Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R 8234, for Elijah Jones, Massachusetts
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(8-1776)
Service Number
Mass. Jones, Elijah R8234
Pierce, Debra
(Former Widow)
Contents
B in Viennia, Dorchester Co, Md
res at eul, Wellfleet, Barnstable Co. Mass & drowned in the harbor at Wellfleet Jan. 12, 1971
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No
Deborah Pierce
Mass
July 7 1838
Disallowed
Dis not been 6 month
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State of Massachusetts
County of Barnstable
On this second day of November, A.D. 1854 personally appeared before me Nymphas Marston, Esquire Judge of the Court of Probate in and for the said County of Barnstable,
Deborah Pierce, a resident of Wellfleet in said County, aged near ninety-one years, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth
on her oath and from the best of her knowledge and belief 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, and the acts
supplimental thereto
That she was formerly the widow of Elijah
Jones, who was a native of Vienna in the County of Dorchester
and State of Maryland and came to Wellfleet in his boyhood, and
at the age of fourteen was there apprenticed to Declarants late father: that soon after he become 21 years of age in the year 1775, she thinks - he proceeded to Cambridge and entered the army there, as a private and volunteer, she believes, for the term of three months and faithfully served out the term of his enlistment at said Cambridge and other places in the vicinity of Boston; but what the name of the captain of the Company was in which this three months term of his service was performed she is at present unable to state.
She further declares that her said husband soon after his discharge from the last described term of his service, sometime
in the beginning of the year 1776 again entered it as a private and volunteer she believes, for the term of one year
but although in consequence of his having served his apprentis-ship with her said father he was thus very familiar in the family she is enabled to swear positively to the length of his
services by this length of time he was absent from home in the army and from after hearing him tell of his services, yet, as he lost his life more than sixty-three years ago, she is unable
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-to recollect the particulars of the names of the officers under whom he served. But as there was at the time no person of the name of Elijah Jones belonging to the said Wellfleet but has said husband she declares under oath and from the best of her knowledge and belief that her said husband was the identical person named in the Certificate of the Hon. Secretary of Massachusetts hereto [accessed], as having performed service in the Company of Capt Winslow Leris and that of Capt Elisha May; and she also declared that he served during the whole of the year 1776, part of the time at Ticonderoga and part of the time other places, and finally came home by the way of and through New Jersey, having been detained on his way by a fit of sickness at Elizabethtown in that state as set forth in her application for a search of the records accessed hereto - she having been married to him in little more than a year after his said return. 
She further declares that as she believes all those who service with her said husband are mow dead and she knows of no person whose testimony she can procure in proof of his services, and as the Department must be satisfied of at least six months service performed by him before she can obtain nay relief - though blind, infirm and dependent as she now is in this her extreme old age, - under these circumstances her only hope for the allowance of her claim rests on the possibility that the Department has full rolls of the said tow names companies to verify the balance of her husbands services throughout the whole of the said year of 1776 - her husband being with the army at New York at the time the Installment Pay Roll was made up in November of that year - as named in the aforesaid Certicifate.
She therefore begs to refer to the rolls and records of the War Department, Washington, in  proof of the service of said husband having alleged and declared; and she further declares that no knowing of any witness nor of any
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-agent hitherto to take charge of her claim, is the only cause of her not before presenting it.
She further declares that she was married to the said Elijah Jones on the twenty-third day of July in the year seventeen hundred and seventy-eight: that her husband the aforesaid Elijah Jones was accidently drowned in the harbor of said Wellfleet on the twelfth day of January in the year seventeen hundred and ninety-one: 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 viz; at the time above stated. 
She further declares that after the death of her husband aforesaid she was married to Isaasc Pierce on the eleventh day of May, A.D. 1820, and he died on the eleventh day of August eighteen hundred and forty-four, and that she is still a widow. 
Witnessed by
Daniel H Balier Deborah her X mark Pierce
Benjamin J Rider
Barnstabl S November 2 1854
Sworn to and subscribed this day and year aforesaid before me; - the said applicant being unable by reason of infirmity to appear in Court _ the same was done at her residence where I attended for that purpose.
