Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 6,141, for William Spera, Pennsylvania
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(3-1776)
SERVICE NUMBER
PENN.
SPERA, WILLIAM
S. 6,141
carded.
CONTENTS
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State of Pennsylvania
Lancaster County  SS

On the eighteenth day of January, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, personally appeared in open court. before the court of (illegible) of the county of Lancaster (being a court of record) now sitting, William Spera, a resident of Elizabeth Township in the county of Lancaster and state of Pennsylvania, aged nearly seventy-seven years, who being first duly affirmed according to law doth on his affirmation make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.

I was born on the 25th day of February 1760 in Germantown, Philadelphia County, in the state of Pennsylvania.  I know my age from a family record kept by my father in his ledger, which I copied in the Bible still in (illegible) what became of the book in which my father had entered or noted the time of my birth.  I cannot say.  I continued to live with my father in Germantown and when I was about sixteen years of age to wit, about the latter end of June or beginning of July 1776, I first entered the service of the United States as a private volunteer in Captain Jacob Fritz's(?) company of militia and marched with the said company to Philadelphia, where the company was attached to Colonel Bull's regiment and from thence marched with the said regiment to Amboy in the state of New Jersey.  I remained in and about Amboy on duty for a tour upwards of (illegible) month standing sentry or guard and watching the movement of the enemy. (The British under the command of Genl. Howe(?) being on Staton Island at this time.)  After my tour was fully expired, to wit, in the beginning of September, the company to which I belonged was discharged by General Robert Doe, our commander and I returned home to my parents in Germantown. 

On or about the beginning of December 1776, I again entered the service of the United States as a private volunteer in Captain Mathias (illegible) company of militia.  Major James Hazelet took the command of the company at Germantown.  In this company I marched to the city of Philadelphia where we remained for three weeks drilling and awaiting orders from Headquarters.  The company under the command of Major Hazelet then returned to Germantown, from thence marched to Carro's(?) Ferry on the river Delaware, crossed the same and from thence continued our course to Boguards' Tavern in the state of New Jersey, where the company remained all night at this place, and the next morning we recommenced our march and continued our course to Morristown in the same state where I remained upwards of seven weeks more on duty, standing commissary sentry to guard
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J.L. edwards Esq.
Commissioner of Pensions