Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 19132, for Freeborn Sweet, Rhode Island
Page 1

(3-1776)

SERVICE
R.I.

Sweet, Freeborn
Martha 

NUMBER
W19132

CONTENTS
Page 2

4250  New York
Freeborn Sweet
of Hoosick in the State of New York
who was a Priv & Cor. in the company commanded
by Captain Whitman of the Regt commanded
by Col Cook in the Rhode Island
line for 5 months and [illegible] days a
Private and 9 months, Corporal

Inscribed on the Roll of New York
at the rate of 49 Dollars 66 Cents per annum,
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 17 day of January
1838.  and sent to John Fitch
Hoosick Falls N. Y.
Arrears to 4th of Sept 1832     $14.49
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Mar 33     24.83
$99.32


   Revolutionary Claim,
⎬Act June 7, 1832       ⎬

Recorded by Jno Cromwell Clerk,
Book D   Vol. 5   Page 204
Page 4

State of New York}
Oneida County}   ss.     Joseph Tibbits of the town of
Whitestown in said County being duly affirmed deposed &
says that he is of the age of Seventy eight years the third
day of August last, and that he is acquainted with
one Martha Frost the widow of the late Freborn [Freeborn] Sweet
deceased of the town Hoosick in the County of Renessellear [Rensselaer] 
and State of New York. And this deponent further says
that he was acquainted with the said Martha before her
intermarriage with the said Freborn [Freeborn] Sweet. That previous
thereto her name was Martha Tibbits and a Sister of this
deponent. And this deponent further says that he
was present when and saw the said Martha and the said
Freborn [Freeborn] married to each other. Said marriage was solomized
by one Mr Barns (his Christian name this does not
now recollect) at the house of the Father of this deponent
on Sabath [Sabbath] morning Sixty four years ago, at Steventown
in the County of Renssellaer [Rensselaer] aforesaid. That the said
Mr Barns was at the time of such Marriage a Baptist
preacher or Minister of the Gospel.
Joseph Tibbits
Affirmed this 14th day of }
September 1847. before me. }
Nat F Edgerton
Justice of the peace
of said County
Page 5

State of New York -- Clerk's Office, Oneida County, ss.
I, Patrick Mahon, Clerk of the said County, to certify that Nat F Edgerton
whose name is subscribed to the Certificate of the proof or acknowledgement of the annexed instrument, and thereon
written, was, at the time of taking such proof or acknowledgement, a Justice of the Peace
for said county, dwelling in said county, and sworn and duly authorized to take the
same. And further, that I am well acquainted with the hand writing of such Justice
and verily believe that the signature to the certificate of said proof or acknowledgement is genuine.
In Testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the Seal of the said county, this Fourteenth day of
September 1847
Patrick Mahon Clerk.
Page 6

State of New York }
Rensselaer County }    [seal covers text] appeared before me
the undersigned [seal covers text] of the Peace in and for
the said County of Rensselaer, Freeborn Sweet, who
being duly sworn deposeth and saith that by reason
of old age and the consequent loss of memory
and by reason of his officers being all strangers
to him previous to his coming under their command
or previous to his joining the companys and
Regiments which the respectively commanded
and seldom hearing them called by any name on
except the title which they have as Colonel
Captain.  he cannot swear positively as
to the precise length of all his services, or
the names of all his officers but according
to the best of his recollection he served not
less than the periods mentioned below and in
the following grades & under the following
officers which being all the officers whose
names he can recollect: For three months
3 mo I served as a private in a company of State Troops
in Rhode Island, under Captain Whitman and in
Colonel Cook, Regiment as stated in my declaration
that I recollect when we left the Island during
this service we drawed a field piece by hand 
and also drove a drone of cattle [word crossed out] at
Howland Ferry and endeavored to service them
over in order to save them from falling into
the hands of the enemy but failed to drive
them over and had to leave them & that the enemy
came down to the ferry the night after we crossed
2. 10 & burnt a house. For Twenty days I served
as a private soldier in Captain Michael Spencer
company as what was termed a minute man
and of which Weaver was Lieutenant that this seventy
days service was performed in guarding the coast
and that I was under command of none other
than the officers of the company doing there
services a company being all  that were at
the place I was stationed while I was there
Page 7

