Warner

Associate Judge

Lyme January the thirty first AD one thousand seven hundred and eighty five when I the subscriber married Luther Reeves and Anna Pierson both of said Lyme to each other.

Sist Seth Ely Justice of ye Peace

The foregoing is a true copy of the record with the enception of the date which is _________ in the record in fair and legal figures as follows "January 31st AD, 1785.

Certified from record by

Joshua R Warren

Town Clerk

___________________ Ohio

Ashtabula County on the thirteith day of ______AD on thousand eight hundred and fourty four. Personally appeared before me, Gopher Gee a Justice of the peace of New Lyme ____________ in said County of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, Benjamine Reeves a resident of said New Lyme Township aged fifty seven years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his said oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain for the children of the widow Anna Reeves of said New Lyme deceased the benefits of the Act of Congress passed March the 3rd 1843 that the said Anna was the widow of Luther Reeves a Revolutionary Soldier and Pensioner who died in said New LYme on the 13th day of December 1842 and that the said Anna was a five year Pensioner under the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 that he is the oldest child of the said Luther and Anna Reeves and that his mother the said Anna died in said New Lyme on the twenty-eighth day of November in eighteen hundred and forty three that the said wiow Anna Reeves left six children which are now living their names are as follows to wit, Benjamin Reeves, Ramsy Reeves, Saripta Brown, Mary Gee, Nancy Babcock, and Hannibal Reeves, he prays that a certificate may be granted to draw said Pension.

Benjamin Reeves

Sworn to and suscribed before me the day and year above written and I hereby testify from personal knowledge that the said Benjamin Reeves is a person of truth and verasity and his statement is entitled to full credit.

___________ Gee

I further certify that I was aquainted with the said widow Anna Reeves and can say from my own personal knowlege that she did on or about the 28th day of November 1843.

submitted by:   Kandy Richardson

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