Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File B. L. Wt. 1196-100, Ebenezer Welch, Conn.
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(3 - 1776)
SERVICE
Conn.
CONTENTS
Welch, Ebenezer
NUMBER
B.L. Wt. 1196-100
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DEPARTMENT OF WAR.
Regulations for the heirs of Officers and Soldiers of the Revolutionary Army, who were
slain by the enemy, or who have died since the war, and have not received land from
the United States.
By an Act of Congress, of the 16th September, 1776, it is provided, that the Officers and Soldiers who engaged
for, and continued to serve during the war, or until discharged by Congress, and the heirs of such Officers and Soldiers
as shall be slain by the enemy, shall receive land in proportion to their rank.
N. B. Those who engaged for three years, or for any other period than during the war, or who died of sickness,
fatigue, or casualty, are not entitled to land from the United States.
The following declaration (and enclosed blank form of heirship) must be filled up and signed by the proper authorities:
State of Connecticut
County of Fairfield
Town of Sherman July 31st, 1826
daughter and
I Amity Coats daughter and only heir at law of Ebenezer Welch
do, upon oath, testify and declare, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the sd Ebenezer Welch
did enlist in 1776, for the term of during the war, and served in the regiment No. one under the command of Colonel Samuel Wyllys of the United States line; and
that he continued in the service aforesaid until the close & termination of sd War
I further declare, that I have never received a warrant for the bounty land promised to
sd Ebenezer Welch
on the part of the United States; nor do I believe that he ever received it, or transferred his claim
to it in any manner whatsoever: therefore,
Know all men by these presents, that Obadiah Coats & Amity Coats of Sherman aforesaid, do hereby
constitute and appoint Horace M. Shepard Esq.
to be our true and lawful
attorney, for me and in my name to demand and receive from the Secretary of War of the United States, a warrant
for the quantity of Land due to the sd Amity Coats as aforesaid; and our said attorney is hereby fully authorized and empowered to
constitute and appoint one or more substitutes or attorneys under him, for the special purposes above expressed.
Attest,
Amity Coats here x mark
Obadiah Coats here x mark
Eli Beardsley
Horace Hungerford
---
Personally appeared the above named Obadiah Coats & Amity Coats subscribers to the
foregoing declaration, and in my presence acknowledged the power of attorney thereto subjoined to be their free act
and deed, for the purposes therein mentioned.
Attest,
Eli Beardsley Justice of the Peace.

In testimony that the above written Eli Beardsley was a magistrate
authorized to administer oaths, and take acknowledgments, &c., in the State of
Connecticut at
the above date, and that his name there subscribed appears to me to be his usual signature, I have hereunto affixed the
county seal, and subscribed my name and quality, at Sherman this 14
day of August 1826
Jedediah Graves
associate Judge of
Fairfield County Court-
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State of Connecticut ss. Fairfield County
I Thomas B Osborne Clerk of the County Court within
and for the County of Fairfield do hereby certify
that Eli Beardsley is and was on the 14th day
of August AD 1826 & ever since the 1st day of
July AD 1826 has been a Justice of the Peace
in and for said Fairfield County and as such
authorised to administer oaths & take acknowledgement of Deeds in the State of Connecticut & that full
faith & credit is to be given to all his official acts
and that I believe the signature of the sd Beardsley to the
foregoing Certificate on the preceding page is genuine
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my
hand & affixed the seal of sd County Court
in Danbury this 4 day of October AD 1826
Thomas B Osborne
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The heir of priv
Ebenr. Welch
of the Cont. line
Wt No 1196
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Sherman Ct. Dec 9th, 1826
Dear Sir
Several weeks since your honor
returned to me the enclosed papers.
I hope not to weary your patience, but
the mussitous claim of Mrs Coats induces
me to continue to present her claim untill
your honor will decide that it is &
will be legally ineffectual. The papers
enclosed in blanks filled up by myself
& I suppose properly subscribed & as to his
(Welch) 
belonging to the militia as is there stated
I would observe, that strange as it may
appear (& if you require it I will attest
to the fact) that at the time of filling
up sd blank I was utterly ignorant 
of the distinction between the terms "Militia"
& "regular line" but as in common
appellation in this section of the County all
military bodies are styled "Militia", I inserted that word-- but I am happy to
find that his name is enrolled at your
office in the "regular line". If Mrs Coats should
fail of obtaining her claim on that ground
I very much regret to say it would
be justly attributed to my mistake.
One word of importance further - the certificate
of the Judge of Probate is also a blank
filled out by myself & subscribed by him.
The "satisfactory evidence" produced to
him was precisely this-- as attorney for Mrs
Coats I call on two or three persons of high
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rank & standing in this neighborhood
& intimate acquaintance of Judge Williams &
whom I supposed he could rely & asked them
to certify their belief as to Ebenezar Welch's services
in the army. I drew the certificate & again
used the word "militia", they signed it (as they will
testify if required) under the same fallacy that I
wrote it unmindful of the true military
definition of the term "militia". I presented
this certificate to Judge Williams (of Newmisford
a neighboring town) on the strength of
which he subscribed the required "filled
up blank"- That he belonged to the "Regular
line" perhaps you can infer from the 
fact of his name being so enrolled at
your office & his serving "during the war"
- - - 
If Mrs Coats is lawfully entitled to
the bounty land I am confident
you will not exert yourself to dispute
her claim, but I applaud every endeavor
of yours to prevent the practice of fraud.
If affidavits of myself & others concerned
will to your honor's satisfaction correct
my  mistake & if you require it please
keep the enclosed papers & send me
such word & sd affidavits will be forthwith forwarded to you -
Judge Beardsley is a young Justice of Peace
& has never returned any writs to our
County Court so that the Clerk could
not certify as to his handwriting but
as to his office--
By the small certificate attached to one
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of the enclosed papers, I consider the "declaration" of Amity Coats of which you speak 
to be something more than a "declaration"
viz an oath-
I am with respect
H. M. Shepard
Please answer soon-
P.S. I have concluded to retain
the former certificate of Judge Williams
& forward one signed by him to say
that sd WeIch belonged to the "Regular
Line" which I trust will put the
question out of dispute -
sd certificate I have received just as
I was closing this letter -
H. M. S. -
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Warrant No. 1196
Amity Coats heir of E
Welch a private of the Connecticut 
line for 100 acres of
Land
December 20th 1825
and delivered to Wm. M  Stewart
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Fairfield County Sherman August
I certify that I administered the oath req
by the instrument to which this is
to Amity Coats wife of Obadiah Coats
Eli Beardsley Justice
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Probate Office
IS
District of New Milford Dec 12th 1826
This certifies that satisfactory
evidence has been added to in
to prove that Amity Coats of
Sherman in sd District wife of
Obediah Coats is only daughter
& heir at law of Ebenezar Welch 
late a soldier in the revolutionary
war & also that he was of
the regular line of the army &
served during the war -
whereunto I have this day set
my hand & seal of office
---
Jehiel Williams Judge of Probate
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No 1196
Thurman Ct. Jan 2nd, 1827
Dear Sir
I have this day recd
your enclosing a warrant for
Amity Coats land-- She would be
glad to know (if you will take
the trouble to inform) how she
can ascertain precisely where
sd land lies that she may be able
to dispose of it -
Yours
H. M. Shepard
atty at law