Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 12716, Amos Crain, Vt.
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Service
VT

Crain, Amos

Number
S.12716

Carded
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Vermont 18.943

Amos Crain
of Windsor Co. in the State of Vermont
who was a (illegible) in the company commanded
by Captain Blakeley of the Regt. commanded
by Col. Fletcher in the Vermont
(illegible) Troops

G Mo Private $30.00

Inscribed in the Roll of Vermont at the rate of 30 Dollars -- cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831

Certificate of Pension issued the 8th day of Nov
1833 and sent to G. E. Wales, Bound, Vt

Arreats to the 4th of Sept. '33 75.00
Semi-anl. allowance ending (illegible) '34 15.00
$90.00

Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832

Recorded by J. T. Sprague Clerk,
Book E vol. 3 page 58
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Amos Crain


George G. Wales
Barnard

Windsor County
Vermont
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State of Vermont
Windsor County

On this second day of October AD 1833 personally appeared in open court before the Judge of the Probate Court of Hartford District now sitting Amos Crain a resident of the county of Windsor and state of Vermont aged sixty-nine 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 7, 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated:

That he enlisted in the month of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one and for nine months into Captain James Blakeley's company under the command of Col Samuel Fletcher of the Vermont State Troops and that he faithfully served out the full term of his enlistment and was regularly discharged or dismissed - that he has no written discharge and this service aforesaid was performed at a fort in Castleton in the county of Rutland in said state of Vermont - He was born in Brookfield in the state of Massachusetts the twenty-third day of November 1764 and he has not any record of his age - nor does he know that there is any -
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He was living at Brattleboro in the county of Windham in the state of Vermont when he was called into the service as aforesaid - about the time of the close of the revolutionary war his father removed to Bethel in the county of Windsor aforesaid and he removed with his father at the same time and has lived there at Bethel ever since that time - He volunteered into the service - General Roger Enos commanded the troops while he was in service as aforesaid - Samuel Fletcher was his Colonel and Isaac Heath Major - and the service was for the purpose of guarding the frontiers.

He hereby relinquishes 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.

Amos Crain

Sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid

Edwin Hutchinson- Register

We Washington Granger a clergyman residing in Bethel and Luther Grovir residing in Bethel hereby certify that we are well acquainted with
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Amos Crain who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be sixty-nine years of age that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion.

Washington Granger
Luther Grover

Sworn and subscribed the day & year aforesaid

Edwin Hutchinson - Register

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 Washington Granger who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in Bethel Vermont and that Luther Grover who has also signed the same is resident in Bethel and is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.

Edwin Hutchingson - Register

I Edwin Hutchingson - Register of the Court of Hartford District in the state of Vermont do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of the application of Amos Crain for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this second day of October AD 1833.

Edwin Hutchingson - Register
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State of VT
Windham Co

I Wm Marsh of Guilford and of lawful age deposeth & saith that I was personally acquainted with Amos Crain now of Bethel Windsor County & State of Vermont in the year 1781 & do know that said Amos Crain was a soldier in the revolutionary service with me & served in Capt. James Blakeley's company under the command of Col. Samuel Fletcher in the nine months service of the Vermont State Troops & further your deponent saith not.

Wm Marsh

Guilford Sept 17th, 1833, Personally appeared Wm Marsh the signer of the above & made solemn affirmation that the statement by him subscribed contains the truth.

Before me
Benj W Stevens - Justice Peace

I hereby certify that Wm Marsh the above subscriber is a man of truth & veracity & a credible witness.

Benj W Stevens
Just Peace
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12716
INVALID
Rev War

File No 12716
Amos Crain
Pri Rev War

Act: June 7th, '32
Index Vol blank Page blank

[Arrangement of 1870.]
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I James Dennis of Marlboro in the county of Windham and state of Vermont of lawful age to testify and say that I am well acquainted with Amos Crain and that he enlisted in the service of the United States in the year eighty-one for nine months in the same company with me in Col Samuel Fletcher's regiment in the company of Captain Blakeley's light infantry company and that I as knowing to his service nine months and was regular dismissed and further the deponent saith not.

James Dennis
His X Mark

State of Vermont
Windham County

Marlboro Sept 17 1833

Personally appeared James Dennis the signer of the above deposition and acknowledged it to be the truth and nothing but the truth before me.

Jesse Cane - Justice of the Peace

I hereby certify that James Dennis the signer of the above is a man of truth and veracity.

Jesse Cane - Justice of the Peace
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State of Vermont
Windham County Court Clerk's Office
New Frame September 17, 1833

I certify that Benj W Stevens & Jesse Cone Esquires are two of the Justices of the Peace within and for the county of Windham aforesaid and that the within and annexed respectively are their signatures.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said county court on the day and year above written.

James Elliot - Clerk

SEAL
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Admitted
9 Months

G E Wales Esqr
Barnard VT

S. Jay
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War Department
Pension Office
October 24th, 1833

Sir:

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 show what is necessary to be done. These 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.

A Statement showing the Service of Amos Crain

Period when the service was rendered:
BLANK

Duration of the claimant's services in Years, Months and Days:
BLANK

Rank of the Claimant:
BLANK

Name and rank of the Field officers under whom he served:
BLANK

Age at present and place of abode when he entered the service:
BLANK

Proof by which the declaration is supported:
BLANK

I am respectfully
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 had been construed to extended, 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 where 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 Naval Service.
4. Indian Spies.
As roles of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department all parts claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, widows of privates, will [illegible] instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant rests. 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. 
State, Territory, or District of
County of 
ss.
On this    day of    personally appeared (a) before     A.B. a resident (b) of      in the county of     and State, Territory or District of    aged (c)   years, who being first duly sword, 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 year (d)     , with    and served in the       (e) regiment of the      line, under the following named officers: 
[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 show the certificate of the Court]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states. 
I     of the Court of
do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application 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    and C. D. residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with      , who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be      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 was signed the proceeding 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.
I, Clerk of the Court of do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of, for a pension.
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 alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person
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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 serve 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 service.
6. 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?
6. To an Officer { Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what 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 service 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 opinoin 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 procure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period of 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. 
---------------
[a] 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.
[b] The declarant must make his declaration in the County where he resides. If should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not conforming to the rule.
[c] The age of the claimant must invariably by mentioned.
[d] The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
[e] 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 definite as to enable the Department to determine 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 affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and the consequent 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 ---year ---- months, and ------ days, I served as a ------------. For -------- months and --- days, I served as a ----------; and for such service I claim a pension."
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each 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 three or 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 in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the 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. 
[f] The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
[g] The opinion of the Court is always required.
[h] The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
[i] 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 public 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.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authentication the papers is not written on the same sheer of paper which contains the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate. 
Proof of Service.
[j] 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 witnesses, and the official character and signatures of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office. 
The notes from [a] to [i] are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule is note [j] applies to continental troops only. 
[k] The traditionary evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[l] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
[m] The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.