Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 4578, for Thomas Leedom, Pennsylvania
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(3 - 1776)
SERVICE
Penn.
Leedom, Thomas
NUMBER
S. 4578
carded
CONTENTS
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Ohio, 13.326.
Thomas Leedom of Muskingum in the State of Ohio, who was a Sergeant in the Company commanded by Captain Humphries of the Regiment commanded by Col. Harman in the Pennsylvania line for two years
$120.00
Inscribed on the Roll of Ohio at the rate of 120 Dollars 00. Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 26th day of June, 1833 and sent to Silliman and Stettson, Zanesville, Ohio.
Arrears to the 4th of March 1883. $240.00
Semi-annual allowance ending 4 Sept 1833. $60.00
$300.00.
Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832.
Recorded by Wm. R. Palmer, Clerk
Book E, Vol. 8. Page 15
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Pension application
Thomas Leedom
20198
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal of Office this 10th day of May, AD 1833
Jno. Willson, Jr. Clerk
Please to divert communications to Silliman & Stetson, attorneys for Thomas Leedom, Zanesville, Ohio
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The State of Ohio Muskingum County ss.
On this 26th day of October 1832 personally appeared before the Judges of the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio for the County of Muskingum, aforesaid Thomas Leedom, a resident of Richhill Township in said County of Muskingum, aged Seventy-eight years, who first being duly sworn according to law 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 as a Sergeant in the army of the United States at Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he then resided in the sixth Regiment of the Pennsylvania line in the Company of which Jacob Humphries was Captain and John Humphries Ensign in said Regiment, was at that time commanded by the 2d Colonel Josiah Harmer. Major Talbot, (the 1st Colonel McGaw having been taken prisoner at Fort Washington, did not join the Regiment while declarant served). Declarant enlisted for the term of three years, sometime in the month of March 1777, and proceeded to Philadelphia where he remained in barracks two or three weeks and then marched to Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and soon after joined the army under the command of General Conway in Jersey. Declarant was at the Skirmish at Short Hills in Jersey, at the battle of Brandywine and Monmouth and at the storming of Stoney Point. Declarant, during the latter part of his term of service, was in the army under the command of General Wayne and after serving about one month more than his term of enlistment as Sergeant, he was regularly discharged at Forkeys Hollow in Jersey and received a written discharge dated the 8th day of April 1780, signed by Major Talbot who then commanded the Regiment (Col. Harmer having been appointed Deputy Inspector General), which discharge has been lost. Declarant hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and he declared that his name is not on the
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pension Roll of any agency in any State.
Sworn to and subscribed in open Court the day and year aforesaid.
Jno. Willson, Jr., Clerk
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and served as he states.
I, John Willson, Jr., Clerk of the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio for the County of Muskingum aforesaid, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceeding of the said Court in the matter of the application of Thomas Leedom for a pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this 26th day of October 1832.
Thomas Leedom
(Thomas Leedom signed the above by mistake in the wrong place)
Jno. Willson, Jr Clerk
I, John Willson, Jr, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and Supreme Court of the County of Muskingum, Ohio, hereby certify that the foregoing declaration was signed by Thomas Leedom in the blank left for my name, by mistake, that the foregoing certificate in my name
at Clerk was duly signed and sealed by me as clerk of the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio for the County of Muskingum aforesaid.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal of Office this 10th day of May, AD 1833
Jno. Willson, Jr, Clerk
Pension Application
Thomas Leedom
Please to divert communications to Silliman & Stetson, attorneys for Thomas Leedom, Zanesville, Ohio
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No. 20198
Thomas Leedom
Muskingum County
State of Ohio
13326
look or Pension Roll
not
Adm 2 years as Sergeant
Silliman & Stetson
Attorneys for Thomas Leedom
Zanesville, Ohio
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WAR DEPARTMENT
Pension Office,
Sir:
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has been examined, and the papers are herewith returned. The following is a statement of your case in a tabular form. On comparing these papers with the following rules, and the subjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed. The notes and the regulations will show what is necessary to be done. Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: }). You will, when you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and you will, by complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim.
A Statement, showing the Service of Thomas Leedom, Muskingum County, Ohio
Period when the service was rendered.   Enlisted 1777   Duration of the claimant's service.  3 Years.    Rank of the claimant.  Sergeant   Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. Capt. Jacob Humphries  Ensign John Humphries  Names and Rank of the General and Field Officers.  Col. Josiah Harmer  Major Talbot   Gen’l Conway  Gen’l Wayne   Battles in which the applicant was engaged  Brandywine  Monmouth  Stoney Point   Country through which he marched.  To Philiad’a  New Town  Bucks Co. Pa.  Jersey    Place of abode when he entered the service, and age at the present period.  78 years Bucks Co. Pennsylv’a   Evidence by this the declaration is supported.  Living Witness 
I am, respectfully,      
Your obedient servant,           
J L EDWARDS,                    
Commissioner of Pensions.
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REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army, and to include under the terms "Continental Line," "State troops," "militia," and "volunteers," all persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service, but not those who were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to Store Keepers, &c. Teamsters, Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of Private Armed Vessels are also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
1. The Regular Troops.
2. The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.
3. Persons employed in the Naval service.
4. Indian Spies.
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons, claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians or privates, will in the first instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is considered a Court of Record.