For nine months I served as a fourth corporal
in Captain Springers^ company, I think his name was
Joseph and of which I think one Peckham
was Lieutenant and Isiah Jones was first Sarjeant
that I was in Topping's Regiment and my adjutants
name was Charles Handy [illegible]
for such service I claim a pension
Dated  Decr 1, 1832
Sworn to and Subscribed
this 1st day of December 1832 before me }
Freeborn Sweet
Harry Patterson Justice Peace
State of New York
Rensselaer County ⎬ss   I hereby certify that Harry Patterson Esqr
before whom the within and above affidavit purports to have
been sworn was on the day of the date of the same one of the
Justices of the Peace in and for the said County of Rensselaer
and that I am well acquainted with his hand writing and
verily believe the signature "Harry Patterson" above 
subscribed to be his proper handwriting and signature
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and affixed the seal of
the said County this fourth day of December
1832
Archibald Ball Clerk
Page 8

State of New York
County of Rensselaer ⎬ ss. On this fifth day of September in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two
personally appeared in open court before Daniel Gardner
Esquire Recorder of the City of Troy in the County of Rensslaer
aforesaid and presiding Judge of the Court of Common
pleas called the Mayors Court in and for the City of Troy
aforesaid now sitting Freeborn Sweet a resident of the
town of Hoosick in the County of Rensselaer and State of
New York aged seventy five 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 7th 1832-
That he entered the service of the United States
under the following named officers and served as here
in stated. That in the fall of the year 1776 and in the
latter part of September or beginning of October he thinks
but cannot be certain as to which of the two ^ month, nor can he recollect the
day of the month he enlisted for three months in a company
of State Troops commanded by Captain Whitman his given
name he does not recollect and one Cook was ^ Colonel
of the Regiment to which said company belonged
^ his given name not recollected, that he cannot
recollect the names of any of his other officers, that
he was marched from East Greenwich ^ Rhode Island where he was then
residing on to the Island to New Port and remained there
on guard and on fatigue until the enemy took possession
 of the Island and drove them off,  that he thinks
no other ^ American Regiment was on the Island at that time
that they retreated across Howland's Ferry to Pinetown
and there remained until his time was out and was there
discharged no written discharge
That he again enlisted in the fall of the year 1777 as
what was termed a minute man, that he cannot
recollect the month or day on which he enlisted nor the 
length of time for which he enlisted, that the company
in which he enlisted was commanded by Captain Michael Spencer
Page 9

and of which one Weaver he thinks was Lieutenant, his
given name he cannot recollect, that he was during
that enlistment called out to guard the coast on what
was termed the Narrow Ganset shore, that he was then
[illegible] in actual service with said company forty days
That he was again out with same company at another
time at a place called Warwick neck for the purpose
of guarding the coast for ^ the space of thirty days according
to the best of his remembrance and belief and that
during this enlistment he drawed fifty cents per day
for every day spent in ^actual service that this last thirty
days service was performed in the spring of the year
1778, and mostly he thinks in March and the forty days
service was previous and during the fall or winter 
that he was then dismissed received no written discharge
That he again enlisted in April or May 1778, but which
of the two months or the day of the month he cannot 
recollect. That he enlisted for nine months in a company
of State Troops commanded by Captain Springer, his
given name he does not know nor does he recollect the
names of the other officers of the company, That the name of
the colonel ^ of the regiment to which said [word regiment crossed out] company belonged
was John Topping,  the ^ Brigade Majors  ^ name  John Handy and they
belonged to what was called general Cornell's Brigade
that he went to Tivertown Rhode Island and there joined
his Regiment where he was stationed until the battle
in August between the army under General Sullivan
and the Enemy on Rhode Island, that at the time of the battle
he went on to the Island under command of General
Sullivan and returned with his Regiment the same
night after the battle to Tivertown where he was
again stationed and remained until his nine
months for which he Enlisted Expired when he was
discharged had no written discharge, that no other
Regiment was stationed at Tivertown while he was there
Page 10


That he has no documentary evidence whatever of any
of the above services nor is there any person living
that he knows of who is personally knowing to his having
served as a soldier of the Revolution except his brother
Peleg Sweet whose affidavit is herewith transmitted
and who is infirm & unable to attend court


