Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22,012, for Borden Thornton, Rhode Island
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SERVICE
R.I.

Thornton Borden
or Burden

NUMBER
S.22,012
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Rhode Island
27128
Burden Thornton of Providence in the State of R.I. who was a pri. li.t Horse in the ___ commanded by Captain ___ of the ___ commanded by Colo. Cook in the line for 21 months
private Dragoon

Inscribed on the Roll of R.I. at the rate of 87 Dollars 50 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 29th day of Jany 1834 and sent to Benjam. Cowell Esqr. Providence R.I.

Arrears to the 4th of Sep 1833. $218.73
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4th Mar 34 43.73
Died Feb 15, 1838 A.B. 
{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1831.}
Recorded by George Taylor Clerk, 
Book E Vol. 2nd Page 132

See papers
Jer Manton 21021
Esek [illegible] 2255
& Wm Waite Brown [illegible]
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Burden Thornton
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Burden Thornton
29242
R.I.
Johnston
Providence Co.


Admd 21 mo
Pri. Dragoon on Lig.t Horse
Colo Stark

Benaj Cowell Esqr
Providence
R.I.
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Rhode Island District Sc
County of Providence 
On this 28th day of October AD 1833 personally appeared in open Court being a Special District Court of the United States within & for said District now in session Burden Thornton resident in the town of Johnston in said County, aged 72 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of an act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832 viz - He entered & served in the War of the Revolution as follows 
In answer to the 7 interrogatories prescribed by the War Department he says 
to 1st He was born in said Johnston March 14 1761 
2d His birth is recorded in the town Clerks office in said Johnston and also in the family Bible 
3d He lived in said Johnston when he was first called into service & since the war
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he has always lived in said town
4th  He volunteered
5 - he served under Col Manton General Sullivan & General Varnum 
6. He never received any written discharge 
7. Jeremiah Manton & the Rev William C Manchester & Sylvester Bowers are acquainted with him 
and this applicant further says, that the fall of 1777, he joined a company of Light Horse called the "Captain Generals Cavaliers” as a Trumpetor [sic] - said Corps had been raised several years before & was first under the command of Col Benjamin Stark & then ^commanded by Colo Daniel Manton. Col Manton was the Commander when he joined it. The duty of this Company was very ardous. It was put under the order of the Commander of the American army in Rhode Island
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and being the only Company of Light Horse, its duties were very constant and great. It is impossible for this applicant to state particularly the tours of duty in each year after he joined ^it  until the end of the War, for they were always liable & very often called upon at all times & on all occasions their services ^were all performed in Rhode Island & consisted in guarding the shores against the incursions of the enemy giving early intelligence upon any sudden alarm ranging the Country for times & there were many in the upper part of the State & generally doing whatever was required of ^theirs. They were never stationed long at a place but they kept a general look out all along the shore of Narragansett Bay.  This applicant says they were on duty one half of the time at last all the time the Brittish were in possession Rhode Island, and he further says
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that in the year 1777 he served not less than two months it least - and he further avows that in the year 1778, between January & December of that year he served not less than seven months at least and in the year 1779 not less than six months at least and in the 1780 in Jany & December not less than four months at least after the Brittish evacuated Newport, he did serve so much but in 1781 he served not less than two months at least- This applicant further says that he never missed a tour but always went with the company during the year aforesaid and he avows that he served twenty one month, at least as aTrumptor in said Corps [crossed out: illegible] at the place mentioned. At this distant period of time it would be as difficult to tell when he was not in actual duty as to say when he was while a member of said Corps
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He hereby relinquishes every claim 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.
October 28 1833 
Sworn to in open Court 
Borden Thornton 
B Cowell Clk 
We William C Manchester a Clergyman residing now in Providence ^but recently in Johstown [witten above line] and Sylvester Bowers also residing in said Providence do hereby certify and say that we are well acquainted with Barden Thornton who has subscribed & sworn to the annexed declaration that we believe him to be 72 years of age that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that opinion 
W C. Manchester 
Sylvester Bower 
October 28 1833 
Sworn to in open Court 
B Cowell Clk
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I Jeremiah Manton of Johnston in the State of Rhode Island being now 70 years of age on oath do testify and say that I am well acquainted with Burden Thornton of said Johnston & have known him ever since & during the Revolutionary War- During said War I was Trumpetor to a Company of Light Horse called the "Captain Generals Cavaliers” under the command first [crossed out: under] Colonel Stark & then under Col Daniel Manton & for my services in said corps my name has been placed on the pension Roll under the act of June 7 1832 and I further testify that said Burden Joined said corps as Trumpetter some time in 1777 according to my best recollection & I continued until the end of the war in it-- It was our duty always to be in readiness & by a vote of the Company we put ourselves under the order of Major General Spencer to do whatever he
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required in Guarding the shore of Narragansett Bay and in this service we ^were on duty at least six months a year. I have no doubt but said Burden was in actual service a member of said corps six months every year between Jany 1777 & Jany 1780. There was at the time no other Corps of Light Horse [crossed out: at the time] in this part of the State which circumstance made our [crossed out: company] ^duty more arduous & constant 
Jeremiah Manton 
October 17 1833 
Sworn to before me and I further certify that said Jeremiah is well known to me and he is a credible witness in the premises and his statement entitled to full credit 
Benja Cowell 
Commiss Dist 
Court RI Dist
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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 Borden Thornton was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states. And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that the said William C Manchester who has signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman resident in said Providence & that both he and the said Sylvester Bowers and also the said Jeremiah Manton who have signed the above certificate are all credible persons & their statements entitled to credit 
I Benjamin Cowell Clerk of said District Court do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of Borden Thornton for a pension 
In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand & affixed the seal of said Court this 5th day of December 1833 
Benja Cowell Clk
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May 17, 1932

