Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 4,177, Joseph Grafton, R.I.
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(b-1776)
SERVICE * NUMBER
RI Grafton, Joseph R4,177
CONTENTS
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Acts of July 14, 1862m and March 3, 1873  (whole line is crossed out)

4177
P. O.
Joseph Grafton
Service: _______________

Enlisted: ____________, 18
Discharged:  __________, 18
(stamped REJECTED)

Application filed:  ________, 18

Alleges:______________________

Re-enlisted:_________________


Attorney:____________________
P.O. _________________________

______________Recognized.   __________Contract.

______Cert. of Dis.     Searched for __________, 18
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Joseph Grafton
Massachuesetts
Act 7 June 1832

rejected

See let of Isaac Fiske
March 18. 1826
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War Department
Pension Office
March 18, 1836

Sir

The claim of Joseph Grafton has been examined and disallowed.  The aggregate amount of his alleged services is 6 mos 14 days which includes 6 weeks of alleged service on board of a transport that is not deemed military service in the contemplation of the act of 7 June 1832.  The act provides for actual service under military obligations in some embodied corps organized by competent authority or on board of some public armed ship belonging to the navy of the confederacy or of some state.  Excluding that service reduce the agregate (sic) below the minimum provision of the Act.  His papers are placed on file.

I am very Respectfully 
Yr. Obt. Svt.
J. L. Edwards

Isaac Fiske Esq }
Boston             }
Mass                }
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
MIddleton                                       ss: 
In Probate Office at East Cambridge March 10, 1836

To the Hon. J. L. Edwards, Commissioner of Pensions
Sir,
I herewith (illegible) the application of the (illegible) Joseph Grafton for (illegible) Pension.  When the same has received your attention you will please to communicate to me the result.

I am respectfully yours
Isaac Fiske, (illegible) of Probate
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33.605

Jno. A. W. Lamb

17 Central Wharf
Boston
Mass
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I Barnard Eddy of Providence in the State of Rhode Island of the age of seventy three years on oath depose and say that I am well acquainted with Joseph Grafton now living in Newton in the State of Massachusetts and pastor of the Baptist Church in that place, that he was born and brought up in said Providence where he lived during the whole of the Revolutionary war and for several years thereafter that in the year 1775, he belonged to a Militia company under the command of Capt. Nichols Power, of said Providence and served therein in guarding and removing ammunition of various kinds from Newport to said Providence and in (illegible) a fort at Fox Point in said Providence, how long he served during tis year I do not recollect but should think it was for more than fifteen days.

That in the year 1777 he served one month at Puwtuxet and Warwick in (illegible) as sergeant in a Militia Company under Lieut. Angell in a regiment commanded by Col Jabez Bowen & part of the time by Col. Atwell, immediately after he returned from this tour of duty, my impression is that he joined Col. Daniel Tellinghad's company of Artillery in said Providence in which he continued during the war, said company was a Minute company and ready to do duty a a minutes warning when called upon and said Grafton performed his duty therein
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I recollect that said Grafton was on duty in the harbor of (illegible) at Providence in the year 1778, and that afterwards he served in the same year in Co. Tellinghad's company as Quarter Master in Rhode Island during the expedition under the command of General Sullivan and was there during the whole of said expedition, and their company was the last that left the island.

In the year 1779 he served I (illegible) by as six weeks on board a public vessel commanded by Capt. John Jacobs in transporting provisions in the State of Rhode Island the British troops being then in  possession of Rhode Island.

In the year 1780 he served in Col Tellinghad's company in guarding the island of Rhode Island after the British troops had evacuated the same and until the French troops arrived.

Said Grafton performed military duty at various other times in said company as it was called upon during the revolutionary war and their company was more often called in times of alarm than any other company in consequence of their having (illegible) brass field pieces.
Bernard Eddy


United States of America
Rhode Island District ss:   In Providence in said District February 27th 1836 there personally appeared the above named Bernard Eddy to me well known as a man of credibility and made oath that the facts stated in the above deposition by him subscribed are true before me.
John Pitman
District Judge  U. S. R. I. Dist.
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Providence Feb. 27 1836
Dear Sir,
annexed you have the deposition
of Barnard Eddy William Eddy died a few months since
Dea. Stephen Wardwell cannot state any thing from  his own
knowledge as he was employed at Bristol in this State [illegible]
the time in baking for the army & Navy. Mr. Eddy will
probably send you some further information shortly should
he obtain any on further inquiry. In the hope that Mr. Grafton may be successful in his application which it is to
be regretted he had not before made
I remain your obedt sevt
John Pitman
M. Jno  A. W. Lamb
No. 19, Central Schaf
Boston
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Middlesex ss.

