Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File B. L. Wt. 2277-100, Aquilla Chittam, Md.
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Service
MD

Name
Chittam, Aquilla

Number
B.L.Wt. 2277-100
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Princess Anne, Jany 19th 1840

Sir

Yours of the 11th instant, enclosing Land warrant No 2277 to John Chittam, Josiah Chittam, Hetty Banks, Betsy Puzey, & William Chittam nephews & nieces Francis Chittam & John Chittam Junior, grandnephews being the only heirs at laws of Acquilla Chittam, deceased a probate in the Maryland line for one hundred acres was received last night by mail.

Respectfully

Your obt serv

Jas Polk
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Aquilla Chittam

No 2277
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State of Maryland
County of Somerset

I Hetty Banks heir at law of Aquilla Chittam do upon my oath declare and testify that to the best of my knowledge and belief the said Aquilla Chittam did enlist in the army for the term of the war of the revolution and served in the Regiment No - blank, under the command of Colonel blank of the Maryland line and that he continued in the service until the end of the war. I further declare that I have never received a warrant for the Bounty Land promised to said Aquilla Chittam on the part of the United States; nor do I believe he ever received it or transferred his claim to it in any manner whatsoever; Therefore Know all Men by these presents that I Hetty Banks aforesaid do hereby constitute and appoint James Polk of Somerset County aforesaid to be my true and lawful attorney for me and in my name to demand and received from the Secretary of War of the United States, a warrant for the quantity of land due to me as aforesaid; and my said Attorney is hereby fully authorized and empowered to constitute and appoint one or more substitutes or attorneys under him for the special purpose about expressed. Witness my hand and seal this twenty-fifth day of December 1839.

Hetty Banks
Her X Mark
SEAL

Attest:
Jonathan Huffington

Personally appeared the above named Hetty Banks subscriber to the foregoing declaration and in my presence acknowledged the Power of Attorney thereto subscribed to be my act and deed. Witness my hand and seal this 25 day of December 1839.

Jonathan Huffington
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Maryland
Somerset County to wit

December the 26th day 1839 thus came before me a Justice of the Peace in and for said county Nancy Richardson widow of Charles Richardson a soldier in the revolutionary war and made oath that she was well acquainted with a curtain Acquilla Chittam of said county from his youth to the day of his death - that he was raised on the road from Princess Anne to the upper ferry on the Wicomico River about half a mile from the latter place and was drown in said river at McBryde's landing - that the said Acquilla Chittam was a soldier in the revolutionary war and served to the end of the war that she remembers when he enlisted & when he came home. She further made oath that she is well acquainted with Hetty Banks, formerly Hetty Chittam now a widow that she is the daughter John Chittam who was the brother of said Acquilla and that she is the same person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing declaration & power of attorney - I further certify that said Nancy Richardson is a woman of respectable character & entitled to be believed anywhere.

Jonathan Huffington - JP

Maryland Somerset County, December 26, 1839

Then came Sally Hilman and made oath before me that she was well acquainted with Acquilla Chittam from early life till his death and that she knows he was a soldier in the revolutionary war & continued to the end & was home several years and was drowned. She further states that she is well acquainted with Hetty Banks whose name is subscribed to the within declaration and that she is the identical person who was Hetty Chittam daughter of John Chittam and niece of said Acquilla Chittam. I certify that Sall Hilman is fully entitled to credit in any court of justice or [illegible]
Jonathan Huffington - JP
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Maryland

I hereby certify that Jonathan Huffington Gentleman before whom the annexed acknowledgements and affidavits was made and whose signature appears thereto was at the time of so doing a Justice of the Peace of the state of Maryland in and for Somerset County commissioned and sworn according to law.

In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and the seal of Somerset County Court this 26th day of December 1839.

Levin Handy - Clerk C. Court
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PRINCESS ANNE MD Stamp - Jan ?

To;

William Gordon Esq
of the Bounty Land Office
Department of War
Washington City
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At an adjourned meeting of the Orphans Court of Somerset County held at the Town of Princess Anne in said county on the thirty-first day of December eighteen hundred and thirty-nine the following proceeding was had to wit:

"Satisfactory evidence was this day adduced before the Orphans Court to prove that John Chittam, Josiah Chittam, Hetty Banks, Betsy Puzey, William Chittam, Francis Chittam and John Chittam Jr. are the only heirs at law of Aquilla Chittam who was a soldier of the Maryland line in the war of the revolution. That the said John, Josiah, Hetty, Betsy, and William being the sons and daughters of John Chittam Sr. deceased who was brother of said Aquilla and the said Francis being the sone of George Chittam deceased and the said John being the son of Priscilla Chittam deceased which said George and Priscilla were the children of the aforesaid John Chittam Sr."

