Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S 23959, for Samuel Starks, Connecticut
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(3-1776)

SERVICE
Conn

Starks, Samuel

NUMBER
S 23959
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11458
Pennsylvania
==========
Samuel Starks
of Bradford Co in the State of Pennsylvania
who was a [illegible] Sgt in the Company commanded by Captain Trout of the Regt commanded by Col Bunnell in the Conn Troops
1 yr Sargeant--------  60.00
1 yr Private----------  40.00
__________________________________
--------------------- 100.00

==========
Inscribed on the Roll of Pennsylvania at the rate of 100 Dollars per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
==========

Certificate of Pension issued the 2d day of May 1833 and Sent to
Simon Kinney,  Bradford, PA
==========

Arrears to the 4th of March 1833     -   200.00
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sept 1833 - 50
==========
$250.00
==========

{Revolutionary Claim, }
{Act June 7, 1832. }

Recorded by J. P. Sprague, Clerk
Book E  Vol. 5  Page 52
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Decl. of Samuel Starks
from 
Simon Kinney of 
Towanda, Bradford
County, Pennsylvania

1 year Serg.  60 -
1 year Private 40
--------------------
100 -
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Revolution
23959
INVALID.

File No. 23,959
Samuel Starks
Sergt. Rev War

Act:  June 7th 32

Index: - Vol Q , Page 393

[Arrangement of 1870]
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Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress of the seventh of June 1832

State of Pennsylvania
Bradford County ⎬ss

On this tenth day of December personally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Bradford in the State of Pennsylvania aforesaid in open Court, Samuel Sarks, a resident of Wyalusing Township in said County of Bradford aged seventy three years, who being first duly sworn according to law in open Court 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 with, or under Ensign Jacob Fox at Colchester in the then County of Hartford in the State of Connecticut in the latter part of January in the year 1776, into the company commanded by Capt Benjamin Troup, Lieuts Solomon Story and Bills, of the Connecticut line.  That some time in February following he marched with the Company to Albany in the State of New York and was then mustered and joined the Regiment commanded by Col. Burrill (whose given name he does not now recollect) and which Regiment was attached to the Brigade of Brigadier Gen Schuyler.  Some time in March
as near as he can remember this declarant marched with his Company and regiment to Still Water and from thence soon after to Fort Wm Henry at the head of Lake George, and from thence, on board of Boats on Lake George to Ticonderoga. On this voyage he
with the other solders were obliged to cut a passage part of the way through ice that had not yet thawed in the Lake, and at night to
on shore and shovel away the snow in places to build fires to cook and sleep by. Soon after the arrival at Ticonderoga he proceeded
with his compy & Regt in batteaux on Lake Champlain to Crown Point and thence to St Johns -  from there to Chambles [Chambly?] - three river and to point Chambeau, upon the bank of the river St. Lawrence forty five miles above Quebeck [Quebec].   Shortly after his arrival at the place last mentioned the British came up with a ship and lender and this declarent was out on picket guard when news came to the camp that the British were approaching and had sent a party shore to destroy bridges and to prevent a retreat of the American troops.  Whilst at Point Chambeau he assisted in digging up some Cannon said to have been denied there in time of the French [illegible]
and in making a breast work. In a few days the troops retreated back to three rivers & to about forty miles farther to a place
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the name of which he does not recollect (But thinks it was La Chien)  where they made a
stand a few days & where he assisted in erecting a [illegible] battery.

From this place he marched back to Chamblis, where he remain three weeks or more, and during this time, he with many other soldier had the small pox, and immediately after continued on retreat to Crown Point, where he was taken with what was called "the Camp distemper" and was sent on with the sick to fort Wm Henry.  After his recovery from that disease he returned
to Mount Independence where he assisted in erecting the fort and continued there until the latter part of September or forepart of October when being sick and wholly unable to render service he was together with one Sherman Gardner who was also sick, discharged from the service.  The discharge was in writing, and embraced this declarent and said Gardner in one discharge, and
was given to said Gardner, and has never been in possession of this declarent. The enlistment of this declarent was for one year.
But he was sooner discharged on account of his sickness above mentioned, and he returned home in the month of October - the latter part of the month. 