BA-J/MLB
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Borden or Burden Thornton
S. 22012

Mrs. Gustavus R. Ide
2502 Pawtucket Avenue
East Providence, Rhode Island

Dear Madam: 

Reference is made to your letter relative to Borden, Bordion or Burden Thornton, a soldier of the Revolutionary War.

The data which follow were obtained from the papers on file in pension claim, S. 22012, based upon the military service of Borden or Burden Thornton in the Revolutionary War.

He was born March 14, 1761 in Johnston, Providence County, Rhode Island.

While a resident of said Johnston, Rhode Island, he volunteered in the fall of 1777 as a trumpeter in Colonel Daniel Manton's Rhode Island troop of light horse, called the "Captain General's Cavaliers", and served on various tours each year, until sometime in 1981, twenty-one months in all.

He was allowed pension on his application executed October 28, 1833, while a resident of Johnston, Rhode Island.

He died February 15, 1838.

No reference was made to wife or children.

Very truly yours

A.D. HILLER
Assistant to Administrator
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[top left corner diagonal]
Revolution

[left side]
22012
INVALID.

File No. 22,012
Borden Thornton
Lieut Rev War

Act: June 7th 32"
Index: - Vol. 2, Page 417

[Arrangement of 1870]

[right side]
1932 - May 17 - Hist to Mrs. Gustavas R. Ide MLB.
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Providence Dec. 6 1833

Sir
I herewith enclose the applications of Burden Thornton & Elijah Smith for pensions under the act of Congress of June 7 1832

I am respectfully yours
Benja. Cowell


J.L. Edwards Esq
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2502 Pawtucket Ave. 
East Providence, R.I. 
To the 
Department of Pensions 
Washington, D.C. 
Will you kindly send me a copy of the pension paper granted in Providence County about the year 1834 or 1835 to Borden (also spelled Bordion or Burden) Thornton as - a Revolutionary soldier I will appreciate
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this favor very much.
Yours truly
Florence I. Ide

Address
Mrs. Gustavus P. Ide
2502 Pawtucket Ave., 
East Providence
Rhode Island
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[ink stamp]
RECEIVED
APR 13 1932
Receipt 
PENSION FILES SUB-DIVISION
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES Form VAM-51 12-5-41 
BOUNTY LAND WARRANT RECORD CARD* 
Division of Veterans' Administration Archives
NAME Thornton, GRADE Private LINE Connecticut
WARRANT NUMBER 6567 ACREAGE 100 ISSUED Feb. 3, 1794 to- not shown- 
*The information concerning the issuance of warrants carded on this form is found in volumes 2 to 4 of ""Land Warrants Issued Prior to 1800"" which are registers of bounty land warrants issued to non-commissioned officers and privates under congressional resolutions of September 16, 1776, and subsequent dates. Other records relative to the applications for warrants appear to have been destroyed in the War Department fire of November 9, 1800. Information concerning warrants surrendered to the Federal Government is to be found in General Land Office records in The National Archives.