Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 29796, William Files, Mass
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Mass        Files, William       S29796
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Maine 11.320
William Files of Cumberland in the State of Maine who was a Prt in the Company commended by Captain McLellan of the Reg commanded by Col. Mitchells in the Massetts [?] Militia
10 Mo Private 33.33
Inscribed in the Roll of Maine at the rate of 33 Dollars 33 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 20th day of April 1833 and sent to J. Mussy, Portand, Me
Arrears to the 4th of March 1833 - 66.66
Semi-annual allowance ending Sept    16.66 
                                                           83.32
Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832
Recorded by J.T. Sprague, Clerk
Book E  Vol. 1   Page 15
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MAINEDISTRICT SS.
At a Special District Court of the United States begun and holden at Gorham, within and for said District of the thirty-first day of July A>D> eighteen hundred and thirty-two before the Honorable Ashur Ware, Judge of said Court.
On this thirty-first day of July aforesaid, personally appeared in open Court before said Judge William Files, a resident of Gorham in the county of Cumberland in said Maine District, aged seventy-one 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 entered the service of the United States under the following officers and served as therein stated:
That in July 1779 at said Gorham he entered into Capt. Alen McLellan's company, Col. Mitchell's Regt. that he march from Gorham to Portland and thence to Bagadues, now Castine, and returned to Portland and there was discharged and returned to Gorham, having served out two months the term for which he enlisted. That he enlisted again in May 1780 in the company commande of Capt.  Andrews in Col. Prim's Regt.  and marched fromTalm. to Thomaston and there joined the fiorces under Gen Wadsworth, and served out the term of eight months for which he enlisted at that place and vicinity, & returned to his home in Gorham where he has ever since resided.  He was born in Gorham, that he has no [?] his age; has always lived in Gorham [rest is unreadable].
he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on any pension roll of any agency in  any State.
William Files
Sworn to and subscribed, this day and year aforesaid. Before Ashur Ware U.S. Judge for the District of Maine.
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And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatives prescribed by the War Department) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and for the County of Cumberland served as he states.
I, John Mussey, Clerk of the District Court of the Unitred States for Maine District, do hereby certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of William Files for a pension. And that David Hayes, Alexander McLellan & Caleb Hodsdon who took the [?] depositions are [?] Justices of the Peace, & that their attestations are entitled to full credit.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said Court, on this thirty-first day of July A.D. one thousand eighthundred and thirty-two.
John Mussey
Clerk of the U. States District Court for the Maine District

Maine District
District Clerk's Office  April 9, 1833
In testimony that David Hayes, Alexander McLellan Caleb Hodsdon & [?] Robie Esquires are Magistrates and that the signatures to the annexed depositions purporting to be theirs are genuine . I have hereto set my hand and seal of Office this day and year last above written .
John Mussey Clerk
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I William Files of Gorham in the County of Cumberland and State of Maine, aged seventy-one years, do testify and say that I was born in said Gorham in the month of August, 1762 as I always understood from my parents but of which I have no record, nor do I know of any record of my age; that I resided in said Gorham at the time of my entering into the revolutionary service, have resided there ever since and now reside there.
William Files
Cumberland [?] March 19, 1833
Then [?] appear the above named William Files  and subscribed and made oath to the truth of the above declaration.
Before me, Toppan Robie, Justice of the Peace

I Thaddeus Pomeroy of Gorham [?], aged 50 years do testify and say that I am well acquainted with William Files, that I believe him to be a man of truth and veracity, and that the above statement by him submitted and all his declarations in relation to his revolutionary services are entitled to the fullest credit, and is generally believed in his neighborhood
Thaddeus Pomeroy

