Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 2147, Tunis Cole, New Jersey
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Service             Name           Number
New Jersey    Cole, Tunis   R. 2147
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    No 38-219
    Tunis Cole
    N. Y. [centered][underlined]

    Act June 7th 1832
    Thos Ewing Jr Oct 20th 1851
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Acts of July 14, 1882, and March 8, 1873 [crossed out]
[stamped] REJECTED

2147
P.O. Tunis Cole
[The rest of the from blank]
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No. 38.219
Original pension claim 
of
Tunis Cole
Revolutionary War [crossed out]
N.Y.
Act 7 Jun 1832
Presented June 28.1851
by
Tho. Ewing Jr atty
Present
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Washington D.C. June 28. 1851 
Sir
    [] herewith I send you the declaration of Tunis Cole made for the purpose of [] pension under the Act of 1832 for serving rendered as a Waggoner & private of infantry in the Revolutionary War - 
    Respectfully Sir
    Your [] -
    Tho. Ewing jr.
    [envelope?]
    I. E. Heath Esq Court of Pension }
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State of New York
County of Steuben ⎬ 
On this twenty fourth day of June A.D. 1851, personally appeared before me, David McMaster County Judge of the said County of Steuben, and presiding Judge of the County Court, in & for the County of State aforesaid, Tunis Cole, a resident of Steuben County in the State of New York, aged 94 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 7 of June 1832.
    That he was born in the town of Bridgewater, Somerset County, State of New Jersey on the Raritan River, in the year 1757. That when at the age of 18 or 19 years, as near as he can recollect his age, he hired as a substitute for a militia man, whose name he does not now recollect, who was drafted for three months. The company first rendesvoused at a place called the White House, in the town of Readington Hunterdon County New Jersey, where the Captain, whose name I think was Smith, (but I am not positive as to the name) took charge of the Company, and led them to Elizabethtown to the main Army. Lieut. William Van Sickles was then appointed to the command of the Company, and deponents uncle Sayce Cole also acted as Lieutenant- Lt. Col. Taylor commanded our division of the Army, which crossed over to Staten Island where we were repulsed by the British Light Horse and recrossed under cover of the American guns, we were soon after led to Brunswick
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 to oppose the British at that place. The plan was for the Americans to go around above and in ambush for them as they went from Brunswick to Millstone; a tory however apprised the enemy of it, and they marched from Brunswick to a place called Middlebrook, where they crossed over the Raritan, and marched up on the other side of the river while the Americans followed on the opposite.
At Millstone we crossed on what was called Van Vechters bridge, where a sharp action ensued, and when deponent received a wound from a [] shot on the shin bone of the right leg, which wound has never yet healed over. Captain Benjamin Olisar commanded our Company in this engagement. Deponent was in the battle of Kingfield, and also in the battle of Trenton. Washington crossed the Delaware on Christmas
night, and the battle was fought the next day. After the battle of Trenton they returned to Elizabeth town, in which vicinity he continued in service, engaged guarding the frontier until the close of the war. When he was discharged at Amboy. After his term as a substitute he served as a volunteer. During a part of his service he was engaged in teaming from Philadelphia
to a place called Kingsbridge or Kingsferry. He received a written discharge at the hand of his uncle Ezekiel Cole, by whom the discharge was given he does not remember. The discharge was kept for many years, in a cloth pocket book, in his Chest. He remembers to have had it for as long a period as twenty years, after the discharge was given. It was long since lost, and he supposes it was destroyed by his children who had access 
to it. The same Luit. Col. Taylor who com
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manded at Staten Island, he has since met with in the town of Bath [crossed out] Puttency, Steuben County, New York. Each recognized the other, and interchanged visits frequently thereafter until said Taylors death. He now knows of no one living by whom he can prove his service. He moved from New Jersey to the town of Ovid Seneca County New York
in the year 1805, lived there one year, and then moved to Puttency, Steuben County New York
In 1832 he moved to the town of Allen County of Allegany, New York, where he lost his third wife and in 1845. came to live with his son in law Jacob W. Wheaton in Cohocton, Steuben County where he now resides.
Deponent recollects and incident at the battle of Millstone, as follows. Dock Vanderveer, and one Pete Biggs, came down to see the battle and while the British were on the retreat Pete Biggs cheered the Americans, and shouted "Hurrah boys the day is our own" - just then a company of the British Light Horse made a circuit from the roads and made a prisoner of them. Deponent saw Dock Vanderveer afterwards, but he understood that Biggs died a prisoner-
    Deponent has not heretofore made application for a pension, because having lost his discharge he feared that his service could not be established to the satisfaction of the department. He is now poor, and entirely blind, and unable to obtain a living by his won exertions, and therefore applies for that relief from his country which has been so generously provided for those
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who fought for & established its independence. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of any of the United States.

Tunis [his mark] Cole
Sworn to and subscribed before me the day and year first above written. I hereby declare my opinion after investigation of the matter
and after putting the interrogatories required by the Pension Office, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. In consequence of bodily infirmity the said Tunis Cole is unable to attend Court
D. McMaster
County Judge Steuben County
NY
Havens a clergyman residing in Steuben County, and John Bush a resident of the same County hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Tunis Cole
who has subscribed & sworn to the annexed declaration
That we believe him to be 94 years of age & upwards That he is reputed & lives in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier in the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Elijah Havens
John Bush
Sworn to & subscribed before me the day & year afore said, and hereby further certify that Elijah Havens who has signed the preceding certificate, is a clergymen resident in the County of Steuben, that John Bush is a credible person, and that their joint statement is entitled to credit.
D. McMaster, County Judge
Steuben County
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RHODES & McDOWELL, Prs. -- "Farmers' Advocate" Office, Bath. [page letterhead]
State of New York,
STEUBEN COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE.}  SS.
I, PHILO P. HUBBELL, Clerk of the said County,
do hereby certify that D McMaster Esquire, before whom the annexed instrument in writing was proved or acknowledged, was, at the time of taking the same, a County Judge in and for said County, duly authorized to take the same, and that I am well acquainted with his hand writing, and verily believe that the signature to said Certificate is genuine, and that the annexed instrument is executed and acknowledged according to the laws of this
State.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said County, at Bath, this
Twenty fifth day of June A. D. 1851.
P. Hubbell Clk
[paper creased unreadable section] declaration
That we believe him to be 94 years of age & upwards. That he is reputed & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier in the Revolution, and that we Concur in that opinion.
Elijah Havens
John Bush
Sworn to & subscribed before me the day year aforesaid, and hereby further certify that Elijah Havens who has signed the preceding certificate, is a clergymen resident in the County of Steuben, that John Bush is a credible person, and that their joint statement is entitled to credit.
D. McMaster, County Judge
Steuben County
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Form VAM-51
12-5-41
BOUNTY LAND WARRANT RECORD CARD

NAME Cole, Tunis GRADE Private LINE New York

WARRANT NUMBER 6905 ACREAGE 100 ISSUED Jan. 2, 1792
to not shown-

The information concerning the issuance of warrants carded on this form is found in volumes 2 to 4 of "Land Warrants Issued Prior to 1800" which are
registers of bounty land warrants issued to non-commissioned officers and privates under congressional resolutions of September 16, 1776, and subsequent dates. Other records relative to the applications for warrants appear to have been destroyed in the War Department fire of November 9, 1800.
Information concerning warrants surrendered to the Federal Government is to be found in General Land Office records in The National Archives.