Nymphas Marston - judge of said Court
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Barnstable S George Marston Register of the Court Probate in the said county hereby certify that Hon Nymphas Marston is judge of said court, that the sig- nature above is his previous signature.   {illegible] I can Secretary [head] of the seal of the court this second day of November, A.D. eighteen hundred & fifty four. Geo. Marston, Reg of ct
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Extract from the Record of Marriages in the town of Wellfleet, Count of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts
Elijah Jones and Deborah Sevett both of Wellfleet were married Seventeen hundred seventy-eight July twenty third
Isaac Pierce and Deborah Jones both of Wellfleet were married eighteen hundred and twenty May eleventh
I certify that the above are true extracts from the record with the exception of the date which is expressed on the record in plain legible letters and figures as follows:- "July 23, 1778" "May 11th 1820"
John Davis, Town Clerk
I, John Davis above namd, depose and say that I hold the office of Clerk of the said town of Wellfleet and that the above is a true extract from the record, with the exception above named as certified by me-
John Davis Clerk of the town of Wellfleet
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Barnstable.....} ss Oct 28th 1854
Then personally approved John W Davis above named who is well known to me personally to be the official Clerk of the abovenamed town of Wellfleet and made oath to the foregoing affidavit by him subscribed Before me Eben Freeman Justice of the Peace
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I Benjamin J Rider, of Wellfleet in the County of Barnstable Co, on my oath declare that I am well acquainted with Deborah Pierce, the identical person who was formerly the reputed widow of Elijah Jones and is now the widow of Isaac Pierce, and who is now an applicant for a Revolutionary Pension for and on account of the Revolutionary Services of her said first husband Elijah Jones. I have always understood and believed that said Elijah Jones performed several terms of public service in said war, - having often heard it spoken of by others, - but I am unable to swear to the particulars of it from my own personal knowledge. And I do on my oath as aforesaid further testify and declare that I have often heard it stated that said Elijah Jones was drowned in the harbor of said Wellfleet many years' age; and I do further well know that often his decease said Deborah Pierce was married to Isaac Pierce, and that he the said Isaac Pierce died on the eleventh day of August A.D. eighteen hundred and forty four and that said Deborah Pierce is now a widow and has not either married since the decease of her husband Isaac Pierce aforenamed.
Benjamin J Rider
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Barnstable...} Oct 28th 1854
Then the above named Benjamin J Rider, a credible witness made oath in the form of law to the truth of the above affidavit by him subscribed before me
Eben Freeman Justice of the Peace
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1818 
June 15 Mr L H Higgins, why rejected & child not entitled to pension to arrears of pension 
x also who were now entitled to Bounty Land
Priest
8234oun
P.O. 
Deborah Pierce
service: Elijah Jones
REJECTED
Enlisted:  ,18
Discharged:  ,18
Application filed:  ,18

Alleges: Claim filed to late to have cause of rejection
Re-Enlisted: entered on printed list of 1852
Attorney:
P.O.
Recognized.  Contract.
Cert. of Dis.  Searched for, 18
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No 15265
Deborah Pierce
formerly widow of 
Elijah Jones
Map
Rejected
Oco not servce 6 month
Ja & Gregory Feby 20 1855
This letter cannot be formed
8234
July 7 1838
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ororn
pension
US
Jun 13 1808
Office
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So Boston June 9th 1888
To the Secretary ofWar
Washington D.C.
Dear Sir
Can you give me any information concerning some papers that were sent to in 1855 relating to a pension and land grant which belonged to one Elijah Jones who fought in the Revolutionary War, I think he was three months at Cambridge and twelve months at Ticonderoga and elsewhere.
Any information, as advice, that you can give that  will enable us to procure what should have been paid to Mr Jones will be very gratefully received by his heirs, some of which are in very needy circumstances.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Mrs Lewis H Higgins
Great Granddaughter of Mr Jones
address 58 Thomas Park
South Boston Mass
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Mr Gregory
Feb 20, 83
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Pension Office
Feby 20 1835
Sir
The applicaiton of Deborah Pierce formerly widow of Elijah Jones of Map has been filed under act of July 7 1838 and Disallowed. This office is not in possession of any Military Rolls of Massachusetts Service & if the service can not be shown by the secretary of that state there is no means of proving the received evidence.
James Greserydy
Marblehead
Map
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Secretary's Office, Boston February 2, 1855
I hereby Cerrity that at the state of the annexed attestation Ebenezer Freeman was a Justice of the peace in the County of Barnstable
in the said Commonwealth, duly commissioned and constituted and that to his acts and attestations as such full faith and credit ae and ought to be given in and out of Court.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed the seal of the Commonwealth the date above written
E M Wright
Secretary of the Commonwealth
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Elijah Jones
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Secretary's Office, Boston:
December 1st 1853
I hereby Certify that from an examination of the books and Documents relating to the Military Services in the War of the Revolution which remain in this Department, It appears that the name of Elijah Jones is borne on trunk Roll of Capt Winslow Lewis Camp to and from Camp at Cambridge Dated July 13 1776 from Wellfleet 218 Miles FO.18.2 Also on pay roll of Capt Elisha May's Camp from Sept to November 1776. 2 May Campaign at New York.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed the Seal of the Commonwealth , the date above written
E M Wright
Secretary of the Commonwealth.
