Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 12436, Jacob Beam, Penn.
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(3 - 1776)
SERVICE
Penn
Beam, Jacob
NUMBER
R. 12436
CONTENTS
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not specific
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State of Ohio
County of Richland, SS.
On this 3rd day of November AD 1832, personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common pleas now in session - or sitting - Jacob Beam, a resident of the County of Hancock and state of Ohio, aged about 71 or two, 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 7th AD 1832, that he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated. To the best of my knowledge, the Colonel which I was under was the name of James Dill. The name of the Major was Astin, his surname name I have forgotten. The name of the company officers was Capt. James Parkeson. The Lieutenant was Lazarus Nelson. Our ensign, I believe was the name of Nelson. The day I entered the service I cannot now recollect. It was cold weather in the fall of the year. It was in the year Cornwallace was taken. I left the service I believe I believe about or more than three months after the said Cornwallace was taken. The time I cannot exactly recollect so or to testify as to the day I entered or left the service. I was not in any engagement, but out for the purpose of guarding the prisoners at York County in the State of Pennsylvania and about 6 or 7 miles from Little York in said County. I was out but one but one time. It was near the close of the revolution war, the name of the officers were that which I have already stated. I resided in Pennsylvania in the County of York in the Township of Woringtown when I entered the service I was drafted. I was not in any battles, but one of the men called out to guard said prisoners which were at the place aforesaid. I was in no other county than York during said service. I do not at this time recollect any other officers than those which I have already stated. The prisoners were in what was called a Stockade. Trenched around it, we were on guard all round said place for the purpose of keeping within said prisoners. I had a written discharge but have lost it. I have no documentary evidence at this time which I can procure. I believe
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was I in Little York. I could get men there who would prove my service in said Revolution war and that he has no documentary evidence which he can at this time procure excepting that of George Thomas, whose deposition I have caused to be taken before Josiah Gallup, a Justice of the peace of Richland County, Ohio. The said George Thomas was in the army and seen me there. I also recollect of also of seeing him at different times at said place and that I believe the said George Thomas not to be able to come here at this time, nor has he been able to attend for some time back on account of bodily infirmities which is the reasons why I have not been able to procure him to come to this Court. I have resided in Richland County, Ohio, for more than 18 years and have resided in said Richland County, Ohio, until about the month of June last or first of May last, about which time I moved to Handcock County, Ohio, where I now live in the Town of Finly. At the last term of the Court at Finly, the court lasted but part of one day and I could not get my papers ready to present to the Court before they had adjourned and that honor, Judge Higgins, is the president Judge of this Court and also the President Judge at Hancock in which I resided but was not at said Court at the last term thereof, and that I am generally acquainted in Richland County, Ohio, with many persons who can testify to my character for truth and veracity. And I hereby relinquish every claim to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declare that my name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any State, or (if any) only on that of the agency the State of Pennsylvania.
Question: Where and in what year was
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about 71 or two years of age.
Question: Have you any record of your age and if so, where is it?
Answer: I have I believe in Chester County where I was baptized.
Question: Where were you living when called into service and where have you lived since the revolutionary war, and where do you now live?
Answer: I was living in York County and State of Pennsylvania. I moved to Somerset County, from there I moved to the State of Ohio in Jefferson County, from thence I came to Richland County, where I have lived for more than 18 years. About the month of June last or in May, I left the County of Richland an went to Finly, where I now reside.
Question 4th: How were you called in to service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if a substitute, for whom?
Answer: I was drafted and called into service in that manner. Did not volunteer nor was a substitute.
Question 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.
Answer: The names of the Officers which I can recollect are those which I have mentioned in the aforesaid declaration. They were with the troops which I was in and served in. The name of the Regiment I cannot recollect; the general circumstances are such as I before have stated.
Question 6: Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given and what has become of it?
Answer: I received a discharge I believe from my Major, of that I am not certain. It is lost and has been for some years. I never expected it would be of any service and did not take by good care of it.
Question 7: State the name of some persons whom you are acquainted with in your neighborhood that can testify as to your character for truth and veracity and their belief at your ser-
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vices and of your being a Soldier in the revolutionary war.
Answer: I am acquainted with Henry Shaw and William Taylor who reside in Finley. They, I believe could testify as to my character for truth and veracity and of their belief of my being a Soldier in the Revolutionary War. I believe Martin Neil and [blank] who are residents in the neighborhood of Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, who also can testify to my character for truth and veracity and of their belief of my being a Soldier in the Revolutionary War.
Jacob Beam
Sworn to and subscribed in Open Court the Day and year aforesaid.
Euzry Hedges
We, Martin Neal and Nancy Neal, who reside in Madison Township, Richland County, Ohio, and in the vicinity of the neighborhood where Jacob Beam formerly resided, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Jacob Beam, the person whose name is above subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to have been a soldier in the Revolution and to be about 71 or two years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resided in Richland County to have been a soldier of the Revolutionary War and that we concur in that opinion.
Martin Neal [his mark]
Nancy Neal [her mark]
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Euzry Hedges
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 Martin Neal and Nancy Neal, who has signed the preceding certificate, are creditable persons residing in the neighborhood where the applicant formerly resided and that their statement is entitled to credit.
D. Wiggins, President Judge
Wm. Patterson, Isaac Osburn, Wm. Riddle, Associate Judges
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The State of Ohio
Richland County, SS.
I, Euzry Hedges, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for said County, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings in the matter of the application of Jacob Beam for a pension.
