Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 11438, Samuel White, Vt.
Page 1

SERVICE
Vt
CONTENTS
White Samuel
NUMBER
R. 11438

CONTENTS
Page 2

Rejected
11438
Samuel White
letter 16 July 1834
to Watter Ria
to Har H Hubbard
R  Dec 1834
L H Hubbard
Aug 26 1131
[illegible]

to G.F. Yates Oct 24 1842

See let to Hon F Pierce
Jany 22, 1841
Page 3

[stamp] REJECTED

Act of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
14
Saml White
Service:
┃ Enlisted:
Discharged:
Application filed:
Alleges:
Re-enlisted:
Attorney:
P. O.
Cert. of
REJECTED
---
18
18
18
Recognized.
Contract.
Dis. Searched for 18
Page 4

Albany, Oct 14 1842
Sir.
As requested by the enclosed letter, I
respectfully solicit a reexamination of the
claim of Samuel White of Newbury Vt.
for a pension under the act of 7th June 1832.
The applicant is 92 years of age & poor, and
all who know him feel much interested in
the success of his application which is conceded
to be a highly meritorious one. A bill in Congress
have been reported in his favor on a former
occasion, shows the estimation in which his claim
is held by the representatives of the people.
Major Rix the former agent
informs me, that his service in 1777 of 3 months
is proved by documents at Washington which
documents while they show the period of his
service for that year, stand in the place of
a Commission which he is unable to produce
& furnish an argument in favor of his alledged appointment as Surgeon" in the year
previous, & fortify the positive parole testimony
to that effect. The alleged service if I rightly
understand the case, is for 15 months in the
aggregate as a Surgeon.
It is objected that Genl
Bailey was unauthorized to make the appoint
Page 5

ment in question. The Genl did it in his capacity
as Dr. Master General, and the troops in
whose behoof he officiated as Surgeon, were on
fatigue duty and the Department of the 2
Sal (engaged in making roads &c). If
the evidence that Genl Bailey was thus authorized, does not appear not acknowledged, I am ready to furnish it
I am very respectfully
on Obt Sevnt
G. F. Yates

J.L. Edwards Esq
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C.
Page 6

Hon F Pierce
Senate US
Page 7

Will the
Commission communicate to the 
committee on pensions of the Senate the
ground on which the claim of Samuel
White was rejected at the Department
The commission is respectfully [illegible]
to the letter of the Hon H. Holland
inclosed with the papers dated
March 11, 1836
Page 8

29465
Dov. Samuel White
V.t

Vermont

Objecton J.c
Feb. 15th 34

Nathanel Rix Esqr
Haverhill N.H.
Any 2 Apl 5 1834
Page 9

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,

Sir
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has
been examined, and the papers are herewith returned. The following is a statement of
your case in a tabular form. On comparing these papers with the following rules, and
the subjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed,
before a pension can be allowed. the notes and the regulations will shew what is
necessary to be done. Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed,
you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: } ). You will, when
you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and
you will, by compling with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your
claim.
[Chart]
A Statement,shewing the service of dov Samuel White Surgeon
Period when the service was rendered.
Aprill to
1776 to
February
1777
in the full
of the year
1777

Duration of the
claimant's service.
Years
0
0
Months
10
2
Days 
0
0

 Rank of the claimant.
Surgeon
Surgeon
 
Names and rank of the Field officers
under whom he served.
Mayor
Hashington
Gant Bailey
Col Chat.
Col Kent-
Genl Gates

Age at present,
and place of abode
when he entered
the service.
83 years
Newburg Vt
residence
Now
83 years
Newburg
Residence
Now

Proof by which the declaration is supported.
of Dov. Samuel White
Samuel Johnson
James Bailey
John Taplin

James Bailey
Dudley Carleton

I am, respectfully
Your obedient servant,
JAMES L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.
all papers must be authenticated in a Court of Record
please return this Brig
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REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army,
and to include under the terms "Continental Line," "State troops," "militia," and "volunteers," all
persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service, but not those who
were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to
Store Keepers, &c., Teamsters, Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of private armed vessels are
also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged
in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
1
The Regular Troops.
The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.
3.
Persons employed in the Naval Service.
4. Indian Spies.
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons claiming
the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, mucicians or privates, will, in the first
instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of
Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is
considered a Court of Record.
DECLARATION.
in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of
County of
On this
day of
A. B. a resident (b) of
personally appeared (a) before
in the county of
and State, Territory or District
of
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 provision made by the act of Congress, passed
June 7th, 1832. That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d)
served in the
(e) regiment of the
(Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company Officers; the time he left the service; (and if he served
under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers;) the
town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged,
and the country through which he marched. This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons
who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]
He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he
declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, or (if any) only on that of
the Agency in the State of
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
A. B.
And then will follow the certificate of the Court.
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary
soldier, and served as he states.
of the Court of
do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of
the application of
for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this
day of
& c.
If, on examination of the proper record, the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be
found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
except those who belonged to the New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia, will make and
subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing, with the following additions, viz:
(k) We, A. B., a Clergyman, residing
hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with
and C. D. residing in (the same)
who has
subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be
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.
Sworn and subscribed the days and year aforesaid.
And then will follow the certificate of the Court.
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 above named applicant was a Revolutionary
Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies, that it appears to them that A.B.
who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the
and that C. D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the
and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I,
Clerk of the Court of
do hereby certify that the foregoing
contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of
for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal
of office, this
day of
& c.
Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission
; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if
possible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services
of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light
upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot be found, the applicant will so state in his declaration, (l) and he will
also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful
in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his
the Claimant appears to have made his
declaration in New Hampshire - the regulations require
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that
3
alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person
will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case. The facts stated will afford one of the principal
means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted
; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected
. All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County in which they reside, and
there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declaration above provided, according to the nature of his
case.
The Court will propound the following (m) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of
service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State
troops of Virginia.
1. Where and in what year were you born?
2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war
, and where do you now live?
4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute?
And if a substitute, for whom?
5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such
Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.
Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it giv-
10 soldier, and what has become of it?
.
an office has become of it?
7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify
as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
The Court will see that the answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are
requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court,
without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons--one of whom should be
the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from
their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed
and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion.
If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify to the character
and standing of other persons giving such certificates.
The traditionary evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct
proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the
inquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
-
Applicants unable to appear in Court, by reason
required, and submit to the examination, before a
county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duge

or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper
which the Court is herein requested to perform,
and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record,
or by a Justice of the Peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper
Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a
Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is
his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before
the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the
declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure
, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period
of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the
opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.
The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow
the rule laid down for his guidance.
The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not
The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the
War claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so
definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the
loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason
of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service; but, according to the best of his
recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades:--For---year----months, and
days, I served as a . For months and - days, I served as a ; and for such service I claim a pension."
-
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law
directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months,
is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years
in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is
highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement;
the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority
; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil
pursuit.
The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
The opinion of the Court is always required.
The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
The Clerk must affix his seal, and if it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no pubseal
of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the
papers.
Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains
the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must
pass under the real name of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
Proof of Service.
In a case
of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses
who are required to
affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well
the regiment, to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses
, and the official signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
to all applicable to the cases of dilia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule in
W
This traditionary evidence is indipensable in militia cases.
If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.
they should be made in the County and State where
the Claimant lives or reasons given, why not
=