On this eighth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six, personally appeared in his own house he being sick, & infirm before the Honourable (sic) Judge of the Court of Probate, in and for the County of Middlesex aforesaid, now sitting, Joseph Grafton a resident of Newton in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy eight 3/4 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, A.D. 1832: That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated: 

I, Joseph Grafton, Pastor of the Baptist Church in Newton, State of Massachusetts, was born in Newport, State of Rhode Island, June 9th, 1757, (the statement in Barnard Eddy's deposition that I was born in the town of Providence being incorrect; it being however the fact that from the age of ten years to the age of twenty eight I resided in said Providence)

In the year 1777, I served one month at Powtuxet and Warwick in the said State as Sergeant in a militia company under a Lieutenant, whose name, I think, was Angell. in Col. Jabez Bowen's or Col. Atwell's, regiment; for one succeded (sic) the other in the command of said regiment.

After this, I united myself to Col. David Tillinghast's company of Artillery a company chartered by the State, giving the officers the rank of field officers in which I continued during the war, and did public duty, as first corporal and otherwise, as called upon or drafted: as follows - viz-
I did duty with the company under Col. Tillinghast's company one month in the service of the United States in the Laboratory at Providence Rhode Island was in the fore part of the summer in the year 1778. 
In the same year, in the months of July and August served one month at the siege on Rhode Island under the command of Gen. Sullivan in Col. Tillinghast's company as Quarter Master.
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In the year 1779, I served six weeks on board a public vessel commanded by Capt. John Jacobs for transporting provisions in the State of Rhode Island, while the British troops were in possession of part of the State.

In the year 1780, I served in Col. Tillinghast's company forty five days in guarding the island of Rhode Island, after the British troops had evacuated the State in the aforesaid services amount six months two weeks

Besides which, unnumbered  times I have been called out at alarms, and was under arms day after day, without making any account of such times, and did military duty as long as the (illegible) revolutionary war continued.  I was born as I have stated in Newport, Rhode Island June 9th 1757.  I have no record of my age & know it only by tradition of my parents and others.  I do not know of any record of it.  I lived in Providence when called into service & lived there till the year 1786.  In June 1787 I was (illegible) in the ministry in Newton, Massachusetts, where I have lived to the present time.  I served as a volunteer in the first two instances  & on board the public vessel.  In the other cases the the whole company were ordered on service but as I think having volunteered their service.  IN 1776 there were regular troops on the Island, Gen'l Spencer , Genl Sullivan & Genl Gates at different times in this & the following (illegible) were in command.  (illegible) that Genl Young's brigade was there & Vega & Bigelow's regiments Wm Jackson (illegible). I never received any discharge.  He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except for the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any state,   J. Newton

Subscribed & sworn to the day & year aforesaid 
L. P. Fay, J. Prob
Joseph Grafton

We, Henry J. Ripley a clergyman, residing in the town of Newton and Samuel Trowbridge Junior residing in said Newton hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with (illegible) Joseph Grafton who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be seventy eight years of age: that he is reputed and believed, in the neighbourhood (sic) where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and, that we concur in that opinion
Henry J. Ripley                  Samuel Trowbridge Jr.

Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid:
L. P. Fay  J. Prob.

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation f the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above-named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.  And the Court further certify, that it appears to them that Henry J. Ripley who has signed the preceding certificate, is a clergyman, resident in Newton and that Samuel Trowbridge who has also signed the same, is a resident i Newton and is a credible person; and that their statement is entitled to credit.
L. P. Fay, J. Prob

I Isaac Fiske Register of the Court of Probate in and for the County of Middlesex, do hereby certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of application of Joseph Grafton for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office on the day and year first aforesaid.

Isaac Fiske Reg.