Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 5,222, Isaac Abbot, Mass.
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Mass.
Abbot, Isaac
S. 5,222
carded
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Massachusetts 
Isaac Abbotf
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I Benjamin Farnum of Andover in the county of Essex in Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Eighty seventh year of my age, do pose and say that Isaac Abbot of the seven Andover (?), was a Lieutenant in Capt. Ben. Amend Company(in Col. Fryes McCormick) of infantry in the war 117-1775. on the 19th of April 1775, he marched with Capt. Amen company for Concord that when they arrived at (Billinier?), news came that the enemy had returned to Boston, that then he marched with the company to Lexington ton (town) and to Cambridge and about the 19th or 20th of May following he (?) a Lieutenanth Commission signed by Gen. Joseph Warren by order of the Congress, that he was in the battle of Bunker Hill, when he was wounded, and soon fell from loss of blood. He was carried off the field by John Baskin on of many men. He was a good and faithful officer. He served eight months under the aforementioned commission. I have always been acquainted with him. 
Benj. Farnum
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Essex of Andover July 7th, 1833

Then the within named Benjamin Farnum personally approved and made oath to the truth of the within deposition by him inscribed. 
informer: N. Swift, (?)

I certify that the depondant within (?) is a enviable witness. 
N.. Swift.
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And the said Court hereby declares its opinon, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the abovementioned applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies that Nev. Milton Badger, who has signed the preceding Certificate, is a Clergyman resident in Andover, and the said Samuel Merrill, who has also signed the same is a Magistrate resident at Andover and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. 
D.S. White, Judge of Parte 



I, Nathaniel, Lord Junior Register of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex aforesaid, do hereby certify that the foregoing of the original proceedings of the said Courth in the matter of the application of Isaac (Abbot) for a pension. I further certify, that Nathaniel Swift, before whole the (?) affadavit purports to have been taken, is a justice of the peace for said county, and that his name thereto is his genuine signature. 
In testimony I have hereunto set my hand a seal of office this sixteenth day of July, A.D. 1833. 
Nath. Lord jr.
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And the said Court hereby declares its 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 Rev. Milton Badger, who has signed the preceding Certificate, is a Clergyman resident in Andover; and that the said Samuel Merrill, who has also signed the same is a Magistrate resident at Andover, and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. 

D S White, Judge of Probate

I, Nathaniel Lord Junior, Register of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex aforesaid, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Isaac Abbot for a pension. I further certify that Nathaniel Swift, before whom the [illegible] affidavit purports to [illegible] been taken, is a justice of the peace for said county, and that his name thereto is his genuine signature. In testimony, whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this sixteenth day of July, A.D. 1838. 

Nathaniel Lord Jr.
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Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.

STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS: COUNTY OF ESSEX, ss.

On this sixteenth day of July, A. D. 1833, personally appeared in open court, before the Honorable Daniel Appleton White, Judge of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex
aforesaid, now sitting, Isaac Abbot, a resident of Andover, in the County of Essex and State of Massachusetts, aged 88 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 Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832:

That he entered the service of the United States, under the following named officers, and served as herein stated:

On the 19th of April 1775, on being informed that the British troops had gone to Concord. He being the Lieutenant of a company commanded by Capt Benj. Ames in Col. Fryer Regiment he, the Cap. being absent, collected company and marched for Concord on arriving at Billerica, was informed that the troops had returned to Boston he then marched to Lexington, where he saw the bodies of the slain. Then marched to Cambridge, and on the 19th of May following I received a commission "of Lieutenant of the Company in the regiment of Foot Commanded by James Frye Esqr Colonal" signed by Jos. Warner, by and of the Congress, and served eight months under the aforesaid commission, and was in the Battle at Bunker Hill, and did not leave the Fort until the enemy were within six feet of me, then took to my heels, but was soon after wounded, a musket ball passing through my leg - I soon fell from loss of blood, and was carried off the field by John Barker of Cap Farnum's Company and who is
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now an applicant for a Pension, I was discharged by Gen. Washington, who offered me a captain commission if I would continue in the service. The discharge is lost, if other than verbal. The commission I have, by me.

He was born in 1744 at Andover MS, where he has resided ever since, - there is a record of his age in the office of the clerk of said town. He was a volunteer, thinks he had no written discharge. He is known to Rev. Milton Badger and Samuel Merrill Esquire.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

Isaac Abbot

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. 

[...] Judge of Probate

We, Milton Badger a clergyman, residing in Andover aforesaid, and Samuel Merrill, Equire, a magistrate, residing Andover aforesaid, do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Isaac Abbot who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be 88 years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and thus we concur in that opinion.

Milton Badger
Samuel Merrill

Subscribed and sworn to before
[...] Probate
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No. 26009
Isaac Abbot Essex County
Massachusetts 

Lieut S Mor

N. Swift P. Master Andover Massachusetts
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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 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 regulations will show what is necessary to be done. These 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 compling with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim. 

A Statement, showing the service of Isaac Abbot.Essex County Massachusetts

Vol. Apr 1775 | - | 8 | - | Lieut. |Capt Ames, Col Frye | 88 years Andover Massachusetts | [illegible] evidence [illegible] [illegible] certifed credible - papers properly attached - 

Battle at Bunker Hill

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 claim-
ing the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, mucicians 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 } ss.
County of
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 serv-
ed 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 per-
sons 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 days 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 Revo-lutionary 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.
I,             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 commis-
sion; 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
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alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person
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 at-tempted; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be ex-
pected. 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.
To a Soldier.
Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it giv-
en, and what has become of it?
To an Oficer
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 tes-
tify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution.
The Court will see that the 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
inquiry 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 soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the
claim cannot be had. Every claimant 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 it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no pub-
lic 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 wit-
nesses, 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 equally applicable  to the cases of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule is 
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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5222.
INVALID.our
Rev[]
File No. 522222
Isaac Abbott
Lieut Mass [Nots]
_____________
Act: June 7 1832
J
Index: -- Vol. M, Page 1
Arrangement of 1870.]
Isaac Abbot Apr. 25, 1904
Records corrected [G.]
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Andover Ms
July 17th 1833
To the Hon Lewis Cass Secretary at War
Sir
Enlosed is the application
of Lieut Isaac Abbot for a
Pension, when Due Examination
has been had.-please send to me
at this place-
Very Respectfully yours
Obt Servant
Lieut. R.M.
-