Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 7857, Benjamin West, Md.
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(3 - 1776)

SERVICE  NUMBER
Md.   West, Benjamin  S. 7857

CONTENTS        Carded
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11.49182

Maryland

Benjamin West

of Baltimore Co. in the State of Maryland
who was in the Company commanded
by Captain Banning of the Reg commanded
by Col Bannon in the Maryland Militia

22 Mo Private 73.33

Inscribed on the Roll of Maryland
the rate of 73- Dollars  33 - Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 3d day of May
1833 - and Sent to - Pensioner, Baltimore, Md

Arrears to the 4th of March 1832 - 146.66
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sept. 36.66
183.37

Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832.

Recorded by Book
J. T. Sprague Clerk,
Vol. 5 Page 162
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State of Maryland
City of Baltimore  } to wit

On the 17th day of November 1832 Personally appearedin open Court, before the Honourable the Chief Judge of Baltimore
City Court now sitting (being a Court of Record) Benjamin West resident of said Baltimore City, aged Seventy three years or thereabouts 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 in Congress passed June 7. 1832. That he served in the Militia of the State of Maryland during the Revolutionary War in a Company of Infantry Commanded by Captain Henry Banning in Talbot County in said State, that to the best of his present recollection he served as aforesaid about two Summers that he left the Militia and enlisted and served on board the Barges then in service for the defence of the Chesapeake Bay, that the Barges were commanded by Commodore Grissum (or Greyson) that during the time he served on board the Barges, they had various engagements with the enemy in the last of which the Commander, Grissum or Greyson was killed, and himself with many others taken prisoners by the British and carried to Hughes Island in the Chesapeake Bay, then in their possession, and shortly after was permitted to leave there on parole when he returned to his home in Talbot County aforesaid, that he does not recollect how long he served on board the Barges before he was taken Prisoner, but believes it was about two months, that after the conclusion of the War
he went to Annapolis, in said State and there received a small part of the pay he considered due him for the before mentioned services, and he verily belives he is the Identical Benjamin West, named in the Certificate hereunto annexed signed "George G Brewer, Regr 2d off W. S. M. and that the sum of money
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mentioned in said Certificate is the same he received as before mentioned - he also says he does not know any person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services, except Eleanor Seamour his sister a few years younger than himself. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is only on the Pension roll list of the State of Maryland, for the payment to him of Forty dollars per annum - at the same time also appeared in open Court the above named Eleanor Seamour aged Sixty one years or thereabouts who being first duly sworn according to Law doth depose and declare that she remembers that her Brother Benjamin West (above named) was in the Militia service during the Revolutionary War, and was absent from his home on that duty (as well as she can now recollect) two summers that he afterwards went into the Barge service in the Chesapeake Bay where (she understood and verily believes) he was taken prisoner by the British, and was absent from his home six to eight months, and when he did return was wounded in the Head and arm, she does not recollect the years in which the before mentioned services were rendered, being at the time very young.

Questions put by the by the Court to the above named Benjamin West and his answers -
Q. Where and in what year were you born
A. I do not know the year, believes he was born in Talbot County in the State of Maryland
Q. Have you any Record of your age and if so where is it
A. He never had any record of my age
Q. Where were you living when called into service where have you lived since the Revolutionary War, and where do you now live

A
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A. I lived in Talbot County in the State of Maryland, when I entered into the service, lived these many years after the War, and of late years have lived in the City of Baltimore-
Q. How were you called into service were you drafted, did you Volunteer or were you a Substitute, and if a Substitute for whom
A. I was ordered as my neighbours were into the Militia by the Militia officers and served as I have stated before, I then enlisted in the Barge Service that one of the Militia officers was named Skinner, then a Lieutenant
afterwards a Captain
Q. 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 service -
A. I have no recollection of the names of any other officers but Capt Banning and Lieut Skinner, the Company of Militia, in which I served was generally stationed on the borders of the Chesapeake Bay and Choptank River, for the protection of that part of the Country, the Barges in which I served, were employed in protecting the Chesapeake, that in the engagement in which I was taken prisoner the commander whose name was Grisum or Greyson was killed-
Q. State the names of the persons to whom you are known in your present neighbourhood and who can testify to your character for veracity and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution-
A. I do not know any person who can testify to my having been a soldier of the Revolution, I live near Federal Hill in the City of Baltimore and in the employ of Mrs. Watchman & Bratt, and believe they or any other of my neighbours would testify to my veracity 


Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open Court
Benjt (X - his mark) West  Eleanor ( X - her mark) Seamour

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and putting the Interrogatories prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and served as he he States - and the Court further certifies that it appears to
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to them that Eleanor Seamour who has signed the preceeding deposition a resident of the City of Baltimore is a creditable person and that her
statement is entitled to credit -

N Brice Chief Judge

I William M. Medcalfe Clerk of Baltimore City Court, do hereby Certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Benjamin West for a pension - In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
seal of my office this seventeenth day of November in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred & thirty two -

WM Medcalfe
Baltimore City Court

Benjamin West
N. 22734
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Land Office; Annapolis, October 10th 1832.

