Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 23,546, Moses Bouton, New York
Page 1

Service
New York

Bouton, Moses

Number
S 23,546
Page 2

24,415
New York

Moses Bouton
of [?] in the State of New York who was a private in the company commanded by Captain [illegible] of the ___ in the NY line for [illegible]

Inscribed on the Roll of New York at the rate of 80 Dollars 00 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 16 day of Dec [illegible]

Arrears to the 4th of Sept 1833 of $20 [illegible]
Revolutionary [illegible]
Act June 7, 1832

Recorded by W.L. Willis Cl
Book E Vol. 4 Page 90
Page 3

State of New York
Westchester County ⎬ ss
On this twenty fourth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & thirty two personally appeared
in open Court before the Court of Common Pleas in and for the said County of Westchester now sitting at Bedford in the said County Moses Bouton a resident of the Town of South Salem in the said County of Westchester aged seventy five years (on the second day of April last,) 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 7th 1832. 
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers served as herein stated. That on or about the first day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & seventy five he this Deponent enlisted
at Salina as of [illegible] in the said County of Westchester (now South Salem) in a company of Volunteers raised by Capt Joseph Benedict
for the period of five months and served during the whole of his aforesaid term of enlist
Download

Prev
3
of 19
Page 4

ment. That the other officers of said Company were Samuel Sackett first Lieutenant and Gould Bouton Second Lieutenant That said Company belonged
and was attached to a Regiment commanded by Col I James Holmes of Bedford in said County. That shortly after his Enlistment this Deponent with his Company marched from Salem aforesaid
to Peckskill in said County where they embarked on board a sloop & sailed to
Albany where they landed and marched from there to Half Moon Point now
Lausinburgh on the Hudson River where Deponent with his company drew each a Regimental Court & arms. they then Marched to Fort George and from thence to Ticonderoga thence to Fort St Johns by water which fort was taken by the
American Troops (of which the company which deponent belonged) was a part. Fort St Johns Capitulated to the American Army then under the command of Gen Montgomery- from thence this Deponent went with his Company to La Prairie in Canada That Capt Joseph Benedict of this deponents Company with one Major Tuthill (after the British had evacuated Montreal) returned
Page 5

to Ticonderoga and the Deponent with Lewis Stebbins a private in the same company with the Deponent (now of New
Canaan in the State of Connecticut) and several others rowed them down to Ticonderoga after staying some days at Ticonderoga this Deponent with a Sergeant & file of men were ordered and so did convey the sick from Ticonderoga up Lake George to Fort George to the Hospital there. When this Deponent's aforesaid enlistment having expired all but a few days the commanding officer at Fort George gave the Deponent written permission (in consequence of his feeble situation) to return home, but this Deponent did not receive any written discharge neither can this Deponent now find his aforesaid permission. That this Deponent afterwards drew his full pay as a private in the aforesaid Company for his said five months enlistment. That about the month of May 1776, this Deponent enlisted as a private for six months in a company of Volunteers at Salem in said County commanded by Captain Henry Dawson of Salem aforesaid and this Deponent faithfully
Page 6

served as a private in said last mentioned company during his last enlistment for six months, and was discharged at the expiration of his said enlistment at Peekskill
in the said County of Westchester under the following circumstances viz about a week before his said six mouths expired he was sick with a fever sore on his leg so that he could only act as a cook when the Regiment to which this Deponent belonged was ordered over the Hudson River and his captain gave him verbal permission to return home where he was under the hands of a Physician during the
winter following. That said Last mentioned Company to which this Deponent belonged in which he served was
attached to a Regiment commanded by Col Samuel Drake That the services rendered  by said Company last mentioned during the said six months were as follows viz. They were at New York when the British took New York & were in the engagement on Long Island and came out with the American Army to Kings Bridge & from there to White Plains & from there to Peekskill and was with Genl Washington's
Page 7

