Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File B. L. Wt. 75115-160-55, for Josiah Spalding, Connecticut
Page 1

[printed form with handwritten answers]

(3-1776)
SERVICE
Conn.
Spalding , Josiah
NUMBER
B.L. Wt. 75115-160-55.

son of the [illegible]
CONTENTS
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283.059
Ad March 3/55
Oct 27/57

Josiah Spalding Priv
[illegible] 75.115 [illegible]

Sper [September] 6th / 57
Con. / Mil
Col Sam McClellan

Revolutionary War

original
AD: 160 [illegible] Nov: 5/57
Blyth.
[illegible]

Horace Gaylord
Ashford  Conn.

Vol. Sq--36.
Page 3

Declaration of, Josiah Spalding Bounty Land Revolutionary Claim
283.059

Agent Horace Gaylord
Ashford Ct.
Page 4

State of Connecticut 
Windham County
On the fifteenth day September [illegible], One thousand eight hundred and fifty seven, personally appeared before me a Notary Public within and for the County and State aforesaid, Josiah Spalding aged almost ninety three years, a resident of Eastford in the State of Connecticut, who being duly sworn according to law declares that he is the identical Josiah Spalding who was a private in a Regiment of Militia commanded by Col Samuel McClellan in the Revolutionary War, that he was drafted at Ashford in the State of Connecticut on or about the 1st day of November A.D. 1781 for the term of two months, that he went from said Ashford in company with one Stephen Simmons and Zephaniah Preston and Ezra Hayward of said Ashford and entered the service at New London and was soon stationed in the fort at Groton and continued in actual service in said War for the term of a few days more than two months — that he can not recollect the name of the Capt. who commanded the company in which he served, that he recollects a Sergeant Cotton and a soldier by the name of White from Pomfret who were in the same company also Clark of Lebanon and Dexter of Mansfield and that a son of Colonel McClellan was Adjutant of the Regiment that he remembers the last two named men distinctly as they subsequently […]
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[…] lived but about seven miles from his own residence that he recollects the time of the service from the fact that it was but a few days after the battle when Col Ledyard was inhumanly murdered and New London was burnt, which was a common topic of conversation while we were in said service, that he can find no record [illegible] of his service but in addition to the evidence herewith transmitted refers to evidence on file, Claim No 281,734 of Mary widow of Zephaniah Preston
He makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land to which he may be entitled under the act approved March 30 1855. He also declares that he has not received a warrant for bounty land under this or any other act of Congress, nor made any other application therefore and desires that his warrant when issued may be sent to the care of Horace Saylor of Ashford
Josiah Spalding
We Joseph Hall and Mary Hall residents of Eastford in the State of Connecticut upon our oaths declare that the foregoing declaration was signed and acknowledged by Josiah Spalding in our presence and that we believe from the appearance and statement of the applicant that he is the identical person he represents himself to be. 
Joseph S Hall
Mary Hall
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The forgoing declaration and affidavit were sworn to and subscribed before me on the day and year above written, and I certify that I know the applicant to be credible person, that the claimant is the person he represents himself to be, and that I have no interest in this claim as Attorney or otherwise
Horace Gaylord, Notary Public
[seal is affixed]
Notarial Commission on file
Dated March 20th 1856
Expires March 20th 1858
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[Printed form with handwritten answers]

In reply to your request of [blank], received [blank] for a statement of the military history of Josiah Spalding a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his [struck through] (or his widow's) [end strikethrough] application for [struck through] pension [end strikethrough] bo-land on file in this Bureau.

Dates of enlistment or appointment. | Length of service. | Rank. | OFFICERS UNDER WHOM SERVICE WAS RENDERED. | Captain. | Colonel. | State. | [Captain and Colonel are both under the "Officers Under Whom" column]

Nov. 1, 1781 | 2 mos. | Private | [illegible] | Samuel McClellan | Conn. |

|  |  |  | Stationed at Fort Graton |  |  |

Battles engaged in, [checkmark]
Residence of soldier at enlistment, [illegible] at Ashford, Conn.
Date of application for [struck through] pension [end st] bo-land, Sept. 15, 1857
Residence at date of application, Eastford, [illegible] Conn.
Age at date of application, almost ninety-three years.
Remarks: see letter in [illegible] claim Josiah Spalding ([illegible])
Respectfully, Commissioner.
4-2S56

[handwritten] Col. father Josiah "was [illegible] form service."
sister Cynthia (Spalding) Howe.
([illegible]. 73, 547-Zephaniah Preston - Spalding's aff. therein--)
S. 32. 521 [illegible] Simmone - no captain stated.
Connecticut book p. 577 [illegible] for comrade. - but that page where the [illegible] date. (Sept. 1781)
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75,115
[illegible]
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Revolutionary
288.059

Official Business
Hen. George G. Whiting
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington City
D.C.

