Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 9599, for James Simpson, New Jersey
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(3-1776)

SERVICE
New Jersey
Simpson, James
NUMBER
R.9599

CONTENTS 
_____________
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31.575

James Simpson

Ohio

James Simpson
A Revolutionary Soldier

9399

Rejected did not serve six months

31.575
Mr Simpson
Ohio
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The State of Ohio Bulter County
Court of Common Pleas of the
Term of March 1834 ss

On this twenty eighth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty four personally appeared in open court before the honorable the judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the county of Bulter and State of Ohio James Simpson aged eighty three years, a resident of the county of Bulter afore said who being first duly sworn according to law doth upon his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June seventh eighteen hundred and thirty two.

That some time in the spring of the year seventeen hundred and seventy six he volunteered at New Germantown Huntingdon County in the State of New Jersey to serve as a 'minute man' under the command of Captain Ebenezer Berry who commanded about a hundred and twenty men one half whom were mounted volunteers and the other half footmen; this declarant was one of the mounted volunteers and found his own horse, whilst under the command of Captain Berry in Huntingdon County during the summer of seventeen hundred and seventy six he assisted in capturing a squad of Tories in said county who were taken to Trenton and our company was discharged. In November of the year seventeen hundred and seventy six on the day of Washington's retreat through Jersey Declarant moved with his wife and child to Sussex County New Jersey where he continued to reside during the remainder of the war. He still held himself ready at a minute's warning but remained at home during the winter seventy six and seventy seven and recollects that he heard the cannonading at the Battle of Trenton. When the enemy were on Staten Island Declarant was called out under Captain Joseph McKey and went to Elizabethtown as a private; but no attack was made upon Elizabethtown
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and he was again discharged this was in the spring of seventeen hundred and seventy seven as declarant believes. While the British lay at Brunswick in this year a foraging party of their army ventured into Somerset County; about twelve miles from Brunswick Declarant was then under the command of Captain Samuel Brown, his colonels was John Taylor & Col. Frelinghuisen. At Millstone the soldiers under the command of Colonels Taylor & Frelinghuisen attacked this foraging party and rooted them taking several prisoners, twenty two wagons and one hundred & five horses - after this deponent was again discharged.  During the year seventeen hundred and seventy eight Declarant was engaged in another expedition against the Tories in Sussex County, his captain's name was Isaac Sweesey. From the spring of the year seventeen hundred and seventy six until the end of the year seventeen hundred and seventy eight Declarant held himself in readiness at a minute's warning and was actually in several expeditions against the Tories. He cannot state the precise length of time he was in actual service but is certain that it was not less than nine months, sometimes on horse back and sometimes on foot but always a private militia volunteer. Deponent has a written record of his age by which it appeared that he was born on the twenty eighth of August Seventeen hundred and fifty one at Somerset County in New Jersey whereas his father moved to Huntingdon when declarant was a child he lived in Huntingdon County until he was twenty six years of age whence he moved to Sussex County as above stated. In the year seventeen hundred and eighty four Declarant moved from Sussex County afore said to Hardy County Virginia on the south branch of the Potomac & there resided thirteen years; from Hardy County he moved to Harrison County Virginia where he remained about seven years.
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From Harrison County declarant moved in the year eighteen hundred and five to Butter County in the state of Ohio where he has since that time resided and where he still resides. Declarant never received any written discharge at any time. He knows of no living witness by whom he can prove his services; nor is there any clergyman in the neighborhood where he lives by whom he can prove his reputation as a soldier or his age; but he is well known to Thomas Berry Isaac Hoff and James Law by whom he can as he believes prove his character for truth and veracity and that he is generally reputed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to any pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.
James Simpson

Sworn & subscribed in open court 
John Reily Clerk

The State of Ohio Butter County
Court of Common Pleas
March Term 1836

Personally appeared in open court Thomas Berry and James Law both reputable citizens of the county afore said who being first severally sworn do upon their oaths depose and say & each of them for himself doth depose and say that they have personally known James Simpson who has made the above declaration for more than twenty years last past, he has always been esteemed a man of truth and veracity and they give full credence to his declaration above made, and they further state that he had always been reputed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution.
Thomas Berry his X mark
James Law

Severally sworn + subscribed
Open Court 28th March 1834
John Reily Clerk
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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 Thomas Berry and James Law who have signed the proceeding certificate are residents in the said county of Butter and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.

I John Reily Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Butter aforesaid do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of the application of James Simpson for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of Office this twenty eighth day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty four.
John Reily

31.576
James Simpson
a Revolutionary soldier

John Woods
Hamilton Ohio

The State of Ohio Butter County ss
Personally appeared before me the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in & for said county James Simpson who being duly sworn, deposeth and saith that by reason of old age and the consequence 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 not less than nine months as private as stated in his declaration above but he can not state precisely the length of time he was engaged in each expedition. All his service was cut up into short expeditions against the Tories and he can not state more specifically than he has done above other than the time at which
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he entered into service in each expedition the length of the services, or the names of his officers. But he is certain he was not less than nine months in actual service as a private soldier during the war as stated in his declaration above and for such service he claims a pension.
James Simpson

Sworn & subscribed before me this 17th day of October 1834
William Hunter JP

The State of Ohio Butter County ss
I John Reily Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of the county aforesaid certify that William Hunter Esq above named before whom the deposition of James Simpson above stated was taken was at the taking thereof a Justice duly assigned to keep [illegible---] in the said county of Butter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and official seal at Hamilton the seventeenth day of October one thousand  eight hundred thirty four.
John Reily
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Mrs. Chas P. Adams
416 E. 32nd St.
Indianapolis Ind
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS SECTION.
3-525
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
Washington, D. C., ______, 19____

In reply to your request of ____, received ____ for a statement of the military history of James Simpson a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his (or his widow's) application for pension on file in this Bureau. M.9599.

