Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 43219, Gilbert Watkins, Mass.
Page 1

(8-1776)
SERVICE
Mass.

Watkins, Gilbert

NUMBER
S.43219

CONTENTS
Page 2

14.831
New York
Gilbert Watkins
Caroline in the state of N. York who was a private in the regiment commanded Colonel Brooks of the Massachusetts line, for the term of 3 years. Inscribed on the roll of New York at the rate of Eight dollars per month, to commence the 5th of August 1819. Certificate of Pension issued the 25th of Sept. 1819 and sent to John James Spead, Esq Speedsville N. York.
Arrears to 4th of Sept. 1819 - 27/31 h/30 8.02
Semi-anl. all'ce ending 4 Mar: 1820 42.00
$56.02
Revolutionary claim, Act 18th March, 1818.
Tioga Co'y.
Page 3

Gilbert Watkins Pri.
Col. Brooks's Massachtts Regt
1781 - 3 yrs.
5th Aug. 1819
Admitted
Page 4

Gilbert Watkins of the Town of Caroline in the county of Tioga & State of New York being duly sworn makes the following declaration to obtain the benefit of the Act of the congress of the United States made for the relief of soldiers who served in the Army of the United States in the Revolutionary War & by reason of their reduce circumstances stand in need of the assistance of their Country for support.

That he the said Gilbert Watkins was born in the Town of Natick & county of Middlesex in the State of Massachusetts & in the year 1781, he enlisted into the service of the United States in a Company commanded by Capt. Coburn in the Seventh Massachusetts Regiment then commanded by Col. John Brooks to serve for three years in the Revolutionary War and during the whole time of three years for which he enlisted he faithfully performed his duty as a soldier in said seventh & Fourth Massachusetts Regiment until the thirty first day of December 1783 when he was honorably discharged from the Service of the United States by Major General Knox then commanding the American forces on Hudson River, as will appear by his discharge under the hand of Major General Knox hereunto annexed.  That he is now fifty four or fifty five years old & is afflicted with a severe & incurable disorder which confines him to his Bed & chair & renders him incapable of laboring for his subsistance & by reason of his reduced circumstances & distressing sickness stands in need of assistance from his County for support & now makes application to the Honorable Secretary for the department of War for that purpose- dated at Caroline this 5th day of August 1819.
Gilbert Watkins
State of New York ss County of Tioga
Be it known that on the 5th day of August, one
Page 5

one thousand eight hundred & Nineteen, personally appeared before me Joseph Speed _ one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in & for the county of Tioga & State of New York, the above named Gilbert Watkins to me well known, who made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing declaration, & it appears to my satisfaction from the evidence to me exhibited that the said Gilbert Watkins served in the Revolutionary War against the Common Enemy as stated in said declaration, & is in reduced circumstances & labors under bodily infirmities & stands in need of assistance from his Country for support.
Joseph Speed

John James Speed & Wm. R. Deeland of the county of Tioga & State of New York being duly sworn deposeth & sayth that  they are well acquainted with Gilbert Watkins of said County who hath made the foregoing declaration for the purpose of obtaining a pension for having served as a soldier in the army of the United States in the Revolutionary War, & that said Watkins is afflicted with severe sickness which hath rendered him so infirm as to confine him to his bed & chair & incapable of bodily labours, & is in reduced circumstances, & stands in need of assistance from his Country for support - dated this 5th day of August 1819.
Jn. Ja. Speed
Wm. R. DeLande
Subscribed, & duly sworn to before me the day & date above.
Joseph Speed, One of the Judges for the County of Tioga, State of New York
Page 6

State of New York Tioga County ss
I Thomas Maxwell Clerk of the County of Tioga do hereby certify that Joseph Speed Esquire was on the day of the date of the foregoing Certificate one of the Judges of the Court of Common pleas in and for the said County of Tioga duly commissioned and sworn & authorized by Law to take affidavits. And further that I am acquainted with the handwriting of the said Judge & verily believe that the signature of "Joseph Speeds" affixed to the foregoing affidavit is his own proper handwriting.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said County this 12th day of August 1819.

Tho. Maxwell Ck.
Page 7

State of Michigan county of Kalamazoo ss
On this eighth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and fifty two before me the undersigned , a Justice of the Peace in and for the County & State aforesaid, came James Watkins, who being duly sworn according to Law doth depose & say that he is Fifty-two years old, that he is a resident of Porter Township in the County of Van Buren and State of Michigan, and that his Sister Susan Watkins is also a resident of said Township of Porter aforesaid, and the said Deponent and his Sister Susan Watkins are the sole & only surviving children of Gilbert Watkins, deceased, who died in the then Town of Caroline, County of Tompkins, & State of New York in the month of March AD one thousand Eight hundred and twenty four, and this Deponent further says that Sarah Watkins wife of said Gilbert Watkins was the mother of this Deponent and the said Susan Watkins and that she the said Sarah Watkins died & was buried in the county of Munroe & State of Michigan on the 25th day of December AD 1840, and this deponent further says that his sister  Susan Watkins aforesaid is forty four years of age and is now & has been since her infancy an idiot, incapable of taking care of herself and that she the said Susan is now, and has been for many years past, supported by this deponent: and this deponent further states that his Father Gilbert Watkins resided in the County  of Berkshire in the State of Massachusetts untill the month of March AD 1812 and at that time removed to the then county of Tioga in the State of New York, where he remained untill in the month of March AD 1824, his residence at time of his death , by the [Esection] of a new County of change of county being in the county of Tompkins as aforesaid
Page 8

