Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10601, for Ebenezer Tiffany, Rhode Island
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8-1776
Service | Number
R.I. Tiffany Ebenezer R. 10601
Mary Ann

Contents
[blank]
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Declaration

In order to obtain the benefit of the act of congress of the 7th July, 1838, entitled, "An act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows"; 
State of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations
County of Bristol
Sir
On this sixth day of August A.D. 1838 personally appeared before the court of probate now in session at Barrington in said county of Bristol Mary Ann Tiffant, a resident of said Barrington, aged seventy nine years, who, being first duly sworn, according to law, doth on her oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of congress passed July 7th 1838, entitled, "An act granting half pay and pensions to certain widows"; That she is the widow of Ebenezer Tiffany, who was a private soldier in the Barrington Company of militia, during the whole of the revolutionary war, that from the first of January 1777 - just after the British forces entered into Newport and took possession of that place, the Barrington Militia company, under command of of Captain Vial Allen were called upon, by the officers of said company to aid in the defense of this part of the country, and, as she has ever understood and confidently believes, were formed into two detachments, which detachments were ordered to serve and did serve, alternately, as in rotation, such half the time, and while so serving, said militia were stationed, a part of them at Nayatt Point, where the light house, at the the mouth of the Providence River has since been erected, and where, breastworks were thrown up and two cannons were mounted and manned, [illegible] by said militia, and a part of them were stationed near Rumstick Point, at the entrance of Warren River, and others of said militia were stationed, at other exposed places about the shores of Barrington; that her said husband was a private in said
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militia company [inserted] and served as such [end insert] by time and in rotation, for half the time, as said stations, from the first of January A.D. 1777 to the month of October 1778 standing guard by day and by night, serving a part of the time, for a week and a part of the time for a fortnight, at a turn, and then be relieved by [crossed out] the privates of the other detachment of said company, and in this way, said militia without any assistance from the regular forces, and without any aid, except occasionally from the militia of Warren, protected their farms, which lay at the head of Narragansett Bay, from plundered destruction, this the enemies' [illegible] were often seen scouring their coasts, and sometimes, lay at anchor, within cannonshot of some of the dwellings of the inhabitants; That in Spencer's expedition in 1777, the said Ebenezer Tiffany served six weeks, as a private soldier of said militia company, and was marched to Tiverton and stationed there during that term of service; that he was in Sullivan's expedition in Rhode Island, in the summer of 1778 also as a private soldier of said company, and this said company was divided into two drafts, and but half ordered upon the Island at a time, yet the whole company was actually embodied and the said Ebenezer Tiffany as one of them, for the whole summer of 1778 -- That exclusize of alarms which were frequent, by night and by day, while the enemy surprised Rhode Island, she has no doubt, the said Tiffany was in actual service during the period aforesaid, for a term amounting to eighteen months as a private soldier -- and she feels confident, he served not less than a month more in various alarms at Bristol & Fall River.

And she further declares that she was married to the said Ebenezer Tiffany, on the second day of February, in the year seventeen hundred and eighty three, that her husband, the aforesaid Ebenezer
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Tiffany died on the 4th day of April, A.D. 1826; that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the service but the marriage took place previous to the first day of January, seventeen hundred and ninety four, [illegible]: at the time above stated.
Sworn and subscribed on the day and year above witnessed
Attest John Tyler, P Clerk

[signature] Mary A Tiffany

I John Tyler Clerk of the Court of Probate of said town of Barrington do hereby certify that the aforegoing contains the original markings of the said court in the matter of the application of Mary Ann Tiffany for a pension

In testimony whereof I have here to set my hand & seal of Office this Eighth day of August A.D. 1838
Attest John Tyler
Probate Clerk

[diamond shape affixed to left of bottom attestation]
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[illegible]

10601
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[crossed out] Acts of July 14, 1862 and March 3, 1873

[stamp] REJECTED

10.601
P.O. [handwritten] Mary Ann Tiffany
Service: blank

[remaining entries blank] 
Enlisted: , 18
Discharged: ,18
Application filed: '18
Alleges:
Re-enlisted: 
Attorney:
P.O.
recognized. Contract.
[illegible]
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Tiffany V 1386

