Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R., for Jacob Johnson, New Jersey
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(8-1776)
SERVICE New Jersey
Johnson, Jacob.
NUMBER R. V
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State of Indiana
Elkhart Co.
On this twenty first day of May A.D. 1833 personally appeared in open court, before the President and Associate Judges of the Circuit Court of the county of Elkhart, now sitting, Jacob Johnson, a resident of the county and stated aforesaid, aged Seventy years, who being past 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 7th 1832: that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated.  General Dickison, Captain Adam Hope, Lieut. Jacob Simmons, Orderly Sergeant John Middleswant; that he resided at the time of entering said service in Reading township, Huntington County, State of New Jersey, that he entered as a [illegible] That he served five month in Elizabethtown, and six months at Minissing at both periods under the same officers; that he formerly had in his possession two furloughs and two discharges, which would have been useful in establishing his claim, had they not shared the fate of his house, which was consumed by fire near Hamilton, Ohio.  He herby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is no on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.  
Thomas Thomas [Illegible]

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 war solder and served as he stated. 

G.A. [Illegible] [Ilegible]
Judge of the 8th Judicial
Circuit
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I, Thomas Thomas Thomas, Clerk of the Elkhart Circuit Court, do herby certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said court in the matter of the application of Jacob Johnson for a pension.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this twenty first day of May, A.D. 1833.
Thomas Thomas, Clerk [Illegible]

We, James Dorman, John Carey, and James Middleton of the county aforesaid herby certify that we are well acquainted with Jacob Johns, who has [Illegible] the above declaration; that we believe him to be Seventy years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier in the revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.

his
James X Dorman
mark

his
John X Carey
mark

James Middleton

I hereby certify that the above named James Dorman and James Middleton are entitled to full credit and belief.
Thomas Thomas Clerk

I hereby certify that there is no minister of the gospel in the vicinity of the residence of the above named applicant, Jacob Johnson, who is acquainted with the said Johnson.
Thomas Thomas Clerk
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28.805
Jacob Johnson
Indiana
d.c

Hon. J. [illegible}
H.R.
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Sir:
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1932, 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 point to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margins with a brace, (thus: }).  You will, when  your 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 you [Illegible.]

A Statement, showing the Service of Jacob Johnson

Duration of the claimed service.  6 months
Rank of the claimant. Pr.
Name and rank of the Field officers under whom he served.  Capt Hope

Duration of the claimed service. 6 month
Rank of the claimant. Pr.
Names and rank of the Field officers under who he served. Col Hope

The applicant should give a particular statement of his services under his two engagements, and the periods when the service was performed.  It is only for the time that he was in actual service that an allowance can be made.
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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, etc. Teamsters, Boatmen, etc.. 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
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 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 to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officer 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.

[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 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.

I, _____ , Clerk of the Court of
do hereby certify that the foregoing
contains the original proceedings of the said Court, 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
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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 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. Di you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed and what has become of if.
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 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 [illegible] very important, in the absence 
of any direct proof except the declaration of the party. [illegible] Courts are requested to be very particular in the [illegible] whether the belief is general, and [illegible] doubts have ever existed upon the subject.

Applicants unable to appear in Court, by [illegible] bodily infirmity, may make the declaration [illegible] required, and submit to the examination, before 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, etc. A.B. W
who, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that, by reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively 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 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] The 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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May 4, 1939

BA-J/ady
Jacob Johnson
R. Rev. War.

Mr. George C. Ingling
119 North Seventh Avenue
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Dear Sir:
The data contained herein were obtained from the papers on file in the Revolutionary War claim for pension, R, Based up the military service of Jacob Johnson in that war.

the date and place of birth and names of parents of Jacob Johnson are not shown.

Jacob Johnson applied for pension May 21, 1833, at which time he was aged seventy years, and a resident of Elkhart County, Indiana.  he stated that while a resident of Reading township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, he enlisted, date no given, and serviced six month as private in Captain Adam Hope's New Jersey Company and that he again enlisted and served six months as private in Captain Adam Hope's New Jersey Company and that he was discharged shortly before the battle of Springfield. 