Army till this Deponent was permitted to return home as aforesaid. And this Deponent further saith That before the taking of Burgoyne and as this Deponent believes in April AD 1777 (but he cannot precisely recollect) he enlisted as a private at Salem in said County for nine months
in a company of Volunteers commanded by Capt Richard Sackett of Bedford in the
said County of Westchester and this Deponent faithfully served as a private in said last mentioned Company during the whole of his said enlistment of nine
months last mentioned and was discharged verbally by expiration of enlistment, at or near Tarry Town in the said County of Westchester That the said last mentioned
Company belonged to a Regiment commanded by Col Graham & this  Deponent with his said last mentioned company were stationed at White Plains in the said County when Genl Gates come there with his army after the taking of Burgoyne
And this Deponent further saith that afterwards but in what year this Deponent
cannot now state he enlisted at Salem aforesaid
Page 8

as a private for three months in a company of Volunteers commanded by Capt Benjn
Stevens & this Deponent served faithfully as a private in said Company for his said last Enlistment of three months. That said
last mentioned Company served the whole of said three months as a guard on the
Line in the said County of Westchester, but to what Regiment it belonged this Deponent is unable to state as the rest of the Regiment were on the Hudson River.

And this Deponent further saith that afterwards but at what particular time this
Deponent cannot state he this Deponent with Valentine Wilson now of the Town of
Thompson in Sullivan County in the State of New York was ordered by Capt David Pardee of the Militia to whose company this Deponent belonged to go & join a Majors Command of Infantry of about 300
men stationed at Tarry Town in said County of Westchester. That this Deponent with
the said Valentine Wilson, did accordingly join their
Page 9

selves to the said command in a company commanded by one Captain Shute and
there under the command of said Captain and one Major Hull, this Deponent as a private with said Wilson served and did duty there for one month the time they were ordered to serve and then left with the verbal permission of the Commanding officer. That this Deponent served during said month principally as Guard over the commissary stores. That this Deponent received full pay for all of his aforesaid services excepting the month last mentioned. That the aforesaid Lewis
Stebbins (then of Salem in said County) but now of New Canaan in Connecticut served during the whole time of this deponents
four first enlistments (of five months, six months, nine months, & three months) 
as a private in the same companies with this Deponent. That the aforesaid Valentine Wilson served with this Deponent in the same Company during the whole of this Deponents aforesaid one month service
Page 10

and can testify to the same facts this Deponent has above stated.  That this Deponent has Record of his age at home in his Bible. That this Deponent was born at Norwalk in the State of Connecticut and
moved from there to Salem in said County
of Westchester when he was seven years old where the deponent has resided
ever since except his absences on duty during the Revolutionary War, and always enlisted at Salem aforesaid. That this deponent never received any written discharge, neither has he any writing in relation to his aforesaid enlistments or services.
That this deponent is known in his present neighbourhood to the Hon Ezra Lockwood
of Poundridge one of the Judges of the aforesaid Court, and to Col Joseph
Benedict of South Salem in the said County of Westchester who can testify to this
Deponents age his character for veracity & their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency.

Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid in open court 
N Bayles Clk
Page 11

of any State

Moses Bouton
State of New York}
Westchester County} ss
New Caanan}

Lewis Stebbins of the State of Connecticut and Valentine Wilson of the Town of Thompson in the County of Sullivan personally appeared in open Court before
the Court of Common Record in and for the said County now sitting at Bedford in said County and being each duly sworn
according to law. Severally make oath and say that Moses Bouton who has made
and signed the preceding Declaration is well known to them & has been so known
to them during the Revolutionary war and ever since and the said Lewis Stebbins
for himself saith that he has heard the preceding declaration of the said Moses Bouton read and understands the contents
thereof. That the statements therein given by him of his four fixed enlistments & services for five months six months nine months & three months (in all twenty three months) is to this Deponents knowledge
correct as he this Deponent served during all of said Enlistments in the same Regi-
Page 12

ments and for the same periods with said Moses and during all of said Enlistments (except the one for nine months) in the same company with the said Moses Bouton
and knows the same to be true.
And the said Valentine Wilson for himself
saith. That he has heard the preceding statement and declaration made and signed by said Moses Bouton read & understands the contents thereof. That the
said Moses Bouton did to the Deponents
knowledge serve the one month as he has therein stated as he this deponent served with him the same time in the same company.
Lewis Stebbings
Valentine Wilson X his mark

Sworn & subscribed this 24th day of  September 1832 in open Court

N Bayles Clk

State of New York}
Westchester County} ss

I Nathaniel Bayles, Clerk of said County
before whom the preceding affidavit of Lewis Stebbins & Valentine Wilson was sworn subscribed & certify that said Lewis Stebbins & Valentine Wilson are credible persons & their statement is entitled to credit.
N Bayles Clk

We Ezra Lockwood residing in the Town of
Poundridge in the County of Westchester & State of New York one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of said County and Joseph Benedict residing in the Town of South Salem in the County and State
aforesaid hereby certify that
Page 13

We are well acquainted with Moses Bouton who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration. That we believe
him to be seventy five years of age. That he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution
and that we concur in that opinion.
Ezra Lockwood
Joseph Benedict

Sworn & subscribed}
in open Court this}
24th day of September}
1832}
N Bayles Clk

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 Ezra Lockwood and Joseph Benedict who have signed the
preceding certificate are residents the former of the Town of Poundridge and the latter of the Town of
Page 14

South Salem in the said County of Westchester and State of New York
and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.

