Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W 14770, Samuel Gale, Mass. Mass. Sea Service
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(8-1776)

      SERVICE                       NUMBER

Mass.                                Gale, Samuel
Mass. Sec Service                     Martha

_________________________________________
CONTENTS
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Massachusetts 3191

Martha Gale
widow of Samuel Gale, decd Mass 
who died in the month of April 1800
of Essex County. in the State of Massachusetts .
who was a pri & musician in the Revolution [crossed out: commanded by Captain] on board the brig Massachusetts 
by Capt. Harraden in the
line for 6 mos. 26 days private
             4 mos 4 dys Mariner

Inscribed on the Roll of Massachusetts
at the rate of 36 Dollars 66 Cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1834.

Certificate of Pension issued the 24th day of Jany 1820 and sent to James Gregory, Marblehead, Masstts

Arrears to the 4th of March, 1860 - $329.94
Semi-annual allowance ending              18.33
                                                        __________
                                                              $348.27
                                                        __________

             Revolutionary Claim
             Act July 4, 1836
             Section the [?]

Recorded by S. A. Elliot, Clerk.
Book A       Vol. 2      Page 50
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State of Massachusets County Essex ⎬ ss. Salem 

On this nineteenth day of November, A.D. 1839. personally appeared before me, Daniel Appleton White Esquire, Judge of the Court of Probate within & for the said County of Essex the same being a Court of Record Martha Gale a resident of said Salem, aged nearly ninety years, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath, and from the best of her knowledge & belief, make the following (Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4th 1836; that she is the widow of Samuel Gale, who was a Private in a company of Sea Fercibles engaged in the sea coast Service of the said State of Massachusetts under the command according to the best of her recollection of Benjamin Ward stationed in the Fort or Garrison of said Salem in the War of the Revolution: that said Company belonged to no particular Regiment, but was raised for the special purpose of the sea coast defence of said Salem & the adjacent Coasts: that her said late husband enlisted in said Corps & in said town of which said town he was then a resident, although, born & brought up in Marblehead - sometime in the year 1775 or 1776, as a Private & Volunteer, & served therein as a Private for the period of several months & according to the best of her recollection not less than three nor more than six months; that after he had so served one of the Public vessels of the said State of Massachusetts was in want of men to make up the complement of her crew; that the men belonging to said Corps were not allowed to leave it for the Private armed naval service, but had liberty so to do in the Public armed vessels: that accordingly he said late husband with others his companions in arms, volunteered out of said Corps & entered the Naval Service of said State in either the State Brig Massachusetts or the State Brig Tyranicide: that she believes the commander of said Brig was Capt Jonathan Harraden of said Salem, but cannot depose to this with much certainly although she is fully certain that he did so join & enter the said Naval Service: that soon after her said husband joined
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joined said Brig they sailed on a cruise with the intention of repairing to France at the end of it & bringing home a cargo of soldiers clothing & munitions of war, that in the course of said cruise they captured a number of prizes put into said France took in said Cargo, & returned home after an absence of as near as she can recollect - nine months; that by reason of her great age & consequent infirmities, together with the absence of the Massachusetts documents from the archives of the State - she is totally unable to state with any great degree of certainty the dates & exact particulars of the services of her said late husband in the said War herein refered to although she is fully certain he faithfully performed what she has herein under then from the best of her recollection to describe: that she has defered making her Declaration with the hope of the return of said Documents to the archives of the State, in order that she might be enabled to state from the records all the particulars of the Revolutionary services of her said husband herein refered to & also the particulars of any other service performed by him & which she may have forgotten. that the uncertainty which now exists of the precise return of said Documents from Washington has induced her at length to undertake to declare such particulars of the services of her said husband as she has a partial recollection of & she begs that in the absence of all living documents to consult with, she may not be deposed of the benefit of this provisions of said law of July 4, 1836, but may have the substantial truths of her declaration tested by the said Massachusetts documents, & not be deprived of her Country's Bounty by reason of any descrepancies, inregularities in the dates & particulars of her said late husbands services as may be herein set forth-  deprives as she is, by the circumstances aforesaid, of stating them with any good degree of certainly 

She further declares that her said late husband after his afore described Public Service - was in much Privateering service & in prison in the course of said War but that she has no present knowledge of any other public service performed by him in said War than that which she has herein stated & declared The further declares that she was married to the
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the said Samuel Gale on the eighth day of February in the year seventeen hundred & Seventy five. that her late husband the aforesaid Samuel Gale died sometime in the month of April in the year eighteen hundred in the West Indies, while engaged in the Merchant Severe out of said Salem that & she has remained a widow ever since his death as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereunto annexed 
Martha her X mark Gale

Witnessed by threes written word crased & sale thence
Samuel Aaron
James Gregor
 
Sworn to & subscribed on the day year above written - the said applicant being unable by reason of infirmity to appear in County 

Before me, D D White Judge of said Court 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts County of Essex, SS. Probate office. 

