Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22,449, for William Pratt, Massachusetts
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Pratt, William
Service Mass.
Number S. 22449
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No. 3166
Vermont
William Pratt
of Addison Co., in the State of Vermont who was a private in the Company commanded by Captain Mitchell of the Regt. commanded by Col. Walker in the Mass. Militia line for 1 year 9 months & 14 days

Inscribed on the Roll of Vermont at the rate of
71 Dollars 53 Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March 1831

Certificate of Pension issued the 17th day of Dec. 1832 and sent to C. C. Waller
Middlebury, Vt.

Arrears to 4th September 1832  107.29
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4th March 1833  35.76
$143.05

{Revolutionary Claim,
Act June 7, 1832}

Recorded D. Brown, Clerk
Book D, Vol. 4, Page 79
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State of Vermont
Addison County, SS
I, Edward D. Barber, Clerk of the County Court for the County of Addison, do hereby certify tht the annexed documents contain the original proceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of William Pratt for a pension.
(Seal) 
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and the seal of said Court this 13th day of July A. D. 1832

Edward D. Barber, Clerk
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State of Vermont
County of Addison SS

On this third dayof July A. D. 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the County Court for the County of Addison in the state of Vermont now sitting William Pratt a resident of the townof Salisbury in said County of Addison and State of Vermont aged seventy five years on the 7th day of April last past 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 7,1832.
That he was born in Eastown in the county of Bristol in the State of Massachusetts as he believes on the 7th day of April 1757. That he has no record of his age and onlly knows the time of his birth from the ramily record kept by his father which  he has often examined and fro lie records which he has seen in the possession of his brother Elijah who is now dead.
When he was seventeen years of age, the year before the battle of Lexington he equipped himself as a minute man and during the year he trained one half day in each week under Captain Abial Mitchell to prepare to act whenever he should be called into actual service. He then resided in said East town when the news of the Battle of Lexington reached him he turned out as a volunteer under the said Captain Mitchell and marched to Roxbury in Massachusetts. the company to which he belonged remained at Roxbury and on Dorchester Hill so called and kept guard about two weeks when he returned with his company to East town. Immediately afterwards as he thinks within a week after his return he enlisted as a volunteer for eight months and marched immediately back to Roxbury
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under the command of said Mitchell who was soon afterwards appointed Major and Francis Lyscom as he thinks was appointed Captain under whom he served during the whole of the eight months for which he enlisted. He was stationed at and near Dorchester heighths during the whole time. He was there during the battle of Bunder Hill and formed a part of the corps station at Dorchester during the battle. He thinks the Colonel of his regiment was Walker and that his Lieutenant Colonel was Leonard. As the regiment was hardly ever called out together and he did not know the officers personally, he cannot swear positively as to their names. That he knew Major Mitchell personally and also knew a Col. Tupper from Chesterfield in Berkshire county. These two officers commanded a party who surprised and made prisoners of a party of British on the Island below Boston on which the Light house was situated. He was present when the party landed with their prisoners. His company during the eight months were almost constantly employed in erecting breastworks and other preparations for defences. At the expiration of the eight months He was dismissed with the rest of his company from the service without any written discharge and he thinks in the latter part of November or first of December, 1775
In the month of December 1775 or Jany 1776 he enlisted again into the service as a volunteer for three or four months and he cannot with certainty recollect which term. His Captains name was Matthew Randall. He marched to Cambridge near Boston and serve out the term of his enlistment. He does not recollect the name of  the field officers under whom he served during this last enlistment. The Chaplain of the Regiment was Archibald Campbell. He recollects this because the Chaplain was
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thee same who had officiated as a clergyman in his native town East town. He was at Cambridge when the Boston fleet left Boston in the spring of 1776 and was discharged from his second enlistment. it having expired a few days after the British left. he did not at that time nor did any others of his company receive a written discharge. He was discharged and returned to his native town with several others of his company together with his Captain who was a resident of East town.
In the fall or first of winter in 1776 Captain Randall again enlisted a company of Volunteers. He the said William Pratt again enlisted under him and thinks for four months and marched to Tivertown Rhode Island where he stationed through the winter till the spring of 1777. When the time of his enlistment had expired he was again discharged without a written discharge and returned to East town.
In the fall of 1777 he again enlisted as a volunteer under the same Captain Randall and was stationed part of the time at Warren Rhode Island and part of the time at Providence. This Campaign was performed under General Spencer as he thinks but cannot recollect distinctly the name of the officers who commanded in each separate tour of duty. In the spring of 1778he was again discharged at the expiration of his term which he thinks was four months in the same manner as had been before.
In the fall of 1778 as he believes he again entered the service for two months as a substitute for
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Elisha Leonard of East town who had been drafted for said service. He marched to New York by Fairfield Connecticut and served in that vicinity only two months when he was again discharged.
He is not able to state under what authority these several enlistments were made whether under the authority of the Continental Congress or under the provincial or State authority. The adjutants name under whom he served the last tour was Seaver. The Colonel's name was Carpenter. He did all the service as he thinks under officers commissioned by the then United States government. Gen. Washington commanded the troops at New York and during most of the time the said William was in the service in the vicinity of Boston. He thinks when he first enlisted for eight months General Washington had not taken command at Boston but that he cam there during that campaign & sstayed there during his first four months term of service.
The said William Pratt further states that he removed after his last term of service from East twon to the State of Vermont and that he lived in Clarendon in the said State at the time the Revolutionary war closed and that soon afater the close of the war he removed to Salisbury in said State where has resided ever since.
William Pratt
The said William Pratt further declares that he knows of no evidence he can procure in addition to his aforesaid declaration and the documents herewith transmitted and that he has no documentary evidence of the enlistments or either of them or of his said service. He hereby relilnquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity exccept the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. 
Sworn to and subscribed the
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(second sheet of Wm. Pratts declaration)

