Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8178, for William Phelps, Connecticut
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SERVICE   Conn.
Phelps, William
NUMBER  R. 8178
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14.045
William Phelps
Rolls – 5 mos 25 days
Rejected
Philo Curtis Esqr
East Rupert Vt.
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BRIEF in the case of    William Phelps
County of Bennington  in the State of  Vermont
(Act 7th June, 1832.) 
1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge?   Open Court
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity? 
3. How old is he?   70 years
4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. 
Period.  May 1779  Duration of Service.  8 Months  Rank.  Private  Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served. Captain Prior, Col. Bradley
20 July ‘79
15 Jan ‘80
Rolls
5. In what battles was he engaged?   none
6. Where did he reside when he entered the service?   Granby, Connecticut
7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls?   Traditionary
8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect?   
Papers not attached as required
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above 
Mentioned
Richard Cutts
Examining Clerk
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BRIEF in the case of    William Phelps
County of Bennington  in the State of  Vermont
(Act 7th June, 1832.) 
1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge?   Open Court
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity? 
3. How old is he?   70 years
4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. 
Period.  May 1779  Duration of Service.  8 Months  Rank.  Private  Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served. Captain Prior, Col. Bradley
20 July ‘79
15 Jan ‘80
Rolls
5. In what battles was he engaged?   none
6. Where did he reside when he entered the service?   Granby, Connecticut
7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls?   Traditionary
8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect?   
Papers not attached as required
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above 
Mentioned
Richard Cutts
Examining Clerk
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William Phelps
Pensioner
14,045
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State of Vermont 
County of Bennington 
Manchester District } ss   Be it remembered that at a Probate Court held at Manchester in & for the said District on the Sixteenth day of August 1832 
Present Hon Myron Clark Judge – 
On this sixteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & thirty two personally appeared in open court before me Myron Clark, Judge of the Probate Court of the district of Manchester in & the County of Bennington in the State aforesaid, William Phelps now a resident of the town of Rupert in the said County of Bennington & State aforesaid aged seventy years & nine months who being fist duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress “Pased  June 7 1832”.  
I William Phelps was born in the town of Hartford in the County of Hartford in the State of Connecticut on the twenty sixth day of October one thousand seven hundred & sixty two at which place I resided until the twelvth year of my age & then removed to Granby (then called Simsbury) County of Hartford where I resided for nearly twenty five years from that place removed into Vermont  & have resided at the said town of Rupert in Bennington County the last twenty five years.  That in his seventeenth year as he believes some time in the month of May, 1779, I enlisted at Windsor in the County of Hartford in the State of Connecticut & entered the  service of the United States in the war of the Revolution for eight months
8 mo.
I mustered in Capt Priors Company (Lieut Wadsworth), Col Bradley’s Regiment, Genl Huntington’s Brigade of the Connecticut line in the Continental Establishment & marched to Nelson’s Point on the Hudson River opposite to West Point at which place & I joined my regiment & was employed in building the redoubts & fortifications where I remained about six weeks or two months & in a few days marched to near Stoney Point & from thence west the River Hudson where we encamped for four or five days & from thence we marched to Morristown & four miles from Morristown I assisted in building the barracks for our
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winter quarters which was some time in the month of December of the same year at which place I continued in the said service of the United States until my time of enlistment for eight months was expired whether I had any written discharge I do not recollect. I am now unable to find any among my papers, but remember that I was honorably of discharged at that time, & that he has no documentary evidence & that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his said service and I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State, further states that I resided in the said town of Granby until after the Revolutionary war & since that period I have resided in the town of Pownal in this county for the time of five years or thereabouts from thence I moved to the said town of Rupert in this County where I have continually resided for the last twenty five years or more that I am well known to William Jackson the Clergyman of the town of Dorset & the Hon Grove Moore Esquire of the said Rupert & to them both for nearly twenty five years & that I have no record of my age. Except it is to be found in the Clerks office in the town of Granby in the State of Connecticut.
