Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22121, Samuel Bittle, Penn.
Page 3

Delaware County SS
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

On this twenty-seventh day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, personally appeared in open court before the Court of Common Pleas, Samuel Bittle, Senior, a resident of the township of Newtown in the aforesaid county of Delaware and state of Pennsylvania, aged seventy-three years, who being first duly affirmed according to law doth on his solemn affirmation make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed on the 7th day of June A.D. 1832.  That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as therein stated. 

That the said Samuel Bittle in the year A.D. 1776 and for several years afterwards resided in the township of Radnor, then in Chester not Delaware County, in the state aforesaid.  And that in the latter end of the month of July in the January A.D. 1776 the father of the said Samuel Bittle viz {words crossed out} the same township of Radnor, was drafted and ordered to march as a militia man into the service of the United States to perform a tour of duty.  And that he, the said Samual Bittle, then entered as a substitute for and in place of his said father.  And the said Samual Bittle marched as a private in Captain Samuel Pugh's company of drafted militia from Chester, now Delaware County, which company was attached to Colonel Richard Thomas's regiment of militia.  And he, with the said regimen, marched from the said township of Radnor to the city of Philadelphia and crossed the River Delaware into the state of New Jersey.  And then marched to Perth Amboy in the same state of New Jersey, where a considerable army composed chiefly of drafted militia assembled under the command of General Robert Cloe.  And there encamped for some time it being about the time that General Cloe}?} with the British army landed on Staten Island now far from Perth Amboy and he with the rest of the militia continued in the service in the Jersey until late in the fall of the same year and then the said regiment was ordered back again to Philadelphia and from there to the said county of Chester to which last place they marched and he with the rest of the said regiment were discharged about the middle of the month of November in the same year A.D. 1776.He then having served a tour of duty of three months and fifteen days. 

And that in or about the middle of the month of August in the year A.D. 1777 he the said Samuel Bittle was drafted and ordered to march as a militia man to perform a tour of duty in his own place in the service of the United States and he accordingly marched from the said township of Radnor and entered in and within Captain Mordecai Morgan's company of drafted militia from Chester now Delaware County, which company was attached to General Potter's brigade of militia.  And they marched to Old Chester, then in Chester now Delaware County, it being about the time that the British army landed at the Head of Elk.  And he, with the rest of the drafted militia, having joined the regular American army under the command of General Washington and was at the battle of Brandywine.  But he, and the militia to which he was attached, were not engaged in battle on that day as they were ordered to guard a passage on Brandywine Creek several miles below the principal encampment of General Washington's army, to which place, guarded by the militia, the British did not come.  The place where they came to being at Chads Ford{?}, a place higher up the Brandywine Creek, at which place the American and British armies engaged and the militia retreated with the regular army on the night after the battle to Old Chester, and on the next day to Philadelphia City.  A few days afterwards. they again marched into Chester County and the American regular army and militia met with the British in Whiteland Township in Chester County. The two hostile armies, being in sight of each other, and were preparing for battle, but a heavy rain then came on and the Americans then retreated into Charlestown Township in said county of Chester.  And from there to Whitemarsh in Montgomery County where they encamped for a short time. And the British army then marched on toward the city of Philadelphia, which they shortly after took possession of.  During all which time he, the said Samuel Bittle, was in the service, along with the militia and regular American army.  And shortly afterwards he was, along with the militia under the command of said General Potter, when they met and engaged in a skirmish with a party of British troops in Merion Township, then Philadelphia, now Montgomery County. 

And after he having served a second tour of duty of full three months, he, with the said company of militia under the command of said Capt. Morgan, was ordered back again to the said township of Radnor where they were discharged in or about the middle of the month of November in the same year A.D. 1777, which last tour of duty of three months together with the first tour of duty of three months and fifteen days, amount in the whole to six months and fifteen days service and upwards.  That he never received a written discharge for either of the said tours of duty, he being only verbally discharged by his officers as the rest of the militia were.  And that he has no documentary evidence and he knows of no person (except William Bittle) whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service.  He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.

He was born in Newtown Township, Chester County (now Delaware) in the year 1759.
Page 4

{See previous page for most of his declaration.  The following is the remainder.}

He was born in Newtown Township, Chester County (now Delaware) in the year 1759.  He has a record of his age, which is in a family prayer book, (but which is out of his possession.)  A copy has been taken (which is herewith produced.)  He lived in Radnor Township, Chester County (now Delaware) at the time he was called into service.   He lived in {illegible} Chester County and in Newtown and Radnor township, Delaware County, since the Revolutionary war and now lives in Newtown Township aforesaid. William Bittle and Richard Gardiner are persons to whom the petitioner is known in his present neighborhood, who can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his service as a soldier of the Revolution.
Signed:  Samuel Bittle

Affirmed to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court Feb. 27 1833
Signed:  Jno Leilin, Prothy
Page 5

Declaration of Samuel Bittle

Adm. 6 months & 15 days             21.67
                                                       43.36
                                                       18.83
                                                        54.17
Hon. E. Darlington H. Rep.

We, Richard Gardiner, a clergyman residing in the township of Newtown and William Bittle, residing in the township of Haverford, in the county of Delaware, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Samuel Bittle, who have subscribed and sworn to the within declaration, that we believe him to be seventy-three years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
Signed: Richard Gardiner, Wm Bittle

Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court
November 25, 1833
Signed:  Jno K. Leilin, Prothy

We, William Bittle residing in the township of Haverford, and Dr. Richard Gardiner residing in the township of Newtown in the county of Delaware, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Samuel Bittle, Senior, who has subscribed and affirmed to the written declaration, believe him to be seventy-three years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion.

Affirmed and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court
July 27 1833
Signed:  Jno K. Leilin, Prothy
Page 12

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the within named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served [illegible] states. And the Court further certify, that it appears to them that Richard Gardiner who has signed the preceding certificate, is a Clergyman resident in the township of Newtown in the County of Delaware, and that William Bittle, who has also signed the same is a resident in the township of Haverford in the County of Delaware, and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. 

I, John K. Leilin, Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Samuel Bittle for a pension.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this twenty fifth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred thirty three.

Jno. K. Leilin
Prothonotary