Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10,155, for James Stewart, Massachusetts
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( 2 - 1778 )
SERVICE  [Five pointed star]
Mary (Mass} and 
Stewart, James
NUMBER R. 10.155
1812 
CONTENTS
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10.155 
P.O.
James Stewart 
Service: 
REJECTED
Enlisted: ,18  .
Discharged: ,18  .
Application filed: ,18  .
Alleges: 
Re-enlisted: 
Attorney: 
P.O. 
____ Recognized.  ___ Contract. ____ Cert. of Dis. ____ Searched for ____, 18  .
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James Stewart _
 o Con  __
Rejected __ 
Letter 9 Sept 1834 
John Macqueen 
10155
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State of South Carolina 
Marlborough District ⎬ 
On this 8th day of October in the year of our Lord 1833 personally appeared in open Court before the Court of Common pleas and Session for the District and State aforesaid now sitting James Stewart a resident in the District of Marlborough & State aforesaid, aged Seventy one 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 the 7th 1832 That he was born in Scotland in March 1762 that his father emigrated to America in 1773 brought with him this deponent & two other sons & two Daughter & landed in Boston & there settled that his fathers name was John Stewart & his brothers were named John & Mitchell Stewart that his said father & two brothers were afterwards killed in the American service at the battle Bunker Hill. that he, this deponent, was then --- left an orphan that after the death of his father & brothers he went aboard of a Brig at Boston, as a cabin boy in the latter part of the year 1777 & went to providence in said Brig That at providence he left the Brig volunteered went aboard of a ship Ranger an 18 Gun Ship commanded by John Paul Jones & served on said ship as cabin boy or Stewart & sailed to the coast of France that on the voyage to France the Ranger had no conflict of consequence so far as he can recollect. that she captured one or two small English vessels, whose names he does not recollect but they were considered of little value. he does not recollect the names of any of the officers under Paul Jones on the Ranger, except one man by the name of Gould, as he believes who was a Lieutenant That this landed at Nante in France that after they landed Paul Jones either went in person, or sent distpatches
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to Paris which he had carried, as this deponent thinks from the American Congress then held in Philadelph to Doct. Benjamin Franklin then Minister at Paris that he believes said dispatches contained intelligence of Burgoynes defeat at Saratoga & that he thinks this intelligence caused assistance to the Americans from France - that a few weeks afterwards The Ranger sailed from Nantes to Quiberon, when this deponent was aboard as Stewart, accompanied by several ship which were as he believes under her convey- That from Quiberon the Ranger then sailed to Brest where she remained several weeks or perhaps months, that she then sailed from Brest for the coast of England and went into the Irish Sea, & finding no object to engage the made a signal for a pilot off Carrickfergus when six fishermen came to them all of whom they took on board & sunk their boat & then bore away for Whitehaven. that on the way they attempted to take a British twenty gun ship, the Drake, but failed in doing so - that they afterwards came to anchor under British Colours & the same evening dispatched two boats for the purpose of distroying the shipping & taking the fort at whitehaven. That they succeded in setting fire to & destroying several ships in the Harbour and spiked about thirty pieces of Cannon, and escaped without any injury of consequence to themselves. That they then sailed for the Coast of Scotland & arrived as this deponent believes in Solway Bay & such boats as have that Paul Jones went, as this deponent believes, in person, with several of his men to the residence of one Lord Selkirk & returned in a few hours bringing back some goods of what kind or nature this deponent does not recollect as he did not accompany them on shore. They then sailed for Carrickfergus where they again found the British ship Drake which dispached a boat with eleven men to reconnoiter who were all taken prison by the Ranger amongst whom was the said shipman of the Drake whose name he thinks was Jelf
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that after the caption of the boats crew, the Drake fired guns as a signal for their return, & soon hoisted sail afterwards & made for the Ranger, which awaited her approach within a short distance without firing, when a shark engagement ensued which lasted as this deponent supposes about an hour & a half & ended in the capture of the Drake - that a number of the British were killed amongst whom was the captain whose name he thinks was Burdin & a Lieutenant named Dobbs & that all the officers he thinks were killed or wounded. The Americans, he thinks had 14 or 15 Killed or wounded. That they then sailed to Brest with the Ranger & Drake the latter of which was so seriously injured it was with great difficulty they got her into harbour. That they remained at Brest some time & whilst then this deponent accidentally fell down the hatchway and was so seriously injured from the fall that he was sent to a private residence in France to recover from his wounds. where he remained several months That whilst he was at the said private residence the Drake he supposes was sold & he received no part of the prize money-- That he has no papers or documentary evidence of his service this he had passers but lost them on sea since the war But that he verily believes & is satisfied from the time he first entered on board the Ranger at Providence under Paul Jones to the time he recovered from his wounds in france as above it was fully fourteen months & that he was aboard of the said Ranger during the whole time from the time he first went aboard as above at providence until it landed at Brest with the Drake as above & that he served [illegible]ally aboard of her ten months under Paul Jones as above said deponent further states that he (after he recovered) remained in France until the war was over & then returned to America _ that he afterwards followed the life of a Seaman until the last war with Great Brittain that altho he does not consider it material in this application, he states that during the last war he was aboard the Louisiana under Capt Patterson as a volunteer & was
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afterwards put aboard of a gun boat under Lieutenant
Tomas at Apalachicola & aided in blowing up the fort
there & was in the Battle of Orleans under Genl Jackson
said Deponent further states that he afterwards followed
the sea until about five years ago when he came to the
State of South Carolina having been unable to perform
the duties of a sailor any longer & has resided in Darling
to district in said State one year & in the District of
Marlborough the last four years of which he is
citizen, that he is past seventy one years of age
that he knows of no person living by whom he can
prove his services in the revolutionary war
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to
pension or annuity except the present & declares that

