Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 1396, John Buck, Del.
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SERVICE
Del.
CONTENTS
Buck, John
NUMBER
R 1396
Page 2

John Buck's
Declaration
25476
Page 3

State of Indiana
Tippecanoe County 
Appiano Probate Court
of May Term 1833
On this 13th day of May 1833 personally appeared in open
Court before the Honorable John Kilgore sole Judge of the
said Court (being a Court of record) now sitting, John
Buck a resident of Shelby township in the County and
State aforesaid aged seventy 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 act of Congress passed June 7th 1832
That about one year after the Declaration of Independence he engaged in the service of the United States as
follows; he was stationed with a horse about three
miles from a guard house which was situated in the
Delaware pay on the mother Kils beach in Kent County
State of Delaware he thinks Joseph Alford was at that time captain of the guard house. Waitman Sippel
was also captain of the guard house, & which if thou
two was captain at the time of deponents service, he
does not certainly recollect - Deponent's said station
was at Thomas Morris tavern on the Lewistown wad
about 8 miles below Dover & his business & duty was
to be in constant readiness as an express to convey
intelligence from said guard house to Capt. Joseph
Colwell who was stationed with his company about 8
miles west of where Deponent was located, Deponent
was upwards of a year in that service, & always in
readiness both with himself & horse, & was the bearer of
frequent messages sent to him from said guard house
which he forwarded to said Capt Colwell & messages
back from him to the guard house at the time of
his enlistment he had offered his services as one of the
guard at said guard house, but was assigned to the service
above named, after the termination of the above service
about the beginning of the third year of the Deponent
engaged in the piloting business on the coast
extending N.E. as far as Boston - he at one time
assisted Capt. Price of the U. States revenue Cutter to
procure hands for the same. Deponent was engaged in
the piloting service from the time above named until
the conclusion of the war, but does not distinctly
recollect whether he was at any time engaged in
piloting government vessels - just before the surrender
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of Cornwallis a brigantine was seized by the U. States officers
in Duck Creek near Dover for violating the revenue
these Deponent was called upon by the
Marshal of the District to guard said vessel & did
so during the time the matter was consisting which
Deponent thinks was the best part of the winter
this vessel was owned by William Brown Merchant
in Dover & at the time of her seizure several British
sailors were found on board of her who were imprisoned
in Dover jail a trial was had & the vessel & cargo was condemned
[illegible] he does not recollect the name of the vessel
of
 the Deputy Marshall name was John
at this time
at the time of his serving the government
as an express as above named lived in the same
County when he was stationed, he was in no battle
He knows of no documentary evidence by which he
can prove his service & knows
whom he can prove these witnesses by
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1
every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except
the present and declares that his name is not on the
pension roll of the agency of any State deponent sates
traditional evidence of his said services
that there is no clever man in his neighborhood whom he was in the
sworn to & subscribed
the day & year aforesaid
John Buck
Saml Hoover Clk
We Peter Weaver, Samuel Tygart & Joseph Cox all
of the County of Tippecanoe aforesaid
hereby
certify that we are well acquainted with the above named
John Back who subscribed & sworn to the above declaration & that we believe him to be seventy three years
of age & is a man of excellent moral character and
unquestionable veracity, and is reputed & believed
the neighborhood when he resides to have served in the
revolution as he states, & that
which the said Samuel Tygart states that in the said
Buck in the time of the revolution & knows most of the acts of
his above declaration to be true from actual observation &
Sworn & subscribed
the day & year aforesaid
Peter
Saml Hoover Clk
Weaver
Samuel Sugartmark

Joseph Cox
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion
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after investigation of the matter & after putting
interrogatories prescribed by the war Department that ┃ the
above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier
& served as he states. and the court further certifies
that it appears to them that her Weaver
Samuel Tygart & Joseph Cox who have signed
the preceding certificate an resident citizens of
said County of Tippecaner are credible persons &
that their statement is entitled to credit
it
.
⎬
the
I Samuel Hoover Clerk of the first
Court for the County of Tippecanoe State of
Indiana (& official Clerk of the Probate Court of

said County, certify that the foregoing contains
the original proceedings of the said
Probate Court
in the matter of the application of this Buck
for a pension
timony whereof have hereunto
set my hand & seal of office this
13th day of May 1833
of
Saml Hoover Clk
Seal
State of Indiana
Appecanoe County
associate Judges of the James Wylie one of the
Court of said County
do hereby certify that Samuel Hoover whose certificate
appears above is Clerk of said Court & ex official
Clerk of the Probate Court of said County & that
his said certificate & station is in the form
Given under my hand the 13th May 1833
of law
James Wylie A.
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No 25476
John Buck
Tippecanoe County
Indiana
Rejected service
as Express rider
halt not allowed
see letter is now July
1837 to A. S. White
not found
Albert S. White Lafayette
Indiana
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Enlisted
served
Sir.
WAR DEPARTMENT.
Pension Office,
183
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 complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your
claim.
Period when
and
1777
A Statement, showing the service of John Buck Tippecanoe County Indiana
ion of the
claimant's service.
1
Rank of
the
claimant.
┃ express
Ender
┃ espilot
Names and rank of the Field officers
under whom he served.
Cap Alford Cap Sipple
Age at present,
and place of abode ┃
when he entered
the service.
┃ 73 years
Kent County
Delaware
I am, respectfully,
Proof by which the declaration is supported.
Traditional evidence, paper
defective in the seal
Your obedient servant
J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.
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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.
2. 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 claim
in the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians 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.
Sa, Territory
County of
On this
day of
of
A. B. a resident (b) of
personally appeared (a) before
in the county of
and State, Territory or District
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
served in the
(e) regiment of the
year (d)
with
line, under the following named officers:
and
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.
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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
hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter 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
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the State Troops, Volunteers or Militia.
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 in the
hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with
subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be
and C. D. residing in (the same)
who has
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.
Clerk of the Court of
contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of
for a pension.
do hereby certify that the foregoing
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
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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 declarations 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.
{To a Soldier
Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given
, and what has become of it?
Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what
an officer, 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
enquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court, by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before
required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper
county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, 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 proof
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
cure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period
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
conforming to the rule
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
claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so
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 and avit in the following words:
ance with me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason
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
---
months, and days
, I served as a month
and
days, I served as and for such service I claim a pension."
with precision the period for which such 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 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
that the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is
in all the
every case be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement
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 son 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 pubthe
seal 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.
certificate of the certifying officer who authenticating the aspects is not written on the same sheet of paper which conin
every instance where the
the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must
notice of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
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 claimant's 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
messes, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
nate fil applies to continental troops only.
This traditional evidence is indispensable 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.
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to
John Buck
vice:
ted
charged:
ication filed:
leges: List of rejected claims
printed in 1852, shows cause
enlisted: of rejection as follows:
●
┃ Service as a pilot and express
rider.
Attorney:
O
Recognized.
Cert. of Dis. Searched for
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18
18
Contri
18
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June 4
In
2547
of
Pension Office
Hon. Secretary of War
my
Washington City
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Lafayeth Ind. 114th May 1833
Lee of War
his
---
Enclosed I send the application
of John Buck for a pension. The Declaration
pursues the form prescribed under the act of 1832
but if from its shewing the service appears to
have been on the continental establishment, I
presence petitioner will be entitled to the benefits
of the acts of 1818 & 1820-
sums in most
cases to be almost impossible for then d
soldiers to designate to what establishment
they belonged. Mr Buck is known to my
to be a man of veracity & good
character
have advise me (at this place)
of his application
of the result
&
Smith
Albert S. White