1st    That he was born in East Greenwick in the County of
Kent in the State of Rhode Island in the year 1757.
2nd   That he has himself no record of his age, but that it is recorded
in the Town Clerks office in East Greenwich aforesaid.
3rd   That he was living when he entered the service
at East Greenwich aforesaid and that he has lived
since the Revolutionary war in Little Hoosick now called
Petersburgh in the County of Rensselaer and State of New York ten
or twelve years and from there ^ removed to  Hoosick where he now
resides and has resided ever since -
4th  That he entered the service as a volunteer by Enlisting - 
5th   That the names of all such regular officers as were
with the Troops where he served, and such continental
and Militia Regiments as far as he can recollect and
the general circumstances of his service are as
fully & particularly stated in the above declaration
as he can possibly state the same
6th   That he never received a written discharge at 
anytime during the war
7th   That the names of the persons to whom he is known in his
present neighbourhood and who can testify as to his
character for veracity and their belief of his services
as a soldier of the Revolution are Israel Reach
Harper Rogers Joseph Dorn and Augustus Johnson
Page 11

He hereby relinquishes every claim 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 in the Union -
[signature] Freeborn Sweet
Sworn to and subscribed}
day and year aforesaid}
Archibald Bull Clerk

We Israel Reach a clergyman residing in the
town of Hoosick in the County of Rensselaer and
State of New York and Augustus Johnson residing in the same
place hereby certify that we are acquainted with
Freeborn Sweet who has subscribed and sworn
to the above declaration, that we believe him to
be seventy five years of age, that he is reputed and
believed in the neighbourhood where he resides to
have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we
concur in that opinion
[signature] Israel Reach
[signature] Augustus Johnson
Sworn and subscribed the
and year aforesaid }
Archibald Bull Clerk
And the said Court 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 Israel
Reach who has signed the preceding certificate is a
clergyman resident in the town of Hoosick
in the County of Rensselaer and State of New York and
that Augustus Johnson who has also signed the same
is a resident in the same place and is a credible
person and that their statement is entitled to
credit - 
I Archibald Bull Clerk of the Court of
Page 12

Common Pleas called the Mayors Court in and
for the City of May in the County of Rensselaer
aforesaid, do certify that the foregoing contains
the original proceedings of the said Court in
the matter of the application of Freeborn
Sweet for a Pension
In testimony whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and seal of office this
fifth day of September 1832 - 
Archibald Bull Clerk
Page 13

State of New York
Rensselaer County} Peleg Sweet being duly
second said that he is the Brother of
Freeborn Sweet ^ and is sixty eight years of age that he well recollects
that during the Revolutionary [word crossed out]
War the said Freeborn Sweet was in the
Service of the United States as a Soldier
that he thinks he was absent & in
the State Service in 1776. for the
of three months - that after the expiration
of said first term of Service said Freeborn
was in Service he thinks garding
the coast about Narrow Ganset [Narragansett ?] but
how long he was in Service this
deponent does not recollect that
he thinks the last service was
1777- and this deponent further
says - that [word crossed out] this deponent believes
in the year 1778 - he was in Service
during the Summer & part of the
winter of 1779 - he knows he was
absent from home & it was then
talked & understood he was in the
Service of the United States as a
Soldier -  the length of time this
deponent cannot say - but should
think for the time of nine months
this deponent further says that
he is younger than the above named
Freeborn & was not himself in
in service ^ but resided during the war at home with his father in East Greenwick
& that his brother Freeborn made it his home there when in the Army and  that has no doubts he was 
in Service as by him stated in his
declaration hereunto affixed -
Peleg X his mark Sweet
Dated Decr 1st 1832
Sworn before me this 
[three lines of text crossed out]
Page 18

State of New York
Rensselaer County      I George R Davis First
Judge of Rensselaer County Court, holden in the City of
Troy in the County of Rensselaer aforesaid
in which County the declarant in this case resides
Do hereby Certify that the above named Martha
Sweet is from old age decrepitude and
physical weakness unable to attend the court
which is holden near thirty miles from her
residence and of which I am Judge and
from a personal knowledge & examination of
the State of ^ her health & infirmities she is not
able to undergo the fatigues of a ride to the
place of holding said Court and I do not
believe from present appearances that she
will be able to attend the court above named
at its next session if ever-- I have therefore
in pursuance of the act of Congress in such
cases made provided attended at her
place of abode & ministered the foregoing
Oath - and I do further certify that
Page 19

that I have known the declarant for near
thirty years and for near twenty years
of that period lived in the said town
with her and knew her husband up to
his death for nearly the same length of
time & know her character well. I have
the fullest confidence in the truth of the facts
as set forth in her declaration
June 26 1847
Geo R Davis First Judge
of Rensselaer County Courts-