Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 7674, for Nathaniel Niles, Massachusetts
Page 1

Service                                              Number

Mass             Niles, Nathaniel          R7674
                                 Hannah

_________________________________________
Contents
Page 2

Revolutionary War
Widow's application
for pension, under act
of Feb 3, 1853

Certificate to be sent to
Horatio Woodman
Bosson
Mass.
as mother requested.
Page 3

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Secretary's Office, Boston, April 17th 1854

I Hereby Certify, That at the date of the
annexed attestation William L. Leland was
Judge of Probate and Seth Turner, Robert
Seaver, and Clifford Keith were Justices of the
Peace, all for the County of Norfolk, and
J. H. Buckingham was a Justice of the
Peace for the County of Suffolk
in the said Commonwealth, duly commissioned and constituted; and that to their acts and attestations, as such, full faith and credit are and ought to be given, in and out of Court.

In Testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed the 
Seal of the Commonwealth, the date above written.
E M Wright
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Page 4

[c.]
State of Massachusetts County of Norfolk.

On this twenty seventh day of March A. D. 1854 personally appeared before Mr. Wm. S. Leland Judge of Norfolk County Probate Court of the State of Massachusetts Mrs. Hannah Niles a resident of Stoughton in the County of Norfolk and State of
Massachusetts aged Ninety six years, who first being duly sworn according to law, doth, on her oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefits of the provision made by the Act of Congress, passed on the 3d of February, 1853, granting pensions to widows of persons who served during the Revolutionary War:
That she is the widow of Nathaniel Miles who was a
Lieutenant in Capt. Silas Wild's Co. in Heath's Regiment for eight months in the 26th Regt. of Foot in the Continental Army - also Eight days the Col. Lincoln's Reg also as private - also eight days as a private in Col. Palmer's Regt. in Capt. Sament Co. also 4 days as a corporal in the same company.

She further declares that she was married to the said Nathaniel Niles on the first day of August 1802; that her said husband died on or within two days of the first day of November 1817; that she was not married to him prior to the second of January, eighteen hundred, but at the time above stated. She further [declares] that she is now a widow.

In presence of
Sam. C. Page
Darius Littlefield

Hannah Niles

Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year above written, before me I am Judge of Probate for the said County.  And I certify that the defendant is a credible witness, and that she is disabled by bodily infirmity from appearing in Court.

Witness my hand and official Seal.
The words Wm S. Leland Judge of the being first interlined
Judge of Probate
Wm S. Leland
Page 5

State of Massachusetts County of Norfolk
Town of Randolph

(a) "Record of Marriages in the Congregational Society of Randolph from January 1801."
Eighteen Hundred and two August First.
"Lieut. Nathaniel Niles to Hannah Littlefield,"

I CERTIFY that the above is a true copy of the record, with the exception of the date, which is expressed on the record in fair legible figures, as follows:-- (b)
"1802 August 1st "
Ebenezer Alden
---
I Ebenezer Alden above named, depose and say, that I hold the office of the Clerk of the first Congregational Society in the town, county, and state aforesaid, and that the above is a true copy from the records of said Church, with the exception above named, as certified by me.
Ebenezer Alden

Subscribed and duly sworn to before me, this Twenty Eighth day of February A. D. 1824 -
Eth. Tinus Justice of the Peace.

(a) Here fill in an exact transcript of the record, except that, instead of copying the figures, the date must be written out in full.
(b) Here give the date exactly as it is in the record.
Page 6

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Norfolk.S.S.

I. Luther M. Harris, of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury
in said County and Commonwealth, being duly sworn, depose and say that I well knew client Nathaniel Niles, who was a Revolutionary
Soldier; that in the latter part of the year Eighteen hundred and seventeen, he resided at Orford, New Hampshire; that I resided in the same place at the same time; that the said Nathaniel Niles died at Orford, as aforesaid, within three days of the first day of November AD 1817, but the exact day I cannot recollect; that I was in the practice of my profession, as a physician at that time, attended him in his last illness and was present at his death.  I also say that I am disinterested.

Word "West" added before signing

Rolin Lewis
Luther M. Harris

Subscribed & sworn to before me this tenth day of April A.D. 1854, and I certify that the above named deponent is a respectable credible witness, I have no interest in the
prevention or result of this claim.

Robert Seaver
Justice of the Peace
Page 7

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Norfolk, S.S.

I, William Curtis of Stoughton in said County
and Commonwealth, being duly sworn, depose and say that I well know Nathaniel Niles who was a soldier of the Revolution, and whose widow now applies for a Pension; that I knew him for several years previous to 1806 at which time I lived in the same house with him; that I knew Hannah Niles the present applicant for Pension in 1806 and previous to that time as wife of the said Nathaniel Niles; that I have lived in the neighborhood with her for more than thirty years, and know that she has been
the reputed widow of said Nathaniel Niles since 1820, and has never since been married. I also state that I am disinterested.

Wm Curtis
-
Subscribed and sworn to before me this seventh day of April A.D. 1854, and I certify that the above named William Curtis is a respectable and credible witness, and that I have no interest in the prosecution or result of this claim.

Clifford Keith
Justice of the Peace
Page 8

State of Massachusetts County of Suffolk

I, Darius Littlefield
having been duly sworn, depose and say, that I well knew Nathaniel Niles who was a soldier of the Revolutionary war whose widow now applies for a pension that I knew him for more than ten years before his death, which occurred at Orford N. H. about thirty six years ago, -- that I know that he died about that time because I have not seen him since that time; because I have seen a letter containing a statement of his death; because I have always lived in the neighborhood of his widow, Hannah Niles, and have known her to be considered and recognized in the Community as his widow; & Col. Romer told me that his father settled the estate of said Niles; that I have known his said widow from his death to this time, that she has remained unmarried, and that I am disinterested.