His claim for pension was not allowed as he failed to furnish proof of his services as required by the pension laws.  

The date and place of his death are not given.

There are no family data.

Very truly yours
A.D Hiller
Executive Assistant to the Administrator
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Jacob Johnson
Indiana
Suspended
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1852 Printed book of Rejected and Suspended Pensions gives Reasons for suspension "for further proof."
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3-871
RECORD OF DIVISION
Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF PENSIONS
Briefed by Marion B. Hudson
Claim No. _ _ _ _ _
Certificate No. _ _ _ _ _
Claimant Jacob Johnson
Soldier Capt. Adam Hope's co
Service New Jersey
Additional Service (residence N.J. m 1833)
No _ _ _ _ _ claim, State records _ _ _ _ _, 191
No claim, combination records _ _ _ _ _, 191

REMARKS:
No O. W. [Illegible] or O.W. [Illegible]
As above
Papers found in claim of Jacob Johnson alias Isaac Baker.
N.J. service R. 415
Confidential

6-1944  Chief Division.
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Hon. Judge [Illegible]
27 Dec. 1834
O.C.

3

Record. Vol. [Illegible] 274
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War Dept. [Illegible] Officer
Dec. 27, 1836

Sir,
The declaration of Jacob Johnson has been again [illegible.] His statement is still unsatisfactory.  The militia of new Jersey did not perform a continuous service for more than one month.  If therefore the applicant performed [illegible]  only two tours (of service crossed out) it is very doubtful whether he was in service long enough to entitle him to the benefit of the act of 7th June, 1832.  [Illegible] it can be (shown to the satisfaction crossed out) more satisfactorily shown that he was in service six months altogether his claim to a pension cannot be allowed.  The paper will be place on files with suspended cases.
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State of Indiana
Elkhart County

Elkhart Circuit Court
September [illegible], 1834

Be it remembered that on this thirtieth day of September, c A.D, 183[illegible,] personally appeared in open court Jacob Johnson,  a resident of said county, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following amended declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by act of Congress passed June 7th 1834.  That by reason of age and consequent loss of memory he is unable to recollect concise particulars connected with his service, he does not recollect the year in which the services were performed, only that it was towards the close of the war.  He thinks that 
he was discharge before the battle at Springfield took place.  Just that he cannot recollect the name of the colonel, under whom he served.  Where this officiant served, there were no regular troops, but that he belonged to the six months men; that at Elizabethtown he was engaged in watching the British who were encamped on the opposite shore on Staten Island, that at Minissing he was engaged in guarding the {ineligible]; that he was in actual service during the whole of the two periods referred to; that at the end of the first six months he left Elizabethtown at the setting in of winter and went home, where he remained until the following spring when he was ordered to Minissing, that during the whole period he was in no battle or skirmish, that during the whole period for which he served, he was engaged in no civil
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pursuit, as in consequence of the small member of men collected at Minissing and Elizabethtown he was obliged to sand as sentry every other night until the end of he service at the respective places aforesaid.

his 
Jacob x Johnson
mark

Sworn to and Subscribed in open Court this September the 30th 1834
Thomas Thomas Clerk

State of Indiana
Elkhart county

I, Thomas Thomas, Clerk of the Elkhart Circuit Court, do herby certify, that the  foregoing contains the original proceedings of said court in the matter of the amended application of Jacob Johnson for a pension.

Witness my hand and the seal of the said court this thirtieth day of September, A.D. One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty Four.
Thomas Thomas Clerk

Amended Declaration for obtaining the benefit of the Pension Act.
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May 4, 1939

BA-J/ady

Mr. George C Ingling
119 North Seventh Avenue
New Brunswick, New Jersey

Dear Sir:

Reference is made to your letter relative to soldiers with the name Jacob Jonson of Huterdon County, New Jersey, who served in the Revolutionary War.

The pension record have been found of only two soldiers with the name Jacob Johnson who served from Hunterdon County, New Jersey, in the Revolutionary War.  Their record are furnished you herewith.

Very truly yours
A.D. Hiller
Executive Assistant to the Administrator


See letter in clm., W. 796 Jacob Johnson