DECLARATION.
In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of [blank]
County of [blank] ss.
On this day of   personally appeared (a) before       A.B. a resident (b) of       in the county of          and State, Territory or District of         aged (c)        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 provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7th, 1832. That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d)        , with     and served in the           (e) regiment of the                   line, under the following named officers:
(Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company Officers; the time he left the service; (and if he served under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers;) the town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged, and the country through which he marched. This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]
He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, or (if any) only on that of the Agency in the State of             .
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.                    A. B.
(And then will follow the certificate of the Court.)
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
I              of the Court of                         do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of            for a pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this             day of          & c.
If, on examination of the proper record the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the State Troops, Volunteers or Militia, except those who belonged to the New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia, will make and subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing, with the following additions, viz:
(k) We, A. B., a Clergyman, residing in the         and C.D. residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with             , who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be              years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
(And then will follow the certificate of the Court.)
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 A. B.                 who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the                     and that C.D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the                        and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
1,                   Clerk of the Court of                   do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of              for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this       day of         &c.
Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if possible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot be found, the applicant will so state in his declaration (l) and he will also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person
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will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case. The facts stated will afford one of the principal means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected. All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County, in which they reside, and there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declarations above provided, according to the nature of his case.
The Court will propound the following (m) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State troops of Virginia.
1. Where and in what year were you born?
2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war, and where do you now live?
4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute? And if a substitute, for whom?
5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.
6. {To a Soldier:} Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given and what has become of it? {To an Officer:} Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what has become of it?
7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
The Court will see that he answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court, without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons -one of whom should be the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion. If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify, to the character and standing of other persons, giving such certificates.
The traditionary evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the enquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, which the Court is herein requested to perform, and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or by a Justice of the peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.
(a) The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow the rule laid down for his guidance.
(b) The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not conforming to the rule.
(c) The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
(d) The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
(e) Every continental officer or solider must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the claim cannot be had. Every clamant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, 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 the best of his recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades: For       year        months, and         days, I served as a              . For            months and           days, I served as a           ; and for such service I claim a pension."
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months, is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years in the militia, &c without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil pursuit.
(f) The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
(g) The opinion of the Court is always required.
(h) The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
(i) The Clerk must affix his seal, and if no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no public seal of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.
Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
Proof of Service.
(j) In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses, who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
The notes from (a) to (i) are all equally applicable to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule in note (j) applies to continental troops only.
(k) This traditionary evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
(l) If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
(m) The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.
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Rev. War 4578
INVALID.
File No. 4578
Thomas Leedom
Sergeant Rev War
Act: June 7, 1832
Index: --Vol. A, Page 230
[Arrangement of 1870.]
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Thomas Leedom's case
J. VanHorne, Dep.
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The State of Ohio
Muskingum County, SS.
Before me, a Justice of the Peace for said County, personally appeared Isaac Van Horne, who being duly sworn according to law doth depose and say that he, deponent, had some knowledge of Thomas Leedom about the commencement of the Revolutionary War in the years 1775 and 1776, that the said Leedom at that time resided about eight or nine miles from deponent's residence, that deponent entered the army as an ensign and was taken prisoner at Fort Washington November 1776 and did not regain his rank and place in the Regiment (the sixth Pennsylvania Regiment) until the autumn of the year 1778 and of course knows nothing of said Leedom's service prior to that time. Deponent, when he rejoined his Regiment, found said Leedom in the service as a Sergeant in Capt. Jacob Humphries' Company in said sixth Regiment of the Pennsylvania line, commanded previous to the surrender of Fort Washington by Col. McGaw, and at that time, by Col. Josiah Harmer. Between that time and the time of his discharge, deponent frequently met with said Sergeant Leedom and particularly at the storming and capture of Stoney Point on the North River under Gen. Wayne. From the general character of said Leedom for integrity and veracity, deponent has full confidence in his declaration relative to the time stated by him as being engaged in the Revolutionary war. During his residence in this County, he has sustained a good character as far as deponent knows.
I. Van Horne
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 24th day of October AD 1832 and I also certify that said deponent is a man of respectability whose testimony is entitled to full credit.
Thomas Flood [Seal]
Justice of the Peace
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The State of Ohio
Muskingum County, SS.
I, John Willson, Jr., Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of said County of Muskingum, do hereby certify that Thomas Flood, before whom the within deposition was taken, was at the time of taking the same, a Justice of the Peace of said County of Muskingum, duly commissioned and qualified.
In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my name and seal of office on this fifth day of November AD 1832. at Zanesville.
Jno. Willson Jr. Clerk
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Zanesville, 11th May 1833
Sir,
Herewith, you will receive the Pension Application and papers of Ballan Tittarick, John Slack and Thomas Leedom. The corrections suggested in the accompanying circular have been made as far as the same were practicable. Please address communications to Silliman & Stetson, Zanesville, Ohio.
Very Respectfully,
Your Obedient Servant,
Chas. Stetson
Hon. J.L. Edwards