day and year aforesaid.
William Pratt.

E. D. Barber, Clerk
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State of Vermont
County of Addison SS

On this third day of July A. D. 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the judge of the County Court in the County of Addison in the State of Vermont now sitting David Pratt of Bridport in said County of Addison aged sixty seven years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath made the following statement-
that he distinctly recollects that at or near the time when the revolutionary war broke out at the Battle of Lexington his brother William Pratt of East town in the County of Bristol in the State of Massachusetts, then about eighteen years of age enlisted into the army of the United States as a volunteer for eight months and that the said William was absent from home for the period and as this deponent verily believes and has always understood, was engaged in the service as a soldier at or near Boston in the State of Massachusetts. He also recollects distinctly that he again enlisted after the expiration of the first eight months and returned from East town to the neighborhood of Boston and was absent all winter as this deponent believes in the service of the United States as a soldier. I also recollect that the said William went into the service in Rhode Island on or two winters after this and that he marched with the army to New York, but how long he remained at either time except the first, I do not recollect
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this deponent believes that the said William Pratt performed all the service he did perform as a volunteer militia man except the campaign to New York when he was hired to go as a substitute for another man.
This deponent further states that it is generally understood and believed among the acquaintances of the said William Pratt that he was in the army of the revolution and performed several terms of service and this deponent never has know that the fact was doubted or disputed by any one.
And further this deponent saith not.
David Pratt
Sworn and subscribed this 3d day of July A. D. 1832
E. D. Barber, Clerk
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And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter an after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a revolutionary solder and served as he states; and the Court do further certify that from personal acquaintance with the said William Pratt (illegible) as with David Pratt, whose affidavit is hereunto transmitted, they consider them persons of veracity and entitled to credit.
Edward D. Barber, Clerk
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admitted
Private
1 year 9 mo. 14 d

$71.83
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Middlebury Vt.
Dec. 7 1832

Sir
The enclosed declaration of William Pratt returned to me with your letter of August 11th, I again transmit to the department. In addition to it I send a further affidavit of the applicant declaring with more precision as to his time of service. 
I hope it will be deemed satisfactory.
Your obt. sevt.
C. C. Waller

Any communication on the subject please address to me at this place.
C. C. Waller

Hon. Secy. of War
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State of Vermont
Addison County, SS.
On this fourth day of December A. D. 1832 personally appeared before me the undersigned a justice of the peace within and for said County William Pratt of Salisbury in said County an applicant for a pension under a late act of Congress who being 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 period mentioned below and in the following grade namely--for one year nine months and fourteen days I served as a private of infantry and for such service I claim a pension.
The first term of service he states with confidence was the full term of eight months in the year 1775 and upon further reflection, since making his declaration in July last before the county court of this county, he believes that he was not discharged from said term of eight months till the fore part of January 1776.
His second term of service he verily believes was three months and no more. He states with confidence that it was not less than this term of time and that he served the full term of his enlistment.
His third term of service upon further reflection  and from information as to duty which he has obtained since last July he believes was in the fall of 1776 and is the same term which in his declaration he set forth as having been performed in the fall of 1778. It was for two months as the substitute of Elisha Leonard of East town. This term of time he recollects with perfect clearness and confidence.
His fourth term of service was, as he verily believes, four months, from the fall of 1776 or commencement of winter to the spring of 1777, stationed principally at Tivertown Rhode Island.
His fifth term was from the fall of 1777 to the spring of 1778 and he is confident that this term was four months and that every term for which he enlisted he served to the end of. The fourteen days as
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set forth in his declaration was a fortnight exclusive of the time of going to and from his residence, at the time of the Battle of Lexington as set forth in his declaration of last July.
William Pratt

Sworn before me the day and first mentioned in the preceding afidavit.
Harvey Bell, Justice of the Peace

State of Vermont
Addison County Ss.
(seal)
I Samuel Swift Clerk of the County Court for the said County of Addison do hereby certify that the above named Harvey Bell before whom the foregoing affidavit was made, was at the time a Justice of the peace for said County and his name above written is his own signature.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court this 5th day of December 1832.
Saml. Swift, Clerk
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Revolution
22449
INVALID

File No. 22,449
William Pratt
Pri. Rev. War

Act: June 7th '32
Index: Vol. 2, Page 327

[Arrangement of 1870]