Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 30,838, Elijah Ayer, Mass
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State of Maine
Washington Ss

On this 29th day of August 1835. personally appeared in open Court of Probate now holden at Machias in & for said County of Washington 
Elijah Ayer, resident at Wellington, Co. of Kent, in New Brunswick now [[commorant]] at said Machias, aged eighty three 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 officers & served as herein stated:
He was born at Norwich farm in Connecticut & removed when a lad with his father to Cumberland, where in 1777 he was in a party that attempted to take Fort Cumberland, & failing in that attempt was obliged to leave New Brunswick & came to Machias: 
He then joined an Expedition under Col. Eddy
under Massachusetts, to take Fort Cumberland, in which he was Lieutenant, but before he got his commission the expedition was abandoned at the recommendation of Gen. Washington. 
Soon after this Col. John Allan was appointed by Massachusetts to command the indian department and said Ayer received an appointment as first Lieutenant in said Allan Corps or regiment, and served as such from that time, which was the summer or autumn of 1777, till 1781 when he resigned. 
During his said service, he was stationed by Col. Allan, part of the time in the Block house at Machias under command of Lieut. William
Albee of the artillery, part of the time at St. Andrews Point commanding a body of Indians, sometimes over two hundred in number, & having knowledge of Seamanship, he was part of the time employed in an armed vessel of the United States called
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the Neashquahoit, employed chiefly in transporting provisions for the american troops & Indians at Machias and vicinity-- all the time however, or Lieutenant in said Allan's Corps or regiment: 
what became of his commission, or whether he ever had one, he does not recollect, from the defect of memory incident to his great
age,- but he recollects that his engagement was as Lieutenant & he received pay as such for the whole time, which was over three
year, and, as he believes, four years. 
The only engagement he was in after his entering the service at Machias, was in repelling the British Brig Hope, Capt Dawson, in her attack upon that place.
He was in the expedition which was started for the taking the Fort Bagaduce & was recalled as the the captine of the American naval force at Penobscot by the British.
He has no documentary evidence of his service, having entrusted what papers he had several years ago to a Mr Jackson at Portsmouth, to make application for a pension under the act of Congress of 1818-- which application, if he made was not successful- & said Jackson never returned the papers nor can said Ayer, or enquiring, learn where he is to get them again.

Soon after the revolution the said Ayer removed to what is now Dennysville in said County of Washington; & thence about
the year 1790, to said Wellington.
He hereby relinquishes all claim to a pension except the present, and declares that his name is not on any pension roll
Elijah Ayer

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year first aforesaid
---
John Dickinson and And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the
investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories presents by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary and served as he states.
John Dickinson Judge
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State of Maine
Washington County Ss

On this third day of June A.D. 1853 before me the undersigned a Justice of the Peace within
and for the County and State aforesaid duly authorized to administer oaths personally appeared Mrs Abagail Hilder a resident of Dennysville, Maine, known to me as a credible person and made oath in due form of law that she is a daughter and one of the heirs at
law of Elijah Ayer who was late a 1st Lieutenant in the service of the United States War of the Revolution and now deceased and who made unsuccessful application for a Pension under Act of 1832 

That the said Elijah Ayer departed this life
at [[Bucktoosh]] (Bouctouche) or Wellington, Province of New Brunswick on the 12th day of April A.D. Eighteen Hundred
and Thirty Seven, 1 his 1st wife having died previously,
ing in 1824 1825 that the said Elijah Ayer left the following
New
named surviving children and none others, to wit,
Hannah Cushing, Abagial Hilder, Sarah Chase,
Elizabeth Siddall, Rebecca Ward, & William Ayer
the truth of which statement I am fully satisfied
Peter E. Vose
he
George W Wilder
Abagail & Wilder
mark
Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year
above written
Peter E. Rose Jus. Peace