In testimony where of I hereto set my hand and affix the seal of my office this first day of January Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and forty.

James Polk - Register of Wills
for Somerset County, Maryland
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Princess Anne, Jany 1st 1839

Dear Sir

On the other side you will find the certificate of heirships promised you in my last - If the proof be sufficient as to the soldier's identify and the papers filed in time, as from your conversation with me when I last saw you, I concluded they are, you will please forward her the warrant as early as practicable. The conversation referred to was in relation to the case of Peter Lawrence - if I rightly understood you, when I remarked that I could not get add'l evidence in time, you replied as the application was made before the expiration of the time you would consider it in time.

From that I hastened the application in the case of Chittam.

Yours Respectfully

Jas Polk
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April 23, 1934

BA-J/ady
Aquilla Chittam
B.L.Wt. No. 2277-100 &
Martin Bowles
B.L.Wt. No.2248-100

Mrs. W.H. Tilghman
112 Virginia Avenue
Salisbury, Maryland

Dear Madam:

Reference is made to your letter relative to soldiers of the Revolutionary War.

Revolutionary war data furnished by this office are obtained from claims made to the United States for pension and bounty land based upon military service of soldiers in that war.

A careful search of the records fails to show such a claim on file on account of the Services of Isaac King and John Chittam as described by you or Richard Bounds, all spellings of the surnames searched.

The records of Aquilla Chittam and Martin Bowles are furnished you herein as found in the respective claims for bounty land based upon service in the Revolutionary War.

Aquilla Chittam, Wt. No 2277-100

Aquilla Chittam enlisted date and place not stated, served as private in the Maryland line to the close of the war, names of officers not stated.

He was reared about half a mile from Upper Ferry on the Wicomico River on the road from Princess Anne and was drowned at McBryde's Landing in said River date not given. HIs age not shown.

On an application executed in Somerset County, Maryland, in 1839 the following heirs were allowed one hundred acres of bounty land on Warrant No 2277 on account of the services of Aquilla Chittam in the Revolutionary War: John Chittam, Josiah Chittam, William Chittam, Getty Banks, a widow and Betsy Puzey, who were children of soldiers deceased brother John Chittam Sr. and Francis Chittam who was the sone of George Chittam, deceased who was the sone of the above named John Chittam Sr. and
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John Chittam, Jr. who was the son of Priscilla Chittam, deceased, who was the daughter of the said John Chittam, Sr. There are no further family data.

For information in regard to the location of land you should address the Commissioner of the General Land Office, this city, and furnish that official the following: "Aquilla Chittam, B.L. Wt. No. 2277-100 issued December 30, 1839."

Martin Bowles, Wt. No. 2249-100

Martin Bowles enlisted, date and place not stated, and served as private in Colonel John Gunby's Maryland Regiment to the close of the war.

In 1837 he was referred to as of Somerset County Maryland. In 1839 it was stated that he had died, place not stated, twenty off years ago. His age is not given. He once lived in Somerset Co. MD.

Soldier's daughter Sinah Bowles was living in Somerset County, Maryland in 1837. She married January 3, 1839, Purnell Taylor.

In 1839, the following heirs were allowed one hundred acres of bounty land on Warrant No. 2249 on account of the services of Martin Bowles in the Revolutionary War; Sinah Taylor and John Bowles children of the soldier and Fontaine B Humphries who was the sone of soldier's daughter Nancy and her husband Thomas Humphries. No reference is made to soldier's wife and there are no further family data.

For information in regard to the location of land you should apply to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Washington, D.C. and cite the following: Martin Bowles, B.L. Wt. No 2249-100 issued March 13, 1839.

Very truly yours

A.D. Hiller
Assistant to Administrator
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Samuel Chase Chapter
Salisbury, MD

112 Virginia Ave
March 25, 1935

RECEIVED Stamp Mar 27, 1934 Vets Adm.

The Veterans Administration
Washington, D.C.

Gentlemen - 

Will you kindly advise me whether either of the following veterans of the Revolutionary War ever applied for or received pensions, if so any information about their family would be appreciated.

Lt. Isaac King of Wor Co. Md
Serg Aquilla Chittam of Somerset Co, Md
Pvt John Chittam of Somerset Co. Md
Pvt Richard Bowles of Dorchester Co. or Som Co.
Martin Bowles of Som Co.

Yours truly

Mrs. W.H. Tilghman Genealogist
Samuel Chase Chap D.A.R.
112 Virginia Ave
Salisbury, MD