Cumberland [?] March 19, 1833
Then personally appeared the above named Thaddeus Pomeroy, a respectable clergyman settled in the ministry in said Gorham, and subscribed & made oath to the above statement by him subscribed.
Toppan Robie, Justice of the Peace
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I, Nathanial Bacon, of Gorham in the county of Cumberland and state of Maine, aged seventy four years do testify and say that in June or July of 1779 I enlisted at said Gorham, where I then resided, as a privatre soldier in the company commandedc by Capt. Alexander McLellan in Col Mitchell's Regiment that William Files, at that time and now a resident of said Gorham whom I have ever since been acquainted with, enlisted into the same company, marched with me in said company to Portland, then we marched to Bagaduce, now Castine, there remained as near as I can recall about four weeks, then marched back to Portland and served out the term for which we enlisted for two months, and then were discharged and we returned to our homes. The said Files was with me during the whole of said time. As to his other revolutionary services I have no particular knowledge. 
Nathaniel x [his mark] Bacon
Cumberland [?] March 19, 1833
Then appeared Nathaniel Bacon (a man known to me to be of the strictest veracity and a man of truth) and subscribed and made oathto the abve statement by him made.
Before me Toppan Robie, Justice of the Peace
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I, Isaac Libby of Baxton in the county of Cumberland in State of Maine aged 68 years, and I, Joel Harmon of said Baxton aged seventy years do [?] testify and say that in this year 1980 in the month of May we both enlisted as privates in the company commanded by Capt. Jonathan Andrews of Scarborough in said state of Maine (we at that time being inhabitants of said town of Scarborough) and then marched to Falmouth and were there inspected, and then marched to Thomastown where we arrived and joined the forces under the command of General Peleg Wadsworth. At trhe same time that we enlisted into said company, William Files, then and now of Gorham, also enlisted into the same company and marched with us to said Falmouth and then to said Thomastown. Remaining at Thomastown as nearly as we can recollect two or three weeks, the said Andrews company to which we, the said Isaac Libby and Joel Harmon, and the said Wm Files belonged, was divided , a part of it remaining at said Thomastown, and a part of it with its officers marched to Camden. We, the said Libby and Harmon went to Camden with said officers and the said Files remained with a part of said Company at said Thomastown. We, the said Libby and Harmon with a part of said company remained at said Camden till about the 12th of August in said year 1780. We then marched to Machi[?] and joined the forces under Col Allen  and was there until about the middle of October, and then we the said Libby and Harmon under Enoch Frost, the Lieutenant of sasid company marched to Frenchman's Bay and there served out our full term of eight months for which we enlisted, and was there dismissed. After we were discharged, we immediately returned to Thomastown where we found the said William Files and that part of our company which we had left there, which having served out the said term of eight were also discharged, and we, the said Libby and Harmon together with the said Files returned to our several homes in the month of January 1781. We further testify and say that we not only know that the said Files enlisted and served out the said term of his enlistment, but that we have ever since been well acquainted with him and know that he is the identical William Files who served as above he now being in our presence. 
Isaac Libby
John X (his mark) Harmon
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Cumberland [?] March 26, 1833
Then personally appeared the witness named Isaac Libby and Joel Harmon (both known to me to be persons of undoubted truth and veracity) and made oath to the truth of the written statement by them subscribed.
Before me Toppan Robie -- Justice of the Peace
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BA-J/AWF
William Files 
S. 29796

The Quartermaster General
Memorial Branch
War Department
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

Reference is made to your request for information in regard to William Files, private in the Massachusetts troops, War of the Revolution, died March 21, 1823 in Gorham, Maine. 

The data furnished herein were obtained from papers on file in claim for pension, S. 29796, based on the military service of William Files in the Revolutionary War. This is the record of the only William Files or File found on file in the Revolutionary War records of this office.

William Files was born in the month of August, 1762 in Gorham, Cumberland County, Massachusetts (District of Maine). The names of his parents were not given.

While a resident of said Gorham, William Files enlisted sometime in June or July of 1779, served two months as a private in Captain Alexander McLellan's company, Colonel Mitchell's Massachusetts regiment, and was in the expedition to Bagaduce. He enlisted sometime in May, 1780, served eight months as private in Captain Jonathan Andrews' company, Colonel Joseph Prime's Massachusetts regiment.

He was allowed pension on his application
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executed July 31, 1832, at which time he was living in Gorham, Maine where he had lived always.

Samuel Files was seventy-three years of age in 1832 and living in Gorham, Maine, and James Files was sixty-six years old in 1833 and a resident of Gorham; they both stated they were well acquainted with the soldier, William Files, during the Revolutionary War, no relationship shown.

The papers on file in this claim contain no further discernible data relative to family.

The application for headstone for William Files is returned herewith. There was no correspondence enclosed.