I Nathaniel Bayles Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County
of Westchester in the State of New York
do hereby certify. That the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the Matter of the application of Moses Bouton for a Pension. In  Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this twenty fourth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty two.
N Bayles Clk

State of New York Westchester County ss. I, Stephen Saunders, a clergyman residing in the Town of South Salem in the said County of Westchester, hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Moses Bouton who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration. That I believe him to be seventy five years of age on the Second day of April AD 1832, That he is reputed
in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that I concur in that opinion, and I do 
hereby further certify that the said Moses Bouton is known of good character & well known to me as a man of truth & veracity.
Stephen Saunders 
N Bayles Clk

Sworn & subscribed in}
open Court this 29 th of}
May 1833}

---
And the said Court certify that appears to them that Stephen Saunders who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in the Town of South Salem in the County of Westchester and is a credible person and that his statement is entitled to credit.
I Nathaniel Bayles Clerk of the Court of
Common Pleas of the said County of Westchester do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of supplying the Certificate of a Clergyman to the within application of Moses
Bouton for a pension. In Testimony whereof
have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this 29th day of May 1833.
N Bayles Clk

14029
Certification of Moses Bouton for a Pension
Page 15

Revolution
23546
File No. 23,546
Moses Bouton
Pri Rev War

Act: June 7th 32"
Index: - Vol. 2, Page 44

[Arrangement of 1870.]
Page 16

Moses Bouton

domd
24 mo pri80$
Tape & new Seal
in front
Clerk names & seal 
at the end

W Ward
Page 17

BRIEF objections to the admission of Pension Claims, of which those answered in the negative, in red ink, will apply to the claim of Moses Bouton which require further proof or explanation.

1. Does the declaration show where the applicant resides? Yes
II. Did the declarant make the declaration in the county where he resides? Yes
III. If the applicant did not make the declaration in the county where he resides, is there any reason assigned for his not doing so? Yes
IV. Has the declarant mentioned the period or periods of the war when he served? Yes
V. Has he mentioned 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 amout [sic] of pension
he is entitled? Yes
VI. Has he given the names of the officers under whom he served, in conformity with the regulations? Yes
VII. Has he made a relinquishment of every claim to any other pension than the one under the Act of June 7, 1832? Yes
VIII. Has the Court given their opinion? Yes
IX. Has the Clerk given his certificate? Yes
X. Is the Clerk's seal affixed? And if so, has it a device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal? Yes
Page 18

XI. Has the applicant obtained the evidence of a clergyman and another respectable citizen as to their belief respecting his age and the general belief in his neighborhood relative to his revolutionary service?
XII. If the clergyman's affidavit has not been produced, is there any reason assigned for not obtaining it?
XIII. If the applicant has no documentary evidence, and has not obtained the testimony of at least one living witness, has he stated in his declaration that such proof cannot be had?
XIV. If the applicant's name is not found on the rolls of military service, has he produced a witness or witnesses as to his service?
If he has produced direct proof as to service, has the magistrate who  administered the oath, certified to the credibility of the witness or witnesses? [illegible]
Has the proper officer certified to the  official character and signature of the magistrate as the regulations direct? Yes
XV. Does it appear from any of the papers that the witness was in such a situation, or of such an age, as to have a personal knowledge of the applicant's service? Yes
XVI. Are the papers authenticated as the regulations direct? No
XVII. Are the seven interrogatories prescribed by the War Department answered satisfactorily? And, if not, which of them is not so answered? Yes

EXPLANATORY NOTES.
*QUERE V. 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.
Page 19

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 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 shewn 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.
QUERE XIV. Proof of Service.
In a case where the name 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 set forth in their affidavits the time of
the claimants entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
QUERE XVI. 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 paper authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent and paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
In every case where the clerk of the court, or other certifying officer, has no public seal of office, the certificate of a member of congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.