And this Deponent further says, that his said father Gilbert Watkins, has repeatedly told this Deponent and [divers] other persons in their presence & hearing of this Deponent, that the said Gilbert Watkins was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and that the then said Gilbert Watkins went into said service in  regiment raised in the State of Massachusetts and this Deponent further says that he believes said statements so made as aforesaid by his Father to be true and that he the said Gilbert Watkins served his country faithfully and was honorably discharged from said service, and this Deponent further says that during his boyhood he this Deponent has repeatedly through a series of years, seen in his said Fathers papers seen a paper partly printed & partly written, purporting to be the discharge of Gilbert Watkins aforesaid, from said service aforesaid, and this Deponent, now believes from the representations of his said Father, and from what Deponent recollects as to the Contents of said discharge aforesaid, that his said Father Gilbert Watkins served as a soldier aforesaid for more than three years: (the word "three" interlined before signing & being sworn to) and this Deponent further says that his Father Gilbert Watkins aforesaid during his lifetime, in the county of Berkshire aforesaid and afterwards in the counties of Tioga & Tompkins aforesaid kept in his family Bible a family record, said Record showing as this Deponent believes, correctly, the respective dates of his said Gilbert Watkins & Sarah Watkins births and marriage ("and marriage" interlined before signing) the maiden name of said Sarah Watkins, being also Sarah Watkins, and also the dates of the births of the children of said Gilbert Watkins & Sarah Watkins & the times & dates of the death of some of said children, and this deponent further says that he has made diligent enquiry to procure said family record, but has not been successful and verily believes that said record has been lost or destroyed
Page 9

He makes this declaration in behalf of himself & his Sister Susan Watkins for the purpose of procuring the Bounty Land on such pension allowance as this Deponent and his said Sister Susan Watkins may be entitled to as the only heirs of said Gilbert Watkins deceased, under the Laws of the United States
James Watkins
Sworn to & subscribed before me this Eighth day of April AD 1852, and I hereby Certify that I believe the Statements above made by said James Watkins to be true, having been acquainted with said Watkins for more than ten years past, and I further certify that I believe this said Deponents age to be correctly stated at Fifty two years.
Thaddeus Smith Justice of the Peace

To the Commissioner of Pensions
Washington City
D.C. 
Sir
I have appointed Hezekiah G. Wells of Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, as my Agent & Attorney to transact all business for [me] in connexion with the foregoing application: please address any communication in relation to the same to said Wells. 
James Watkins
Schoolcraft. Kal Co Michigan
April 8th AD 1852
Witness Thaddeus Smith
Page 10

State of Michigan County of Kalamazoo ss
I Amos D Allen Clerk of the Circuit Court in in and for the County and State aforesaid do hereby certify that Thaddeus Smith before whom the foregoing affidavit appears to have been made was at the date thereof an acting Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid duly qualified under the Laws of the State of Michigan to administer oaths and affirmations and that I am well acquainted with the handwriting of said Thaddeus Smith and verily believe the said signature to be genuine. In testimony of all which I have set my hand and the Seal of said Court this 13th day of April AD 1852
Amos D Allen Clerk
Page 11

Kalamazoo County State of Michigan ss
Before me the undersigned a Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid came Titus R Read of Coss County State of Michigan who being duly sworn according to law doth depose and say as follows, I am sixty one years old, I knew Gilbert Watkins for a number of years, prior to his death, I knew him first in the then County of Tioga in the State of New York in the month of March AD 1812, he came to said County from the County of Berkshire in the State of Massachusetts, I was well acquainted with said Gilbert Watkins from said month of March AD 1812 untill in the Spring of the year in the month of March AD 1824 when he died, I was present at said Gilbert Watkins funeral, he was buried on the farm of Lyman Rawson in the Town of Carolina then Tompkins County & State of New York.  said Gilbert Watkins repeatedly told me that he served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War in a Regiment raised in the State of Massachusetts, and the said Gilbert Watkins further placed in the hands of this deponent in the year 1819 or 1820 a discharge showing that said Gilbert Watkins had served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War for more than two years and that he was honorably discharged and this deponent kept said discharge for some three months and then returned the same to said Gilbert Watkins and this deponent further states that he was well acquainted with the family of Gilbert Watkins and that the only surviving children said Gilbert Watkins at the present time, are James Watkins & Susan Watkins
Page 12

now residents of Porter Township in the county of Van Buren in the State of Michigan, and I further state that I have known the members of said Gilbert Watkins family intimately, since the month of March AD 1812 above stated and further this deponent saith not. 
Titus R. Read
Sworn & subscribed before me this 22nd day of March AD 1852
Thaddeus  Smith Justice of the Peace

State of Michigan County of Kalamazoo ss
I Amos D Allen Clerk of the Circuit Court in and for the County and State aforesaid do hereby certify that Thaddeus Smith whose name appears to the foregoing affidavit was at the date thereof an acting Justice of the Peace in and for the County aforesaid, duly qualified under the Laws of the State of Michigan to administer oaths and affirmations, and that I am well acquainted with the handwriting of said Thaddeus Smith and verily believe the foregoing signature to be genuine. In testimony of which I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said Court this 13th day of April AD 1852
Amos D Allen Clerk
Page 25

No 14.699
Sarah Watkins dec
Wid of Gilbert 
Mich
 H.G. Wells July 29 1852
11196
Act July 7 1838
Page 26

43219
INVALID.
Revy
File NO. 43.219
Gilbert Watkins
Pri Rev War
Act: 18 March 18
Index:- Vol. 3, Page 535 
Arrangement of 1870
1928 - Feb 8 - Histo to Esther Bosworth [Ewf]