his name is not on the pension roll of the
agency of any state sworn to & subscribed the
day & year above written, Seth
Sworn in open Court
best Richard Gant P. Judge
(
Chas McKa Abergyman residing in the District of Marlborough
and now of South Carolina and Barnabas R Henagan residing in the same
State & District hereby certify that we are well acquainted with James
who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration that we believe him
to be seventy one years of all that he is reputed & believed in the mighbour
when he resides to have in the revolutionary war, and
that we concur in that opinion
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year above written
R Gantt P.J.
Bk Hanagan
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation
of the matter and after putting the interrogatories presented by the war
department that the above named applicant was a marine in the revolution
any war, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies that
appears to him that Charles War who has signed the preceding
certificate is a clergyman resident in the District of Marlborough and
State of South Carolina and that Barnabas
same is a resident in the same which State who has also signed the
and that their statement is entitled to credit
Richard Gank Presiding Judge
James Thomas Clerk of the court of Common pleas
sessions do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceeding
of the said Court in the matter of the application of James Stewart for
a pension In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand &
Seal of this the 5 day of December A D 1835
Sam C Thomas
Brown City
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Marlboro Ct Hs. 9th June 1834

Dear Sir, 

    Enclosed I send you the application of a pension which I thought had forwarded before but upon learning from you that no such papers had been received by you I made a search & formed it in the clerk office who had taken it to affix his certificate & seal. 
    I hope it is such as will be received as Wm. Stewart appears to me to be an object worthy of a pension.

                                 Very respectfully
                                             //s//
                                  Jn. M. (??)

Honbe Lewis Cass
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES 
Form VAN-51
12-9-91 
BOUNTY LAND WARRANT RECORD CARD*
Division of Veterans' Administration Archives 
Name Stewart, James 8750 
Grade Private 
Line New Jersey
WARRANT NUMBER 8750
ACRE AGE 100
ISSUED  June 16, 1789 to Aaron Ogden, Assignee

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.