The above mentioned Campaign was a very
severe one for the men. This declarent was often reduced to allowance of food of one quarter of a pound of oat meal without hulling or sifting and the same quantity of poor beef per day, and he was so enfeebled by sickness
at the time of his discharge that he was unable to travel and returned home by obtaining transportation in waggons which he occasionally found passing in the direction of his journey.  He remained at home and continually unwell til November or the first part of December when he went from Colchester, his place of residence, to New London for the benefit of his health. Soon after which he engaged as a substitute for a militia man whose name he cannot recollect in the garrison at that place, in the company
of Capt Eliphalet Bulkley of Colchester, where he served about five or six weeks to make out the term of service for which he was substitute.  He then turned home again and in a few days there was a new draft of militia for Garrison duty at New London for the term of two months, and this declarent again engaged as a substitute for a man who resided in a place called Marlborough about twelve miles from the residence of this declarent, and whose name he has forgotten, for which engagement he rec'd a new bridle.  He joined the company on this occasion commanded by Capt Nathaniel Harris, Lieut. Ransom  - attached to the regiment of  Col Huntington, Brother of Gen. Jed'h Huntington. He served out his time and returned home in the latter part of March. This declarant on about the 10th or 11th of April of the same year 1777 again enlisted for the term of three years, or during the war, under the same first mentioned Ensign Jacob Fox at this time a Lieutenant at a place called Bosra [Bozrah] in the Town of Norwich
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State of Connecticut aforesaid, in the company of the line commanded by Capt Shumway & Lieut Jacob Fox and Thomas Avery & Ensign Darius Peck. Soon after his enlistment he went on to New Haven in company with the same Sherman Gardner who was discharged with him at Mount Independence the year before, and who he enlisted as a corporal in the same company and joined the regiment commanded by Col. Jedediah Huntington (afterwards Gen. Huntington).
Soon after joining the regiment at New Haven he volunteered to join a detachment for a secret service under command of Majr. Meig. In this detachment was his former Capt. Benj Troup and an Ensign Brewster. He with the detachment consisting of riding of one hundred in number went on board of three sloops and a number of boats at New Haven and sailed across the Sound to Long Island and landed [illegible] sunsetting at a place opposite a cove or arm of the sea, which set back from the sea on the south side of Long Island, called South Hole. The boats were transported across a narrow neck of land & put into the cove and thence rowed down with the men on board to about four or five miles of Sag Harbour, where was then lying, a number of small vessels with forage for the British then in New York, and also an armed schooner to protect them. The detachment marched from the boats, to Sag Harbour, took a number of British soldiers and tories on board of the shipping, which lay at the [illegible] and others stationed on shore as a guard, by sunrise, and burned all the vessels and forage except the schooner of war above mentioned, which lay a short distance from the wharf. The vessels burnt were sixteen in number, and the number of prisoners taken was about ninety. There was some firing and a few of the British killed. This was all accomplished in the night, with the advantage of a bright moon. This declarant was actively engaged throughout the whole of this affair. The detachment then retreated the way they came, except the main body with the prisoners marched by land back to the Sound, where the sloops were left and all arrived safe at New Haven.
A short time after this he marched for Peekskill, and passed through Danbury immediately after it was burnt by the enemy. The fire was not yet extinguished where he passed. From Peekskill he marched across Kingsferry into New Jersey and joined the main army, at head quarters at a place then called Quible Town. Whilst there, he was one of a detachment from the army that marched to Brunswick about the time the enemy evacuated their station at that place in New Jersey; and was engaged with armed skirmish with them where they set out on their march towards Amboy & this was in June or July as near as he can now remember. Not long after this he was one of a scouting party to
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the neighborhood of Elizabethtown, and assisted in guarding a large number of cattle taken from the tories by the party. From this he was again marched back to Peekskill and continued there about two months when he was taken sick & sent to hospital and sometime after removed to Danbury where after his recovery he was appointed Sergeant of Guard. Here he remained in performance of the duties of Sergeant of the Guard during a period of thirteen months. At the end of which time, it being as near as he can recollect in October or November 1778, having been much afflicted with a fever and bad sore upon his left arm had a permit to retire from the service til he should recover sufficient to perform service again. This permit was granted by Brigadier Gen (formerly Col) Jedediah Huntington. Under this permit, he went home and remained away from service until the spring of 1780 when he again joined his company, which was at this time commanded by Capt. Read, there having been an arrangement before he left the army in '78 by which he with the principal part of Capt. Shumways company was transferred to the command of Capt. Read. This regt when he joined in 1780 was, he thinks, under command of Col. Starr of New Milford Conn. He continued with the army til June or July when the fever sore on his arm continuing very bad was so as to render him unable to perform duty; he applied to Gen. Huntington for a discharge. The General declined discharging him, but again gave him a written permit to furlough to return home, where he remained until the close of the war; so that he never received his discharge.
The written permits or furloughs were preserved by him until about the year 1790 or 91 in May, when they burnt up in his house which, with all in it, was destroyed by fire at Kingston Luzerne County, Penn. 
The said Samuel Starks further saith that, as he has always been informed, and has he has seen recorded in his fathers family Bible, he was born in Colchester aforesaid the 16th day of January 1754. The said Samuel Stark hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any state.
Samuel Starks
Sworn& subscribed Dec 10 1832.
J. M. Mill
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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.
by the Court,
J. P. Bull
Prothonotary