Mary Ann Tiffany
widow of Ebenezer
R.I.
act 7 July 38

married in 1783

N. Bullock
Bristol
R.I
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I Jonathan J. Drown of Barrington of the Satte of Rhode Island, on oath testify & say that on the 30th day of the present month I be seventy eight [crossed out] days [end cross out] years of age, and I further testify that at the commencement of the revolutionary war I was a private soldier in a company of militia of the town of Barrington of which Viall Allen was Captain & Daniel Kinnicut Lieutenant  Ebenezer Tiffany then of said Barrington, but now deceased, was also a private soldier in the same company. In the spring od 1776 when the first blood was shed at Lexington, much alarm was spread among the people about these shores. Wallace then lay in Newport with his fleet and often came up in sight of our farms. In the course of the fall of that year Barrington was bombarded by Capt. Wallace and the Barrington militia were called upon to assist and defend the place & where marched there for that purpose but they returned to Barrington again in a little better than a week. In December 1776 the enemy got possession of Rhode Island and held it until October 1779 during the whole of which time a guard was kept up by the Barrington Militia at Rumstick Point & Nayatt Point, at both places said militia erected guard houses and mounted two field pieces. Rumstick Point is at the entrance of Warren harbor & Nayatt Point at the entrance of Providence River. Barrington being on two points of land and almost wholly surrounded by navigable waters has extensive shores to guard and these shores with the exception of one or two alarms where wholly protected by said militia company while the enemy had command of the bay. Said company was divided into two classes & took their turns in standing guard. These two guard houses were about three miles apart and the guard at the two stations marched back & forth till they met each other. In this way the whole of said company who were not enlisted troops served for a period of nearly three years. The said company served in this manner half at a time regularly & drew these [illegible] & rations in the same manner
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manner as troops in the regular service. They saw their [crossed out] pay [ end cross out] rations part of the time from [illegible] where Nathan Miller was commissary and part of time from Bristol and the said Ebenezer Tiffany served in his town like the rest of the company, standing guard as aforesaid. In 1777 I was in the Gray's regiment of the state troops but in 1778 & 1779 until the enemy left Newport, I was a member of said company and served therein regularly standing guard at those stations & during all that time the said Tiffant took his turn with the rest. I speak of his service while I was in Gray's regiment from reputation, but in 1778 & 1779 from self [crossed out] personal knowledge. Said Tiffany went [illegible] in Sullivan's expedition in 1778 & served thrity days and indeeed the whole of said company were embodied and kept in actual service either at those guard stations, at bristol Ferry or on Rhode Island, during the whole of that summer for after the enemy landed in [illegible] Bristol & Warren, a detachment of them went up in whale boats to Fall River & [illegible] some mills there. & the alarms were so frequent that it was necessary to keep out the whole militia force of the militia of the vicinty until the Battle of Rhode Island.
As near I can tell i would say that the militia services of said Tiffany, including three months continuous service in 1778, would rather exceed eighteen months I was well acquainted with him till his death which took place ten or eleven years since. his wife Mary Ann Tiffany still remains his widow.
Jonathan J Drown
Bristol [illegible] at Barrington August 16 1838
Then personally came Jonathan J Drown and gave & subscribed the aforewritten deposition & made oath to the truth of the same before me. And I also certify that I am personally acquainted with said deponent & that he is a man of truth & veracity
Jos M Blake V Pease
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I Rachael Smith of Barrington in the State of Rhode Island, aged eighty nine years on solemn oath depose and say that I was the sister of Ebenezer Tiffany late of said Barrington deceased and was a member of his family til my marriage which took place at the latter part of the Revolutionary War. I remember his services as a soldier in that war. I remember of his going to Bristol when there was an alarm on account of Walace firing upon the town. He then belonged to the Barrington Militia Company as he did during the whole war. He was also in the Battle of Rhode Island & was gone from home in the service at that time some weeks. Upon reflection I cannot say that he was in the battle, but he was in Sullivan's expedition on the island I will recollect. After the war broke out and while the enemys ships were in the bay below, more specifically during the time the enemy [crossed out] left [end cross out] were in Newport, he was engaged in standing guard at Rumstick Point & Nayatt Point. As soon as Wallace fired upon Bristol he was called out and stood guard more or less, but but after the British got into Newport, he served regularly half the time, standing guard at those two stations, until the enemy left Newport, except when he was called out of town in the service when Bristol was burnt and in Sullivan's expedition & during that season he was stationed in Bristol for some time. I lived in my said brother's house during all this time and until my marriage as before stated. I well recollect of his said services and the scenes of the revolution. The usual length of his services was a week, when he would remain at home a week, & then return to his station. He used to receive his rations the half time when he served, from the commissary. He died ten or twelve years ago since. His wife Mary Ann Tiffany still remains his widow.
[signature] Rachael Smith
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Bristol [illegible] at Barrington August 16 1838
Then personally came Rachael Smith and gave & subscribed the aforewritten deposition and made oath to the truth of the same before me. And I also certify that I am personally acquainted with said deponent and that she is a woman of truth & veracity.
Joseph Blake
Just. Peace
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I Benjamin Grant of Barrington in the County of Bristol & State of Rhode Island aged eighty six years, on solemn oath depose & say, that I used to be intimately acquainted with Ebenezer Tiffany late of said Barrington, deceased. We used to be soldiers together in Capt Allen's Company of Barrington Militia in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of said company through the whole of the war, but I belonged part of the time to Capt. Bosworth's Artillery Company. Said Tiffany served as a member of said militia company, constantly half the time from the time the enemy got into Newport until they left that place, in standing guard on Barrington shores, except when he was called out of town in the service. The season when part of Bristol was burnt the company was stationed a good deal at that place and during the same season they were in Sullivan's expedition, half of them at a time. I was in the first draft & Tiffany in the second draft. I have, however, no recollection about Mr Tiffany's services in particular in that expedition but he must have been in the expedition, I think, as the whole company was in it either in the first or second draft. After Wallace fired upon Bristol, guards were kept up on Barrington shores most of the time until the enemy took Newport, when guard houses were established at Nayatt & Rumstick Points, and guards kept at those places all the time until Newport was evacuated. The said company served half at a time at those stations, we served every other week, but sometimes [illegible] a much longer time than a week before we were relieved by the other soldiers. My station was principally at Rumstick Point and said Tiffany's was mostly at Nayatt point, as he lived nearer the latter place. We used to draw our rations regularly while we were at these stations & performed
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duty in the same manner as if in the regular service. Said Tiffany's service while the enemy were in Newport, including the time when the company was called to Bristol & in Sullivan's expedition must have been about eighteen or nineteen months. 
[signature] Benjamin Grant

