Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 18,963, John Coney, Mass.
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Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7. 1832
State of New York }
Chautauqua County }
On this twelfth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Chautauqua & State of New York, the said Court being now sitting, John Coney, formerly of Stoughtonham, then in the County of Suffolk & State of Massachusetts, now called Sharon in the now County of Norfolk, but now a resident of the town of Portland, in the County of Chautauqua & State of New York, aged seventy seven years past, 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 as a Private in the Revolutionary War under the following named officers & served as herein stated, viz:
First. That he enlisted on the nineteenth day of April in the year 1775 as a volunteer at Roxbury near Boston, Massachusetts, into a Company of what was then called "Minute Men" or "Continentals" under the Command of Captain Samuel Peirson or Parsons (who as well as himself then resided at Stoughtonham, now Sharon, aforesaid) in Colonel Joseph Reed's Regiment under the Command of General Artemus Ward in the Revolutionary War. - That he enlisted as aforesaid for the term of Eight months, and continued to serve in the said Company in and about Roxbury aforesaid and a place called Squantom, and in going with a Detachment of Whale Boats down to burn the Light House nine miles below Boston, for the whole of said time of eight months, [in column next to 'term of 8 months' is illegible writing except for the number 8, looks like in pencil] when he was discharged at Roxbury aforesaid in December of the year 1775, & went home to Stoughtonham, now Sharon aforesaid.
Second. That after he had been at home from the army not to exceed five days, he volunteered & enlisted into a Company of three months men, called Militia Men, under the command of Colonel Gridley who was wounded at Bunker Hill battle. - [in column to left is written 3-] That he was engaged in entrenching & raising the forts at Dorchester Heights, until the term of three months expired, when, without going home, [in column to left is written Third. -]  he joined a Company from Boston which was going to defend Castle William or Castle Island, under the Command of Captain Theophilus Lyon, & Colonel Gill, commandant of the Second Massachusetts Regiment. - That he continued to serve as last aforesaid [added this text with up arrow... for the time of about three years] on Castle Island in re=building & repairing the Castle, after it was demolished by the British, and in fortifying the public works at that place, almost constantly, from the time that he went on to the Island as aforesaid, until the tenth day of May in the year 1779, when he was discharged at Castle Island aforesaid.
That he occasionally went home (a distance of 19 miles from the Castle) on short furloughs, not exceeding as he believes, five days in any one instance, and that this was his only absence from duty at the Castle aforesaid for the time of about three years as aforesaid.
That out of the whole term of service rendered by this Declarant, he was, for fifteen months of his said service on Castle Island, a Third Sergeant, and frequently did the duty of an orderly Sergeant in his Company.
That he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a Pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the agency of any state or territory to his knowledge.
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That he knows of no person now living whose testimony he can procure, who can testify to his Service in the Revolutionary war, and that he has no documentary or written evidence of his said service, except for the paper hereunto annexed, which was received by him from Capt. Nathaniel Morse, who commanded the Militia Company at Stoughtonham aforesaid, out of which he the Said John Coney enlisted into the Revolutionary Service, in order to exempt him, the said John Coney, from a Draft from the Militia
And to interrogatories propounded to him by the Said Court of Common Pleas, the Said John Coney says that he was born in the town of Stoughtonham in the County of Norfolk in the State of Mass of in the year seventeen hundred and fifty five on the twenty sixth day of March 1755 and that he has no record of his age except in his memory and recollection.
That when he was called into the Revolutionary Service he resided at Stoughtonham aforesaid and since the Revolutionary war has resided in Brookfield, Mapachusetts, & removed from thence to Ware, Hampshire County (Mass.) and from the latter place to the town of Portland aforesaid where he now resides & has resided there for nine years past and now lives in the town of Portland in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York & has so resided in the Said town for the last nine years
That at the several times when he enlisted and entered the Revolutionary army as aforesaid, he entered & enlisted as a Volunteer. That he was acquainted in the army with Col. David Brewer of Massachusetts, & the Regiment he commanded & Major Tupper of [illegible] [illegible] Massachusetts & of the same Regiment-besides his own officers -
That he received at no time, to the best of his recollection, any written discharge from the service.
He is personally acquainted with many of the inhabitants of the said town of Portland and among others, with Rev. Charles Sa Hatt, Henry Mumford Esquire, Ahira Hall Justice of the Peace Doctor Daniel Ingalls, Elijah Fay, & Capt. James Dunn residents of Portland aforesaid to whom he refers as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a Revolutionary soldier 
The words, "for the period of about three years" on the first Page interlined before signing. 
Sworn to & subscribed in open Court before the Judges thereof the day & year first above mentioned 
James B Lowry Clk
John Coney