Bradford County Ss
I, James. P. Bull, Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas of said County do hereby certify that the above and foregoing hereto annexed contain the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Samuel Starks for a pension. Witness my hand and official seal this 25th day of January A. D. 1830.
J. P. Bull

On this fourteenth day of February AD 1833 Personally appeared before me the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in and for said County of Bradford Elijah Towner, a resident in said county on he being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he is personally acquainted with the aforementioned applicant Samuel Starks. That he knew him personally at Danbury in the state of Connecticut in the year 1777 & 1778. That during the period of those years he knew the said Samuel Starks to have been engaged in the Revolutionary service in a company in which Jacob Fox had the command as Lieutenant. And in which company the said Samuel Starks served in the capacity of a Sergeant for a term of as much as one year to the best of this deponents recollection and belief. After that, he [illegible] this deponent does not distinctly recollect where said Starks went, but his impression is that he marched away with some troops to Westport. This deponent understood that the said Starks was in service as above mentioned in the regular line of continental troops. Further saith not.
Elijah Towner X his mark

Bradford County Ss
{seal} I certify that the above deposition was duly subscribed & sworn to before me the [illegible] day of February AD 1833 and I also certify that the said Elijah Towner & I are well known and that he is a person of credibility and entitled to full belief. Witness my hand & seal this day & year aforesaid.
[illegible signature] J. P.
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Personally appeared before me the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in and for the county of Bradford, the aforementioned Samuel Starks to me well known, who being duly sworn according to law, 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 his best and his clear recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades:
for his first enlistment and tour to the north including his journey home for at least eight months and a half & served as a private. & his first tour as a substitute at New London I served not less than one month as a private. On the 2nd tour at New London as a substitute I served two months as a private. Under the last enlistment which was for three years or during the war, for five months I served as a private and for thirteen months I served as orderly sergeant. Making in all as follows: for one year four months and fifteen days, at least, I served as a private. For not less than one year and one month I served as a sergeant. And for such services I claim a pension.
Samuel Starks

Sworn and subscribed this 22nd day of February AD 1833.
Before me
Geo Scott

Samuel Starks 
Pensioner

Bradford County ss
I James P. Bull Prothonotary of the Court of Common Please of the County of Bradford do certify that Burr Ridgeway before whom the within affidavit purports to have been taken and George Scott before whom the above additional statement of Samuel Starks purports to have sworn & subscribed each and both now are and at the time of taking such affidavit were acting Justice of the Peace duly commissioned & sworn and that I am well acquainted with the hand writing of said Justices and verily believe the above & foregoing signatures purporting to be theirs respectively to be genuine. Witness my hand and seal of office this 22nd day of February 1833.
For J. M. Bull Prot
E. S. Goodrich Dep.