I certify that it appears by a list of balances due the Officers and men of the Barges, for the defence of the Chesapeake Bay, that Benjamin West, received Lb. 7, 4. on the 7th of January 1785.

George G. Brewer
Reg. of Land Office W. S. Md. 

NB. The Register deems the above to be sufficient evidence, that the applicant had been in the service of the United States during the
Revolutionary War.

G. G. B.

Balt 17th Nov 1832
The Clerk is directed to attach this paper to the deposition as part of the evidence of Benjamin West claim on the government for a pension

N Price, CJ
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REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS SECTION. 3-525
S.F. 1857

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BUREAU OF PENSIONS.
Washington, D. C. , _____________ 19__

In reply to your request of ________ received for a statement of the military history of Benjamin West a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired formation as contained in his (or his widow's) application for pension on file in this Bureau.

DATES OF ENLISTMENT OR APPOINTMENT.   [check mark}

LENGTH OF SERVICE. 18 mos

RANK. Pvt

OFFICERS UNDER WHOM SERVICE WAS RENDERED.  Jeremiah Banning
CAPTAIN. Henry Banning
COLONEL.
STATE. Md

Then left the militia & served about two months on board the barges, that defended Chesapeake Boy commanded by Commodore Grissum or Gougeon was in various engagements, names not stated, wounded in the head & arm & was taken prisoner & carried to Hughes Island, Chesapeake Bay and was a prisoner not less than two months


Battles engaged in,

Residence of soldier at enlistment, Talbot County Md.

Date of application for pension, Nov 17. 1832. His cl. was al.

Residence at date of application, Baltimore, Md.

Age at date of application, "about 73 years" born in Talbot Co. Md.

Remarks. In 1832 his sister Eleanor Seamour was 61 years old, there is no other data on file as to his family and this is the only Soldier of that name and Service, and in the Rev. War Records this Bureau.

Respectfully,
Commissioner.

Sister Eleanor Seamour
5 -- 2856
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State of Maryland
City of Baltimore

On the twenty fifth day of April in the year Eighteen hundred and thirty three personally appeared before me the undersigned one of the Associate Judges of Baltimore City Court

Benjamin West, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he served in the militia of the State of Maryland during the Revolutionary War, as a private in a Company of Infantry Commanded by Captain Henry Banning in Talbot County in the State aforesaid that said Company was a part of a Regiment, commanded by Colonel Jeremiah Banning that he served in said Company in the County aforesaid two whole Summers and part of one to winter, guarding the settlement against the depredations of the British, that afterwards he left the Militia and enlisted as a private in the Barge service, then employed in the protection of the Chesapeake Bay and the adjacent country, that the Barges were commanded by Commodore Greyson or Grason, that during the time he served on board the Barges, they had frequent engagements with the enemy in the last of which the Commodore was killed, and deponent himself was badly wounded in the Head and arm, and with many others taken prisoner by the British and carried to Hughes Island in the Chesapeake Bay then occupied by them, and some time after was permitted to leave there on parole, - deponent further saith, that being very illiterate, never having learned to lead or write, he could not make any Record or memorandum, and therefore does not know the particular years, in which he served and 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


22
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the best of his recollection he served in the militia as a private under Captain and Colonel Banning not less than Eighteen months and
served as a private in the Barges under Commodore before he was made prisoner not less than two months, and was a prisoner not less than two months, and that for such service he claims a pension -

Sworn to before me W.G.D. Worthington
Asst Judge of Baltimore City Court

Benjamin (X - his mark) West


I, Wm Medcalfe Clerk of Baltimore City Court do hereby that W.G.D. Worthington before whom the foregoing deposition was made and who has subscribed his name thereto is one of the Associate Judges of Baltimore City Court. -- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court this twenty fifth day of April in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and thirty three 

Wm Medcalfe Clerk 
Baltimore City Court
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7857
INVALID.

File No. 7857

Benjamin West
Prv Rev War
---
Act: June 7th 32
Index: -- Vol. A, Page 398
[Arrangement of 1870.]

1917 Oct. 8 Hist to Wm M. Henson
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One 2c stamp & env rec'd
Stmpd, and retd O Revs
Schell City, Mo. Oct. 3-17

U.S. Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C

Dear Sir - Will you kindly inform me if Benjamin R. West a Revolutionary soldier, was a pensioner? In the early years of the nineteenth century he lived in Harford County, Maryland, but spent his last years with his daughter, Mrs. Amanda
Beverage, of the old
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Washington House in Washington D.C.

I am seeking proof of my eligibility to membership in the D.A.R. and any assistance you can give me will be gratefully received.

Yours very Truly
(Miss) Anna M. Hendon
Schell City
Mo.
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$73.33/per annum

The Honble
The Secretary of War
Washington City