Wilim Phelps
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid 
Attest Henry Robinson Register 
Bennington County ss  We William Jackson a Clergyman residing in the town of Dorset in the Parish of Dorset & Rupert & Grove Moore of said Town & Parish of Rupert in the County & State aforesaid hereby certify that they are well acquainted with William Phelps who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be seventy years of age that he is reputed & believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that Opinion.   
Wm. Jackson
Grove Moore
Subscribed this 16th day of August 1832 In open Court before me 
Attest Henry Robinson Register
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And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter & after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier & served as he states. And the Court further certifies, that it appears to them that William Jackson who has signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman, resident in the Town of Dorset, & that Grover Moore who also signed the same, is a resident in said Rupert, and is a credible person, & that their statement is entitled to credit.   
Myron Clark Judge of Probate Court 
In testimony whereof I Henry Robinson Register of the Probate Court, have hereunto subscribed my hand & have affixed the Seal of said Probate Court at Manchester this 16th day of August A.D. 1832 & of the independence of the United States the Fifty Seventh 
Henry Robinson Register
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REJECTED
8178
William Phelps
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Ans’ Hon H. Hale Apl 23 1834 – Let to Hon D. Russell
Jan 5 1837 letter to Hon H. Hale
Feby 27 1839
Vermont
William Phelps
Rejected
Act 7 June 1832
See Letter to Philo Curtis East Rupert 11 June 1833
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Dec 28 
Wm Phelps
Vt. 
Mr. Phelps
Hon D. Russell H.R.
Jas L. Edwards Esqr
Pension Office D. C.
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House of Reps D.C. Decr 27 1836  
J. L. Edwards 
Dr Sir 
I have been requested to obtain the papers of William Phelps of Rupert in the State of Vermont from your office, presented some time since for a pension, there has been I understand one or more suplimental declarations but all with out success, the object is to lay them before the Committee of pensions, will you have the goodness to forward to me the original papers or copies your early attention is desired – 
I am respectfully
D. Russell
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4392  Feb 19
Jurat
Godfrey Vt
Phelps
July ‘38
July 21 W Phelps
Col. J. L. Edwards
Commr of Pensions
Hon H. Hale HR
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House of Reps  Feby 16 ‘39  
Sir
I enclose the pension papers of Abigail Godfrey - on which I beg leave to ask your early action.
I am inquired of about a pension application from Ben [Bennington] County, Vt,  said to have passed to my hands, but of which I have no memorandum or recollection - the name is Wm Phelps - Will you have the goodness to inform me if there is such an application & the situation of it 
Very respectfully Yours 
H Hall 
Col J L Edwards
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Recd 4 Feby 1834
Addl evidence for Wm. Phelps
Rejected claim from Vermont
Manchester Vt 
Jan 29
Free
J. L. Edwards Esquire
Commissioner &c
Pension Office
Washington
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East Rupert July 28 1834 
Dr Sir
Inclosed is the additional probate certificate & Affidavit of William Phelps who had been rejected for insufficiency of length of service, he now certifies to Eleven days service as guard to Genl Burgoyne’s Prisoners - which was omitted from in inadvertency. I am well satisfied myself that his claim is fair & that he is a man of unquestionable [unreadable] - you will please to direct your communications to the Post office of this place- Respectfully your Obed Servt 
Philo Curtis
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Wm Phelps
Act 1832
Rejected
V. Ellis
Vermont Roll
John Phelps 
Rupert Vt.
8178
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Know all men by these presents, That I, John Phelps a party interested in the claim herein mentioned, do hereby constitute and appoint VESPASIAN ELLIS of Washington City, my true and lawful Agent and Attorney, to prosecute the claim of William Phelps for any amount of Revolutionary Pension, or increase of pension, that may be due; and I hereby authorize my said agent and attorney to examine all the papers and documents in relation to said claim, on file in the Departments at Washington City, or elsewhere; to file additional evidence or arguments; and to receive the Certificate which may be issued for said Claim, and to do all things that I might or could do were I personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all that my said Attorney and Agent shall lawfully do in the premises. 