Darius Littlefield

Subscribed, and duly sworn to before me, this twenty eighth day of March A. D. 1854,
the alterations from "we to "I" [illegible]
being made before signing

J. M. Buckingham
Justice of the Peace.

It is hereby certified that satisfactory proof has been exhibited before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, by the affidavit of Darius Littlefield of East Stoughton of the said county and state, who are personally known to me, who are entitled to credit, and who swear that they have no pecuniary interest in the result of the above application; that Hannah Niles is the widow, remaining unmarried of the late Nathaniel Niles who was a soldier of the Revolution and that the said Nathaniel Niles died at Orford N.H. on or about the first day of November A.D. 1817

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty eighth day of March 1854, and I certify that I have no interest in the prosecution of result of this claim

J M. Buckingham,  Justice of the Peace

"We attended his funeral, " or " were in the neighborhood at the time," or some equally good reason.
Page 9

No 4613

Hannah Niles
Widow of
Nathaniel.

Mass.

Set: to H. Woodman, April. 26/5
[Ditto]                        Nov 11

7674
act/53
Page 10

3, 1873.

7674
P.O.
Hannah Niles

Rejected

Service;
Enlisted:
Discharged:
Application filed
Alleges:
Re-enlisted:
Attorney:
P. O.
Recognized.
Contract.
Cert. of Dis.
Searched for
Page 11

Boston, June 27. 1854.

Sir,
In the case of the application for a pension under the act of Feby. 1853. of Hannah Niles, widow of Nathaniel Niles a Revolutionary soldier from Massachusetts, I am able, after much difficulty to enclose the affidavit of identity of Elijah Wilde a contemporary.

Your letter of April 16th, requiring further
proof of identity was duly need.

Mr. Abr. Lut.
Horatio Woodman

Hon. S. P. Waldo
Com. of Pensions.
Page 12

Commonwealth of Massachusetts County of Norfolk.

I, Elijah Wilde, of Braintree, in the said county, having been duly sworn, depose and say, that I am in my Eighty Eighth year, that the present town of Randolph was formerly a part of the said Braintree, that I well knew Nathaniel Niles, a Revolutionary soldier, whose widow now applies for a pension, that I well remember his going into the Revolutionary service from the said Braintree, that I particularly well remember the time, because I wanted to go, but was too
young, -- that if there had been any other Nathaniel Niles who went into the Revolutionary War from Braintree, I could have hardly failed to know it, that I have never known or heard of another such from the said town going into the said service, that I well remember his marrying Hannah Littlefield, now his widow, that the place where the said Nathl. Niles lived is only about a mile in a straight line across from where I live, and that I am disinterested.

I further say that I resided in the said Braintree at the time the said Niles went into service, and have resided there to this time

Elijah Wild (His Mark)

attest - Erastus Wales

Subscribed and duly sworn before me this thirteenth day of June 1854.
I also certify that the deponent is a credible witness, and that I have no interest in the prosecution or result of this claim.

Erastus Wales
Justice of the Peace
Page 13

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Secretary's Office, Boston June 16th 1854

I Hereby Certify, That at the date of the annexed attestation Erastus Wales was a Justice of the Peace for the County of Norfolk

in the said Commonwealth, duly commissioned and constituted; and that to his acts and attestations, as such, full faith and credit are and ought to be given, in and out of Court.

In Testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed the
Seal of the Commonwealth, the date above written.

E. M. Wright
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Page 14

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Secretary's Office, Boston:
June 27, 1853.

I hereby Certify, That, from an examination of the Books and Documents relating to Military Services in the War of the Revolution, which remain in this Department, it appears that
That the name of Nathaniel Niles is borne on Capt Eliphalet Sawin's Comp Col. Benjamin Lincoln's Regt. assembled April 19, 1775.  8 days as private from Braintree.

Also on Capt Silas Wild's Comp, Col. Wm
Heath's Regt. on eight months roll, in the 36 Regt. of Foot in the Continental Army encamped in Fort No. 2. Oct. 6, 1775, as Lieut.
Also on Capt Eliphalet Sawin's Comp. Col. Joseph Palmer's Regt. assembled on the 4 of March 1776.  Eight days as private.
Also on Capt E. Sawin's Comp. Col. J. Palmer's Regt. Assembled in Braintree June 14, 1776 in service 4 days a Corporal.
Page 15

5322

And I further Certify, That, before search made for evidence of said facts, the application hereto annexed was filed in this Office, in the form in which the same now appears; that the
search was made by myself and my clerks alone; and that said application, and the certificate above set forth, contain all the facts and circumstances within my knowledge, pertaining to the case.

In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed the Seal of the Commonwealth, the date above written.
E. M. Wright
Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Page 16

State of Massachusetts County of Norfolk

I, Hannah Niles having been duly sworn, depose and say, that I am the Widow of Nathaniel Niles who was a Revolutionary soldier, -- that he is believed to have enlisted at or near Braintree
Massachusetts (he is believed to have served as an office in said war, a part of the time as a Lieutenant) that he is supposed to have served for several years during said war a part of the time in the State of New York and other places unknown to her and that I pray to receive from the Secretary of State a certificate from the rolls in his office of the service of the said soldier, as to his official services as a private or soldier and
in what grade of office as I now have no distinct knowledge either from memory or otherwise
as to what length of time he served and in what
Grade as to his office, only that he is believed to have served several years as stated above

Hannah Niles (Her Mark)

Witness Benjamin Richards

Subscribed and duly sworn to before me this Seventh day of June A.D. 1853

Benjamin Richards Justice of the Peace