Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 235, Peter Appell, French Navy Sea Service (Conn.) U. S. Revenue Service
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SERVICE
 French Navy
 Sea Service (Conn) 
U. S. Revenue Service 


Appell, Peter 



NUMBER
 R. 235
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5841
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Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832
State of Connecticut
County of New Haven

On this 13th day of August personally appeared in open court before the court of probate for the District of New Haven in the State of Connecticut now sitting, Peter Appell a resident of North Branford in the county of New Haven & State of Connecticut aged 87 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 7th, 1832 - that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officer & served or herein stated

That he was born in Marseilles in the south part of France on the 15th day of March 1745 - that he has followed the sea ever since he was five years of age - that at an early age he was drafted on board a French ship of war, that he served six years in this way as a sailor, when he entered the French ship of war Marseilles in the fleet commanded by Count D'Estaing - at Toulon- That he sailed with this fleet to the West Indies & assisted in the capture of Grenada & St Kitts - That from the West Indies he accompanied this fleet to Savannah & Rhode Island in the United States & to Boston  - & thence back again to Brest, where he was discharged & went to Marseilles - that in two or three months he was shipped on board the ship Lyons a French ship of war & proceeded in company with the ship Terrible to join the Fleet in Cadiz- that at Cadiz he left the French service & came to Rhode Island in a merchant brig- & from there to New London in Connecticut
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that at New London he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer to serve as a sailor on board of a galley or open boat, commanded by Captain Moffitt of Philadelphia that this boat carried a gun one twelve pounder & 2 six pounders that this boat carried twenty five men including the officers who were two in number  that he entered the service in this boat in the latter part of August 1781 - that for some months he went up on the sound to guard the coast of Connecticut that during most of the winter following the boat was stationed at New London, that in the spring he went out again running in the sound, but not interacting with any British boats, the boat in which he served together  with another American boat went in the with shore of Long Island to a place called South Bay or South Inlet, formed by Rockaway Beach - that they remained of there three days - that at that time an English schooner came off the hilt & sent in three barges to take us-- that the boat in which he was, grounded, & was in consequence taken with all the men on board by the enemy- that the men in the other American boat escaped in there & after exploring the Island found a boat to carry them to New London - that while the boat was aground in which the declarant said the Lieutenant & one of the hands was drowned in attempting to find a channel. that the declarant in company with the others was taken to New York where they arrived on Sunday in the month of April 1782 that he was kept prisoner in a building in Broadway near what is now called the Park - that the building was called as he thinks the Provoity & was in the keeping of a Mr. Cunningham that there were three hundred prisoners in that same building - that one Josiah Tuttle of East Haven
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in Connecticut was in prison at the same time in the same building with the declarant - that said Tuttle now lives as the declarant is informed in the State of New York at a great distance from North Branford and cannot be procured without great trouble and expense, which the declarant is unable to repay - that the declarant remained in prison in the said building until the spring of 1783 and suffered greatly there from want of food and necessary clothing - that in the spring of 1783 he was released and went in a castel to New London - that at New London he shipped on board an American merchant brig called the ? commanded by Capt. Timothy White of New Haven - that he went eleven voyages with the said Capt. White and in the intervals between these voyages resided in North Branford in Connecticut - that he has followed the seas ever since, making his home when on shore at North Branford, that about 36 years ago he was married at said North Branford and has  now nine children living - 
that about five years since he again entered the service of the United States as a sailor in board the revenue cutter Eagle commanded by Captain Lee - that afterwards he served with Capt. Calhoun on board the revenue cutter Vigilant and is now employed again on board the Wolcott commanded by Captain Mather.
That in the war of the revolution, he served eight months as a sailor in the marine forces of the United States in the manner above mentioned and was a prisoner of war in New York as aforesaid about one year.  That he never received any written discharge from the service - that he has no documentary evidence of any kind - that there is a record of his age he supposes, in the church of St. Lawrence in the Quarter of St. John
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in Marseilles in France that he knows of none in this country - 

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 - 

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid

Peter Appell (his mark)

Attest - Anthony P. Sanford Clerk -


We Judson A. Root a clergyman residing in the town of North Branford and state of Connecticut and William H. Ellis Esquire collector of the port of New Haven and residing in New Haven a town adjacent hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Peter Appell who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration that he is a sailor in the service of the United States on board the revenue cutter Wolcott commanded by Captain Mather - that he is a man of veracity  - that we believe him to be 87 years of age - that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion.

Judson A. Root
William H. Ellis

Sworn to the day and year aforesaid

Attest Anthony P. Sanford Clerk
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I Andrew Mather Captain of the United States Revenue Cutter Wolcott stationed in the port of New Haven in the State of Connecticut hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Peter Appell who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration - that said Peter has served as a sailor and boatswains' mate on board said revenue cutter for 16 months past under my command - that I knew him formerly when he served in the Revenue Cutter Eagle under Captain lee - that said Peter is one of the most faithful and trustworthy sailors, under my command, and is a man of undoubted integrity and veracity - that he sustains the same character when under Captain Lee.  that I believe him to be 87 years of age  - that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a sailor in a private armed vessel in the war that I concur in that opinion. that he said Peter's statement on that subject is entitled to full credit and belief.

Andrew Mather

Sworn to and subscribed this 27 day of August 1832.

Attest Anthony P. Sanford Clerk

I Abraham Bradley of New Haven in the county of New Haven and  State of Connecticut of lawful age being duly sworn depose and say, that I am well acquainted with Peter Appell who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration, that I have known him for more than seventy years past, that said Peter was in the employ of my Father as a sailor, on board, a merchant vessel owned by my Father, for seeral years, and has also been in my employ for five or six years in the same capacity - that I think that I have for many years past, frequently heard said Peter
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tell of his having been taken prisoner by the British in the revolutionary war and carried to New York  - that I believe him to be a man of integrity and veracity - that when I first knew said Peter which was upwards of twenty years since he appears to be an old man.

A. Bradley

Attest - Anthony P. Sanford Clerk 



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 Judson A. Root who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman resident in the town of North Branford and that William H. Ellis Esquire, Collector of the port of New Haven who has also signed the same is a resident in the town of New Haven and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit and also that the said Andrew Mather who has signed the annexed certificate is Captain of the Revenue Cutter Wolcott and that Abraham Bradley who has signed the preceding deposition is a resident in said New Haven and are credible persons and their statements are entitled to full credit and belief.

Charles A. Ingersoll
Clerk of said Court
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I Anthony P. Sanford Clerk of the Court of Probate for the District of New Haven in the State of Connecticut do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Peter Appell for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this twenty seventh day of August AD 1832.

Anthony P. Sanford Clerk