[stamp] Ashford Conn. Oct 23
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1917 June 2. Hist. to Miss Frances Prince. & see letter is claim of his father Josiah Spalding
Dis. pension - one paper.
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send both as they are father & son

Miss Frances Prince
Towanda Pa -
York Ave -  
personal inquiry May 29 - 1917.

Letter in [illegible] claim
Josiah Spalding Sr's - no paper
and
Josiah Spalding 
WT. 75,115.
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Josiah Spalding
Claim
Bounty Land
Revolutionary
283.059

Agent Horace Gaylord
Ashford Ct.
Page 13


Be it hereby known that I Reuben Preston of Eastford in the County of Windham and State of Connecticut aged sixty four years do depose and say that I am a son of Zephaniah & Mary Preston, that my said with mother has received a Land Warrant for 160 acres No 73547 my father's services in the Revolutionary War that I have often heard my father say that he marched to New London, where he served, in company with Josiah Spalding, who now lives in said town of Eastford, that said Spalding served with him in the same company, and Regiment commanded by Col McClellan, the same length of time (two months) and that they returned in company, (living near together in the same town,) that I have been acquainted with
said holding from my earliest childhood and know him to be the identical person refered [referred] to by my said father as serving as aforesaid
Reuben Preston

State of Connecticut County of Windham
On this 21st day of October in the year 1857
personally appeared Reuben Preston above named and made oath in due form of law to the
truth of the above deposition by him subscribed and I certify that I am well acquainted with
deponent and that his testimony  is entitled to credit
Horace Gaylord, Notary Public

[seal]
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Josiah Spalding
Claim
Bounty Land
Revolutionary
283.059

Agent Horace Gaylord
Ashford Ct.
Page 15

Be it hereby known that I, Esek Preston of Eastford in the County of Windham and State of
Connecticut aged eighty eight years do depose
testify and say that I am a brother of the late
Zephaniah Preston, who was a soldier of the War of the Revolution, that my said brother was drafted into the service late in the fall of 1781 for a two month tour, that he went from home for the purpose of serving at New London that after an absence of a little more than two months he returned and said that he was stationed at the fort on Groton bank under Col Mc'clellan of Woodstock, and that he went down to New London with Josiah Spalding now living in said town of Eastford, served with him, while there in the same company & regiment and returned home in company with said Spalding, that I have been intimately acquainted with said Josiah Spalding from that day to the present and have no doubt in my own mind but what the said Spalding served a period of two months in the fall of 1781 at New London & Groton in said State of Connecticut under the aforesaid Col. Mc'cllelan
further deponent saith not
Esek Preston
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State of Connecticut
County of Windham
On this 21st day of October in the year 1857
personally appeared Esek Preston and said
oath in due form of law to the truth of the foregoing deposition by him subscribed and I certify that I have long been acquainted with
the deponent and that his testimony is entitled to credit
Horace Gaylord Notary Public

[seal]
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[repeat of image 14]
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Be it hereby known that I, Cyntha Howe (formerly Cyntha Spalding) of Eastford in the County of Windham and State of Connecticut aged ninety one years, do depose and say that I am a daughter of the late Lieut. Josiah Spalding of the Revolutionary Army, and sister of Josiah Spalding now living in said town of Eastford, a claimant for Bounty Land, that my said brother is two years older than myself, that I very well remember that my said brother was drafted and went to New London into the War, that I do not remember what year it was, but it was late in the fall of the year and only a few days after, the battle in which Col. Ledyard was run through with his own sword, and New London was burnt by "Arnold the Traitor" - I remember that my mother was opposed to my brother's going, -
wanted my father should have some one to take
his place but my father said it was only a short tour and near home and he thought he had better go, and he was old enough, and some of
our neighbors were going with him, and that he
(my father) was a going to be at home himself while my brother was gone, as my father had then been wounded and disabled from service, so my brother went and was gone a little more than two months and came back safe and sound and is alive yet
Cyntha Howe
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[seal]

State of Connecticut
County of Windham 

On this twenty first day of October in the year
1857 personally appeared Cyntha Howe to me
well known and made oath in due form of law to the truth of the foregoing deposition by her subscribed and I certify that I have long been acquainted with deponent, both since she has been a widow and while she was the wife of Capt. Howe also before she was married as
Cyntha Spalding, and that her character for truth and veracity is unimpeachable and that her testimony is entitled to credit
Horace Gaylord Notary Public