Bristol Je at Bristol this 17th day of August 1838
When personally came Benjamin Grant afore names and gave & subscribed the aforewritten deposition & made oath to the truth of the same before me. And I also certify that I am personally acquainted with said deponent and that he is a man of truth & veracity.
Joseph Blake
Just. Peace
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I John Tyler of Barrington in the County of Bristol in the State of Rhode Island on solemn oath depose and say that I am the present town clerk for the said town of Barrington and as such have the custodary of the records of the births and marriages recorded in said town and I do further testify that the following is a true copy from the said record of marriages with the exception of the date which is expressed on the record in fair legible figures as follows to wit

Mr Ebenezer Tiffany & Miss Mary Ann Bullock were married Feby second A.D seventeen hundred eighty three.
And I further testify that the following is an exact copy of said record in the words & figures of said record vir. "Mr Ebenezer Tiffany & Miss Mary Ann Bullock were married Febry 2 AD 1783"
John Tyler Town Clerk

Bristol at [crossed out] Barrington this 16th day of August 1838.
Then peronally came John Tyler and gave & subscribed the aforewritten deposition and made oath to the truth of the same before me and I also certify that I am personally acquainted with said deponent and that he is a man of truth & veracity.
Joseph Blake
Just. Peace
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State of Rhode Island
County of Bristol

[illegible] Office, Supreme Judicial Court, in and for said County

I certify that Joseph M Blake whose signature in his own proper handwriting, is appended to the taking of the foregoing deposition of Jonathan J Drown, Rachael Smith, Benjamin Grant and John Tyler, is a Justice of the Peace in and for said county duly commissioned under the seal of said state, and engaged therein according to Law.

In testimony where I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said court this twentieth day of August A.D. 1838
Wm Throop [illegible]