I Nathaniel Lord junior, register of Probate for said county, hereby certify, that the honorable Daniel A. White, before whom the foregoing declaration of Martha Gale purports to have been taken, is the judge of Probate for said county; and that his name subscribed to the above written certificate thereon, is his genuine signature. 

Given under my hand and seal of office this nineteenth day of November, A.D. 1839 
Nath Lord jr.
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Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-five, February eighth. "Samuel Gale & Martha Bird." I, Joseph Cloutman, city clerk of the city of Salem, in the County of Essex & Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do certify that the above is a true copy of the Record of Marriages of said city with the exception of the
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File No. 14770  Martha Gale Widow of Samuel Gale Act: July 4th 1836Index Vol:  a  Page 264
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    Marblehead, November 12th, 1839

Honored Sir:
                      I have the Honor herewith to forward to you the declaration of Martha Gale of Salem, widow of Sam'l Gale decd. _ who with said Samuel were born & brought up in Marblehead, & removed to said Salem about the commencement of the Revolutionary War.  As Mrs Gale was married before the War commenced to her said late husband she of course brings her claim under the Act of July 4th 1836.
     Mrs. Gale is ninety years old & from her great age & consequent infirmities is unable to state with much precision the particulars of all her late husbands' services:  she has set forth in her Declaration as near as she could recollect the particulars of part of it, but there is abundant reason to believe that Gale was in much other service beside.  Accordingly when she sent for me to visit her & take charge of her claim _ over four months ago _ I advised her to wait awhile, with the hope that she might be enabled to obtains access to  the Record & thus set forth the particulars more
minutely  , & claim for all (all is underlined) that Gale should be found to have here forward.  But she & her friends have finally concluded that she had best declare for such service as she could with  
                               sufficient
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suffered an tolerable (illegible) recollected & her Declaration was taken accordingly.
                         I have the Honor to be
                          very respectfully,
                          Your Honor's obt Sevt
                           James Gregory





James L. Edwards Esq.
Commissioner of Pensions,
Washington, D. C.
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I, John Ingersoll of Salem in the County of
Essex & State of Massachusetts, do on my oath
testify & declare, that I am in the Eighty fourth
year of my age, that I took an active part
in the Revolutionary War; that I am now
a Pensioner under the law of June 7th 1832 for
part of said service: that in the year 1775 I
served in the Seacoast service of the said State of
Massachusetts in the Fort or Garrison of said Salem -
for the period of three months under Capt Benjamin
Ward: that I afterwards served on board the State
Brig Massachusetts, Capt Luther Commander & also in
the State brig Tyrannicide Capt Haraden commander,
and I do using my oath further testify & declare that
Samuel Gale who formerly belonged to Marblehead
in said County, belonged to at least one of those vessels
at the same time I did myself. 
I cannot swear
that he served in Salem Fort under said Capt
Ward although he might have so served & I may
have forgotten it. Said Samuel Gale I well recollect served as 
Cooks Mate on board one of said Brigs.
Said Samuel Gale married Martha Bird - also of
said Marblehead. I knew said Martha when she was
young, but have had no acquaintance with her since.
Witness by
J Gregory
John Ingersoll
Mary L. Minot
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Essex
ss:  Salem, November 20th, 1839.
Then John Ingersoll Esquire, above named, & a witness
who is every way credible, personally appeared & made
oath in due form of law to the truth of the above
affidavit by him in my presence subscribed.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set
my Hand & affixed my Notarial Seal, the day
year last above written
James Gregory, Notary Public.
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    4820

Martha Gale
    Mass.
Act 4 July '36
m'71. d1800
_________________
37_32_ pri. 6 mon. 26 days
to 1 gacy 76 _ then ent'd the 
Brig Mass's_ Marine 4 mo 4 ds
   (illegible) 26 pri
4.  4-  Marine
_______________
  11 mo. 
_______________
36 (illegible)
No deduction

James Gregory Esq.
Marlblehead
Mass
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I, Rebecca Walton of Salem in the County of
Essex, do on my oath testify & declare that I am
in the Seventy-ninth year of my age; that I
was well acquainted with many persons who
performed service in the War of the Revolution,
among the rest with Samuel Gale the late husband
of Martha Gale of said Salem, an applicant
for a Pension under the law of July 4th 1836.
Said Samuel Gale was in service in the
Revolutionary War & I have always understood &
believed that said Samuel Gale performed service
in the Fort or Garrison of said
Salem & was also
one or more [cruises] in some 
Public Vessel after
his service there, but the particulars of said service
I cannot swear to. Said Samuel Gale died abroad
many years ago, & I do well know that his widow,
said Martha Gale, is now a widow & has not
intermarried since his death.
Witnessed
John Walson
Rebecca X (her mark) Walton
J. Gregory
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Essex...
ss.  Salem, November 19th 1839
Then the above named Rebecca Walton, personally
appeared & made solemn oath in due form of law to
the truth of the above affidavit by her in my presence
subscribed. And I certify that said Walton is
credible witness.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set
my Hand & affixed my Notarized Seal the
day & year last above written
James Gregory, Notary Public