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of Office on the 3d day of November A.D. 1832
Euzry Hedges
Please after these papers have been examined write to me at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, or to Mr. Hedges, the Clerk of the Court of said County.
[illegible]
Wm. McLaughlin
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Rev. and 1812
Wars Section
MEE/HMM
January 8, 1930.
Lena M. Prouty
West Unity, Ohio.
Jacob Beam
R. 12436
Dear Madam:
I advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, R. 12436, it appears that Jacob Beam was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, date of his birth is not shown.
He applied for pension November 3, 1832, at which time he was aged about seventy-one or seventy-two years and a resident of Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, (where he had lived for about six months) and stated that while residing in Warrington Township, York County, Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the fall of 1781 and served in Captain James Parkeson's Company, Colonel James Dill's Pennsylvania Regiment, guarding the prisoners in York County, Pennsylvania, until about three months after the taking of Cornwallis. The length of his service is not shown.
His claim was not allowed as he failed to furnish proof of six months military service as was required by the pension law.
He stated that after the Revolution he had lived in York and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, and in Jefferson, Richland and Hancock Counties, Ohio.
There are no data concerning his family.
Very truly yours,
EARL D. CHURCH
Commissioner.
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Jacob Beam, Rej. F. 12,436
Nov. 3, 1832 res Hancock Co. Ohio
abt 71 or 72. B. Chester Co. Pa.
Drafted Fall
Capt. James Parkeson Col. James Dill
Guarded prisoners in York Co., Pa.
6 or 7 months from Little York
Left service about 3 months or more after Cornwallis was taken
Warrington Township, York County, Pa. when drafted
Somerset County
Jefferson County, Ohio
Richland County, Ohio 18 years and to June 1832
Findlay, Ohio at application
[illegible] only once near close of War
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March 15, 1904 History to Mrs. Augusta Zugschwart
Findlay, Ohio
1912 Aug. 9. History to Sarah C. Cadle Warner V.L.M.
1918 May 17 History to Mrs. Jacob Beam
Letter in R.F.658 John Beam
1930 Jan 8. History to Leona M. Pouty M.E.E
12436
REJECTED
Jacob Beam
Service: [blank]
Enlisted: Ohio
Discharged: [blank]
Application filed: [blank]
Alleges: List of rejected claims printed in 1852. Shows cause of rejection as follows: Not six months service.
Attorney: [blank]
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Act 7 June 1832
Rejected
Service less than six months
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28.491
Jacob Beam
Ohio
Rejected - Service less than 6 months
Honorable John Thompson, Present
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WAR DEPARTMENT
Pension Office,
27 Nov 1833
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 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 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 complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim.
A Statement, showing the Service of Jacob Beam
Period when the service was rendered. | Duration of the claimant's service. (Years, Months, Days) | Rank of the claimant. | Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. | Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service. | Proof by which the declaration is supported.
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, 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 [blank]
County of [blank] ss.
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 is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons 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 day 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.
1,                   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 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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3
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: 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 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 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 [blank] year [blank] months, and [blank] days, I served as a [blank]. For [blank] months and [blank] days, I served as a [blank]; 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 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.
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) 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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War Department
The Adjutant General's Office
Washington, D.C.
[Stamp: U.S. Pension Office, Nov 12, 1929]
Dear Sir,
Can you furnish me with information concerning the family - names of wife and children of Michael Beam, who enlisted in Geo. Washington's Bodyguard in New Jersey. Rev. Soldier born in Germany. Also, names of wife and children of one Jacob Beam, served under Capt. Robert Clark (West Moreland, Pa at Valley Forge
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Do you have a war record of Michael Arter, born in 1732, lived in Frederick Co., Maryland (could this he referred to Pension Department?)
Yours respectfully,
Lena M Prouty,
West Unity, Ohio
Nov 7, 1929
[Stamp: U.S. Pension Office Nov 12, 1929]
[Stamp: 12 RECEIVED A.G.O. Nov 8, 1929]
[Stamp: RECEIVED NOV 8 1929 OLD RECORDS DIVN.]
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1st Ind.
LLB/ORD
War Department, A. G. O., November 11, 1929 -- To The Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D.C.
1. Attention is invited to the basic communication.
2. Lena M. Prouty has been informed of this transmittal in a letter of
this date, a copy of which is herewith enclosed.
C.H. Bridges
Major General,
The Adjutant General.
By
1 incl.
( Copy of Lt.)
[Stamp: U.S. Pension Office Nov 12 1929]
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( COPY )
WAR DEPARTMENT
THE ADJUTANT GENERAL' S OFFICE
WASHINGTON
November 11, 1929.
Lena M. Prouty,
West Unity, Ohio.
Dear Madam:
I have your letter of November 7, 1929, in which you request to be furnished the record of Michael Beam of New Jersey, Jacob Beam of Pennsylvania, and Michael Arter of Maryland, who are said to have served in the Revolutionary War.
No one of the names Michael Beam, Jacob Beam or Michael Arter has been found on the rolls on file of soldiers in service in the Revolutionary War.
The collection of Revolutionary War records on file in this Department is far from complete, and it is suggested as a possibility that the desired information may be obtained from the Adjutant General, State of New Jersey, Trenton, the Librarian, Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg, or from the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore.
Your letter has this day been transmitted to the Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D. C., for any information the records of that office afford relative to the above named men.
It is deemed proper to state that the records on file in this office are of a strictly military character and afford no information as to the families or ancestors of soldiers.
Very truly yours,
O.H. Bridges
Major General,
The Adjutant General.
By
[Stamp: U.S. Pension Office Nov 12, 1929]