WITNESS my land and seal this 22d day of Feby A. D., 1853 
John Phelps  
2
Signed and Sealed in the presence of 
E. B. Burton 
S. S. Burton
STATE of Vermont 
COUNTY OF Bennington } ss 
On this 22 day of Feb A. D. 1853 before me, the subscriber, personally appeared John Phelps and acknowledged the foregoing Power of Attorney to be his act and deed, for the purposes therein mentioned, and also made oath that he is a party directly interested in the claim above mentioned, as a claimant. 
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I herunto set my hand the day and year aforesaid. 
E. B. Burton Justice of the Peace 
State of Vermont 
COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE.}  BENNINGTON, ss. 
I, SAMUEL H. BLACKMER, Clerk of the County Court for the County of Bennington, being a court of record and having a seal as hereto attached, do certify that Elias B Burton Esq was at the date of the paper writings to which this is attached, a Justice of the Peace within and for said County, duly commissioned and qualified; that his signature to the foregoing jurat and certificate is genuine; that the said paper writings are executed according to the laws of this State, and are in due form; and that as such Officer, he is duly authorized by the laws of this State to take acknowledgments of Deeds and Depositions, and to administer oaths, &c.  
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of  Court at Bennington 
In the County of Bennington this 22nd day of February Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred fifty three 
S. H. Blackmer CLERK.
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said, do hereby certify that E. B. Burton before whom the foregoing paper was executed , was at the time of the same, a Justice of the Peace in and for said County, duly authorized by law to administer oaths; and that the name thereunto subscribed is his signature. 
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I he my official Seal this A. D. 185 Clerk.
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Personally appeared before the Probate Court for the District of Manchester in the County of Bennington & State Vermont William Phelps of the town of Rupert in the County & State aforesaid who being duly sworn upon his corporal Oath doth depose & say that in edition to his former declaration in this matter set forth now on file in the office of Commissioner of Pensions in that department in the City of Washington that in the fall of 1778 deponent as he believes in the  month of November he was called out as a private in the Militia of the State of Connecticut from the town of Granby where he then resided in a Company of Militia of that town under the command of Captain Ozias Pettibone (the subaltern officers have escaped from my memory,) & was marched from said town into the town of Suffield thence to the line of the State of Massachusetts where our company with other States Troops & there [unreadable] formed a  guard for the safe conduct of the Prisoners there lately General Gates from where by General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga & this deponent further saith, that he continued in such Service &  marched through the towns of Simsbury thence on to the town of Norfolk on through the several towns in the State of Connecticut to the line of the State of New York at the town of Sharon (if this deponent rightly remembers), where the said Prisoners were delivered up to the Troops of the State of New York & this deponent further says that he was actually engaged as such guard one the said term of Eleven days was actually engaged as such guard for the 
11 days}  
term of Eleven days in his march & counter march & that I have no evidence of such service to my knowledge, that during the said term of eleven days was actually engaged in said service with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority - was a private Soldier all that time & was not employed in any civil pursuit during the said term & I further state that O served at that five months & twenty five days as was sufficiently stated in my former declaration & Eleven days in the Militia as aforesaid in the whole six months  & six days in the war of the Revolution & for such service I claim a Pension & further saith not.  
Wilim Phelps 
Manchester January 28th 1834
State of Vermont
Manchester District ss} Personally appeared before me the undersigned Judge of Probate of the District of  Manchester County of Bennington & State aforesaid he above named William Phelps who has subscribed the foregoing affidavit &  made solemn oath that the said Affidavit contains the truth & nothing but the truth.
Myron Clark Judge
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Thereby certify that I am well acquainted with William Phelps of the town of Rupert aforesaid who has sworn to & subscribed the foregoing affidavit that he is a man of truth & veracity & that full faith & credit is to be given to his testimony- 
Myron Clark Judge 
In testimony whereof I have hereto affixed the seal of this Probate office at Manchester in the Probate District of Manchester this 28th day of January AD. 1834. 
Reuben H. Blackmer Register