Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 17,443, Ichabod Godfrey, Mass.
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(3-1776)
Service Mass.
Godfrey, Ichabod
Number S. 17443
carded
Content
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30435

Maine

Ichabod Godfrey

Washington Co, in the state of Maine, who was a private and sergeant in the company commanded by Captain Crab, of the regiment commanded by Col. King in the Massachusetts line for one month and four days as Sergeant and six months and twenty one days private.

Inscribed on the Roll of Maine
at the rate of 27 dollars 94 cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 24 day of February 1836 and sent to William Freeman 
Naraguagus [Narraguagus] Maine

Arrears to the 4th of March 1836 - $139.70
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Sept.  - $13.97

Total - $153.67

{Revolutionary Claim}
{Act June 7, 1832}

Recorded by Daniel Boyd Clerk
Book E Vol. 1 Page 19
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State of Maine
County of Washington

On this eleventh day of September AD 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Hon. John Dickinson Judge of the Court of Probate of Wills &c. in and for the County of Washington now sitting at Cherryfield in said County, 
Ichabod Godrey, a resident of Steuben in said County aged seventy eight years who being 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 was born at a place called Saccarappa near Portland in the State of Maine May 15th 1754 and at the age of ten years his Father moved with him to Gouldsborough in the county of Hancock where he resided twenty years and from thence at that time moved to Steuben aforesaid where he has resided the last forty eight years.  That in 1775 in July he enlisted as a private soldier in the Massachusetts Militia under Capt. Eleazer Crabtree, (Col. Kirgill commanded the Regiment,) for the term of four months which term he served in guarding the Islands in the Penobscot Bay from being plundered by the British, and that after this term expired in October (he thinks) in the same year of 1775 he enlisted as a private in the Company of Volunteers commanded by Captain Samuel Libbe of Gouldsborough as minute men to go where
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and when called for, and continued in this service till September 1776.  When he enlisted under Capt. Jonathan Edy, and marched by land to Machias from there went in boats to Cumberland Nova Scotia when forty three Prisoners were taken and carried to Boston.  Capt. Edy besieged the Fort while he was sent to Boston with the Prisoners.  He returned from Boston the last of January following, from this time continued in Gouldsborough subject at any time to be called into service until June 1777 when he was called to Machias to defend the Town against a British fleet and was on duty about two months.  and that he was afterwards employed to carry dispatches from Col. Campbell to the commanding officers at Camden, and was then ordered to join in the siege of Castine and was on duty about one month at that place.  He then was ordered to return by the commanding officer General Lovel, and was then placed under Capt. Henry Dyer at Gouldsborough to guard the coast from Frenchmans Bay to Machias, had a skirmish with a British vessel at Frenchmans' Bay and afterwards another at Gouldsborough and was again sent to Machais with dispatches from Col. Campbell, and continued in that service till the close of the war. He also declares that he has no documentary evidence of his services.  He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever for a pension or annuity except the present and declares his  name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.

Ichabod Godfrey

Sworn to and subscribed in open Court
Washington Co.
John Dickinson
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Ichabod Godfrey

Washington Co.
Maine

Application must be made to the Secretary of the State of Mass. for evidence of the claimants' name.

Sept. 30, 1833

506

Admitted
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War Department,

Pension Office

183

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 shew what is necessary to be done.  These 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 Ichabod Godfrey Washington Co., ME

Period when the Service was rendered -Enlist July 1775

Duration of the Claimant's service - 4 Months 15 Days 

Rank of the claimant - Private

Names and Rank of the Company officers under whom he served - Capt. Crabtree

Names and Rank of the General and Field officers - Col. Kinggill

Country through which he marched - Maine, RI

Place of abode when he entered the service, and age at the present period - 78


Evidence by which the declaration is supported - Traditionary

Period when the Service was rendered - Oct. 1775 -  11 months 4 days 

Rank of the claimant -Private

Names and Rank of the Company officers under whom he served - Capt. Libbe

Country through which he marched - Mass. 


Period when the Service was rendered -Sept. 1776 - 9 months
2 months
1 month 22 days

Rank of the claimant -Private

Names and Rank of the Company officers under whom he served - Capt. Edy
and Capt. Dyer

Total - 2 years, 3 month, 25 days

I am respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

J.L. Edwards 
Commissioner of Pensions
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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.
REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.

On this  day of personally appeared (a) before
A.B. a resident (b) of in the county of
and State, Territory or District  of age(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
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) the hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with
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.
I, 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
alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person
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3
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 he 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
enquiry 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 full low 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---year months, and days.  I served as a . For months, an days, I served as a ; 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 to them according to the grace 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 shown under what offers 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 if 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.
[j] 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.
[image of hand with finger pointing to right margin.] The notes from to 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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Ichabod Godfrey's 
application for Pension
Sept. 11th, 1823
22419


Admitted
1 month 4 days Sergeant
6 months 21 days Private


William Freeman Esq.
Naraguagus
Maine
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State of Maine

Probate Office, Machias

Washington Co.

I Aaron L. Raymond Register of the Court of Probate for and within the County of Washington do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Ichabod Godfrey for a pension

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this thirteenth day of September in the Year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty two.

Aaron L. Raymond 
Register of Probate Court
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We Robert Moore, and James Moore, residing in Steuben hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Ichabod Godfrey who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be as he stated aged seventy eight years, that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.

Robert Moore
James Moore

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid

Washington Co

Sworn to and subscribed to in open Court
before me John Dickinson Judge

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 aforesaid applicant was a a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states.  And the Court further certifies that it appears to him that Robert Moore and James Moore are residents of Steuben have signed the above certificate and that they are all credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.

John Dickinson Judge
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Ichabod Godfrey
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17443
INVALID   OM
File No. 17443
Icabod Godfrey
Sergt Rev War

Act: June 7" 32
Index: - Vol. 1, Page 147

 [Arrangement of 1870]
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Secretary's Office, July 29th 1834.

I hereby certify, That, from an examination of the Books and Documents, relating to Military Services in the War of the Revolution, which remain in this Department, it appears that the name of Ichabod Godfrey, as a private, is borne on a Muster roll of Capt. Eleazer Crabtree's company, where he is allowed from August 26th to December 31, 1776. four months and fifteen days.
Ichabod Godfrey's name, as a Serjeant, is borne on a pay-roll of Capt. Samuel Libbee's company, in Col Foster's regt. where he is allowed from August to Oct. 6th 1777, one month and four days.
Ichabod Godfrey's name, as a private is borne on a Muster roll of Sundry persons that did duty at Machias in the year of 1777, and was omitted being made up in any roll for this time, through a mistake of the Officers, Machias October 1777, where he is allowed for services fourteen days.
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Amount brought over  m.  d.
                                      6= 03
Ichabod Godfrey's name is borne on a Muster roll of Capt Daniel Sullivan's company, where he is allowed from July 28th 1779 two months - 2=
"Ichabod" Godfrey's name is borne on a pay-roll of Capt. Henry Dyer's company (Col. John Allen commanding officer at Machias) where he is allowed from March 9th to May 1st 1780 one month and twenty two days - -  1=22  9=25
  Edward D. Bangs [?y]

[on side] (not asserted by claim)