DATES OF ENLISTMENT OR APPOINTMENT.
Srvd. 1776

LENGTH OF SERVICE.
Served at various times and held bounty in [illegible] as a minuteman during the War.

RANK.
Pvt.

OFFICERS UNDER WHOM SERVICE WAS RENDERED.
CAPTAIN.
Ebenezer Berry
Joseph McKey or Maches
Samuel Brown
Isaac Sweeney
COLONEL.
John Taylor
Frelinghuysen

STATE.
NJ.

Battles engaged in, _____
Residence of soldier at enlistment, Enb. in New Germantown, Huntesdon Co. NJ
Date of application for pension, Mch 28, 1834
Residence at date of application, Butler Co. Ohio
Age at date of application, 83 years, born Aug 28, 1751 in Somerset Co. NJ
Remarks: In Nov 1776 soldier moved to Sussex Co NJ with his wife & child names not stated; in 1784 moved to Hardy Co Va, thence to Harrison Co Va. His claim was rejected on the ground of insufficient proof of six months actual service as required by the Act June 7, 1832 under which he applied for pension.
Respectfully,
Commissioner.
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Rejected
See letter to John Woods
Hamilton, Ohio

18 March 1835

let 13 Sep 37 Hon J.
R. Poinsett sec office

James Simpson
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9599

P.O.______
James Simpson

REJECTED
The printed list of 1852 - show reasons for rejection 'Not six months' service"

Service: ____
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: ____
Attorney: ____
P.O. ____
____ Recognized. ____ Contracts:
 ____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for ____,18

1913 Dec 17. Hist to Mrs. Charles P. Adams. M.13.H.
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Hon J. R. Poinsett

Sep 13 1837

This case
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War Dept. Pen. Office
Apr 13, 1837

Sir

In answer to the inquiry contained in the letter of the Hon. George W. Dunn which is herewith enclosed, I have to state that respecting the case of James Simpson, I have to state that his claim was rejected March 18, 1835 and the reasons therefore stated in a letter to John Woods Esq of that date an extract from which herewith enclose.

Hon Joel R. Poinsett
Secretary of War
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A pension cannot therefore be allowed, the papers have been filed with rejected cases in this office.

John Woods Esq
Hamilton, Ohio

John Woods
18 March 1835
O.C.

James Simpson N.J. 9599 Record Vol. 26 p. 447
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War Dept. Pen. Office
March 18, 1835

Sir,

The declaration of Samuel Gregory has been [illegible----] alleges to have been called out to serve a term of three months on the western frontier of Virginia in Dec 1781; and that he served as a minuteman. Said service cannot be recognized as being of that [illegible] provided for by the Act of 7 June 1832, and that other terms do not amount to six months which [illegible] of service is necessary in order to obtain a pension under said Act of 7 June 1832. The claim has therefore been rejected and the papers filed in this office.

The declaration of Nancy William has also been [illegible] at the [illegible] of his alleged service in 1780 & 81, 82 he was too young to have armed an set forth, [illegible] been only thirteen years of age in 1780. The
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probability is that he has mistaken on to the period of the alleged service and that it was after the termination of the revolutionary war. The claim has been rejected as the papers filed. 

The declaration of James Simpson has also been [illegible]. He alleges to have served as a minuteman in near Jany and set forth several expeditions against the Tories. The actual service set forth does not amount to six months which is necessary in order to obtain the benefits of the act under which he claims a pension amount therefore [illegible---] the papers have been filed with rejected cases in this office.

John Woods, Esq
Hamilton, Ohio

John Woods 
18 March 1835
O.C.

James Simpson N.J. 
9599
Record Vol. 26 p. 447
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Commissioner of Pensions,
Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir:

It has been suggested I write to you concerning the Revolutionary war record of two men who family history says served in the War.

One is James Simpson who
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lived in Sussex County New Jersey at the time of the war. In 1786 he moved to Hardy County Virginia and in 1797 moved to Harrison County Virginia later he moved to Ohio where he died aged 96. He is said to have been a commissary using his private funds to buy supplies and was reimbursed with Continental money.

The other man is John Powers who was born and lived all his
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life in Harrison County Virginia. He was 95 years old when he died.

He served as an enlisted man in the Virginia Continental line enlisting at the age of 17 and serving the entire time of the war.

Thanking you for any information you may have of these men I am

Very truly
Mrs Charles P Adams
416 East 32nd St
Indianapolis, Indiana
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Stamp mark:
U. S. PENSION OFFICE
O
DEC 8 1913