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Application of Deborah Pierce, presented by James Gregory
Escd
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The following REGULATIONS, to be observed in the examination of the Revolutionary
Rolls in this office, have been rendered necessary under the rules which are established in the Pension Department at Washington, viz:
1. Every application requiring search or certificate must be made to the Secretary,
in writing, by the claimant, or by some person duly authorized by the claimant; and the
signature to the application must be attested by some magistrate.
2. The application must set forth, as fully as the circumstances of the case will
allow, the residence and service of the soldier, and the names of the officers under whom
he served; and no search will be made until after the filing of such written application.
Regulations been the examinion the Paper
in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
"The application must be made to the Secretary in writing, by the claimant, or by
some person duly authorized by the claimant, by a written power of attorney, attested by
a magistrate. The signature of the claimant must in all cases be attested in like manner.
"The application must set forth, as fully as the circumstances of the case will allow,
the residence of the soldier, &c., at the time of the service, and the names of the various
officers under whom he served, as well as the nature of such service.
"The certificate of the Secretary must show that the search was made, after the fling
of such application, by himself, or by one of his clerks alone, and must be accompanied
by the original application of the claimant, or of his attorney, and by a detailed statement, under the signature of the Secretary, and the seal of the State of the circumstances
which satisfied that officer of the identity of the party described in the application, with
the individual who rendered the service.
J. L. EDWARDS, COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS."
,
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APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE OF REVOLUTIONARY SERVICES, made by the
widow of the party who rendered the service. made by the State of Massachusetts county of
Barnstable, town of Wellfleet
The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is hereby requested to
furnish evidence from the Rolls in his office of the service of my former husband, Elijah
Jones, in the war of the Revolution.
He was a native of the town of Vienna in the county of Dorchester and State of Maryland
He enlisted from the town of Wellfleet in the county of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts in the year 1775 as a Private
in the Company commanded by Captain 
Regiment and he served as follows, *viz: -
I am now unable to state the particulars as to the names of the officers under whom my said late husband served, as all I know about it is from my recollection of what he used
to say in his lifetime, and he has now been dead more than sixty two years, having been drowned on the 12th of January 1791, in the harbor of Wellfleet. But I recollect hearing him say that he enlisted into the army of the Revolution in 1775 and served several months
in that year at Cambridge and around Boston and until
he was honorably discharged. He also stated that at the
Here describe, as fully as may be, the length of service, the rank of the claimant, or the capacity in which he served, and
all other particulars known.
---
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the following year of 1776 he again enlisted into the Army for the term of one year, and marched to and served at Ticonderoga and other places not now remembered and come here to Wellfleet by the
way of in through New Jersey and had a fit of
sickness while on his way home at Elizabethtown in said State, having first served out the term of his enlistment and been again honorably discharged. my said late husband might have performed other service by Land or sea; but being now myself 90 years old I am unable to recollect or state any more particulars of it


I am now ninety years old, and my memory does not enable me to state the services of said Elijah Jones more fully than above stated.
WITNESS my hand, this Tenth day of August A.
D. 1853.
Signed by said Deborah Pierce
in my presence
Ebenr Freeman JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
Deborah Pierce
were taken larger than of will be
the before the same Justice of the
the rule tine on the right the
head her name then she makes this
Decree
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Marblehead, February 13th, 1855
Hon Loren P. Waldo
Commissaries of Pensions
Washington D.C.
Sir
I have the honor to forward herewith the
Declaration and papers of Mrs Deborah Pierce ofWellfleet, in this State- a worthy old School
Misstress, but now blind def\pendant and even ninety years old claiming the benefit of the act of 1838 for the services of Elijah Jones, her first
husband, in the War of the Revolution.
A perusal of her Declaration will show all
the contingencies bearing upon her case, and
although no one entertains a doubt of the truthful and genuine charachter of her claim
yet as the rolls in our State Archives do not give anything more than Installments of the service performed under Capts. Lewis and May, therefore the only hope of the old widow rests in the possibility that those of the Department will verify the full length of the two terms declared for
I am with great respect,
your Honors humble sal.
James Gregory