Very truly yours

A.D. Hiller
Executive Assistant 
to the Administrator
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executed July 31, 1832, at which time he was living in Gorham, Maine, where he had lived always. 
Samuel Files in 1832 was seventy-three years of age and living in Gorham, Maine, and James Files in 1833 was sixty-six years and a resident of Gorham; they both stated that they were well acquainted with the soldier, William Files, during the War of the Revolution
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29796
Recy INVALID
File No, 29796
William File
[illegible] Mass

Act: June 7th 32
Index: --  Vol. 2  Page 188
"[Arrangement of 1870.]"

1938 - Sept. 16 - [illegible] to memo Br. Aug
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Frce
Hon. Lewis Cass
Secretary War
Washington 

[postmark] Portland  ME APR [day/year not visible]

Apl 16 [written near postmark]
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I Thomas Maybury of Westbrook in the County of Cumberland & State of Maine aged seventy two do testify and say that I was a soldier in the revolutionary war in Col. Primes Regiment in Massachusetts from May 1780 to Jan (January abbreviated) 1781 and that I know William Files now of Gorham in said County was also a soldier in the same regiment of Capt. Andrews company during the same
Tho (Thomas abbr.) Maybury

State of Maine
Cumberland July 30th 1832 Then personally appeared the above named Thomas Maybury (a man known to me to be respectful for truth and veracity) and made oath to the truth of the above statement by him subscribed
Before me David Hayes Justice of the Peace
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I Samuel Files of Gorham, county of Cumberland, and state of Maine, aged seventy three years do testify and say that I well know William Files of Gorham aforesaid, and know that he was a private in Capn Alexander M Lollans company. of Coln Mitchells Regiment, of G[illegible] state of Massachusetts, and that I served with him of the Revolution and that I served two months in his company, of which I was also a Private. it was the time that was then called the [illegible] defeat. 
Samuel Files
Gorham July 26rd 1832

Cumberland  July 26 1832
Personally offered, the above named Samuel Files, a person well known to me and who I believe {to?] be a person of truth and of undoubted veracity and made oath that this above statement by him  [illegible] is strictly true.
Before me
Alexander M Lollan
Justice of Peace
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10m Files
10746
PD

Admitted 10 mo's
33.33

J. Mussey Esq.
Portland Maine
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I Isaac Irish of Gorham in the County of Cumberland State of Maine aged sixty nine do testify and say that I knew William File in Cap Arches [or Andres] Company and Col Joseph Binns Reg[.] in the State of Massachusetts servis in the Revolutionary War in the year 1780 said File was in the company when I joined the company in August and was there untill January 1781. I know that said Files enlisted in May 1780 [signed] Isaac Irish 

State of Maine 
Cumberland July 27 1832 then personally appeared Isaac Irish above named (a man known to me of truth and varacity) and made solemn oath to the truth of to the above statement by him sub[illegible] 
Before me
Caleb Hodsdon Justice of the Peace
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I Uriel Whitney of North Yarmouth in the County of Cumberland State of Maine aged Seventy four do testify and say that I well knew William Files a private in Capt Alexander McLellens Company in State of Massachusetts servis in the time of the Revolution[.] I know that said Files served two months in said company I served in the same company it was the time of what was then called
the Penobscot Defeat
[signature] Uriel Whitney

State of Maine
Cumberland Co July 24th 1832 Personally appeared Uriel Whitney (a man well known to me by common report to be a man of truth and varasity) and made solemn oath to the truth of the above statement 
Before me
Caleb Hodsdon Justice of the Peace

I hereby certify that the above named deponent Uriel Whitney formerly of the town of Gorham, now of North-Yarmouth, in the State of Maine, is a person well known
to me as sustaining a character for truth and veracity - that the above named Justice, Caleb Hadsdon Esq has removed into the town of Gorham since the said Whitney left, and therefore is not probably acquainted with him
Gorham April 9 1833 Toppan Robie, Justice of the Peace
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I Joseph Files of Gorham in the County of Cumberland aged sixty six years do testify and say that I knew William Files then and know of Sorham that said William Files turned out as a volunteer and enlisted in Capt Andrus Company in the year 1779 in the month of April - a few days afterwards I went with said William to Falmouth now Westbrack where he joined the remainder of the company and there I left him. I know that said William Files returned home the winter following
[signed] Joseph Files

State of Maine
Cumberland & March 22 1883 Personally appeared Joseph Files above named a man known to me of truth and sober habits and made solemn oath to the truth of the above statement
Before me
Caleb Hodsdon Justice of the Peace