Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 4,103, Lewis Godard, Navy (France) 4 1/2 Yrs. In Regt. Light Horse And In Battles Of Monmouth And Yorktown, N.J. Residence In 1833
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[Column headings: SERVICE, none, NUMBER]
Navy (France) Godard, Lewis R. 4,103
{4 1/2 yrs in regt Light Horse and in battles of Monmouth and Yorktown. N.J. residence in 1833. Gordard
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Louis Goddard's application for Pension
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State of New York
Franklin County Ss: On this 11th day of October 1832
personally appeared in the court of Common Pleas
of the County of Franklin now sitting in the Town
of Malone in said county Louis Godard a res-
ident of the Town of Fort Covington in said
County aged eighty five years, who being first
sworn according to law doth on his oath
make the following declaration in order to
obtain the benefit of the provisions made by
the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.  That 
he was born in the year 1747 at the city of Rouen
in Normandy, France and about the time of the
commencement of the Americans Revolutionary
war he entered on board an American ship
of war called the Providence or Boston and
after a passage of about four & a half months
arrived at [illegible] or Boston in this Country
that soon after his arrival in this Country he
he entered the service in a regiment of light
horse and served therein during the war
That he was then unacquainted with the
English language & now but [illegible]
understands it & is therefore unable to re=
member the names of his officers and of
the places through which he passed.  That 
he recollects the Generals Washington, Rocham-
beau & LaFayette.  Was in the battle
of Monmouth & [illegible] recollects the
[illegible] of Gen. Lee - and that he was
in the battle of York town. he entered the
[illegible] at or near the [illegible] where he
[illegible] [illegible] [illegible]
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He hereby relinquishes any claim whatsoever
to a pension or annuity except the present and
he [illegible] that his name is not on the pension
roll of any [illegible] in any state.
                                               Louis Godard
                                               [his X mark]
Subscribed & sworn to
the day & year first         }
above written -
John H. [illegible] Dep. Clerk
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Louis Goddard's Declaration
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And the said court do hereby declare their opinion that the above named applicant - Louis Goddard was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states - which opinion is forwarded as [crossed out words] the answers to a great variety of interrogations (?) to the applicant and answered under oath in open court. Which interogatories the court deemed is proper to put to him in consequence of the evident prostration of his mental faculties & confusion and uncertainty of his recollections proceeding from advanced age & bodily disability_ the answers of the applicant were not uniform in relation to duty and places invariably connected with the known facts. and an indirect question in relation to the battle of Monmouth / which action was not by the court designated by name/ was answered in such manner as to convince the court that he was certainly present and served in that action. his recollection in relation to his age is distinct & is sustained by his appearance/ his recollection in regard to many events of his service appears to be equally distinct
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but the names of officers and places are uncertain as stated by him, and different at different times, the first circumstance is in part attributed by the court to the genral difficulty which a foreigner and Frenchman in particular experieinces in adopting and recollecting English proper names, and the latter to the defect of memory already noticed_
Willm Hogan  First Judge
Roswell Bates
Sam Hoard                 Judges
H B Titus

I John H. Russell Deputy Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Franklin, Do hereby, that the foregoing contain the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Louis Gordard for a pension _
In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and affix the Seal of the said Court this Seventeenth day of October one thousand eighthundred and thirty two_
John H Russell Dep.Clerk
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Personally appeared before me the Undersigned & Sisters of the Peace in and for the County of Franklin and State of New York Louis Godard who being duly sworn deposed and said that by reason of old age and consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positivly as to the precise length of his service but  (?)to the best of his recollection he served not less than the period mentioned below and in the following grades  Eight months as knife carpenter on board a vessel called he thinks the Providece and  as he believes commanded by Capt Tucker or on which Capt Tucker was an officer on board which he entered in France after he came to this Country he served in a  Corp of Light-horses, and served therein as a private at least four years and  a half, but cannot swear positively and certainly_ to other particulars of  his service than set-forth in his declaration in brief  for such service  
I claim a pension . I have no living witnesses of my service, and no documentary evidence, no clergyman resides in my neighborhood, but I refer for  certificate of character & evidence of general belief of my service to Peter Lamping  and Henry Cooke or Stephen Wood

        his
Lewis  X Godard
     mark


Subscribed & sworn
before me this 6 day of May 1833

A.W.Tucker J.Peace
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Franklin Co Js    Mr Peter Lamping of Bombay in said county and Henry R. Cook of Cornwale in Upper Canada being duly sworn say that we have known Lewis Godard for many years, believe has to be considerably more than Eighty years old, believe he served during the Revolutionary war, and said for many years has been the general belief of the neighborhood in which said Godard lived , said Godard is a man of good character  conscience and veracity_
Peter Lamping (sig)
Henry R. Cook (sig)

Sworn & subscribed
before me on 18 May 1833

H. W. Tucker J Peace

I hereby certify that Peter Lamping, one of the Subscribers on the foregoing affidavit, is to me  well known_,that his character for truth and veracity is unimpeachable . Henry R. Cook , the other Subscriber to the foregoing affidavit, is, to me, an  (?) stranger  } H.W. Tucker  JPeace
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Louis Godard has been known to me three or four years, that is since he has resided in the neighborhood, I have always understood, before himself or his friends supposed he was entitled to a pension , that he had actually served in the Revolutionary war and repeated conversations with him; without any reference to a pension, have strengthened that opinion into conviction, his memory impaired by age, confuses states and places , but the facts he relates, are, to my belief, related from actual knowledge, and undoubtably occurred_he lives in a new settlement in which there is no clergyman and very few inhabitants_
                                William Hogan
                                First Judge Franklin Co.Co.

State of New York
Franklin County Clerks Office}  I Samuel S. Clark, clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for said County do hereby certify that the annexed contains the original proceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of Louis Gordard for a pension_ I also certify that William Hogan is & for several years past has been First Judge of the said Court & that the forthcoming is his signature. I also certify that Henry W. Tucker, before whom stand foregoing supplementary declaration proports to have been made was at that time of the making thereof a Justice of the Peace of said County &
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duly authorized to administer oaths and that the signature "H. W. Tucker" to the said supplementary evaluation & to the foregoing addidavit of Peter Lamping & Henry R. Cook are the proper hand writing of the said  HW Tucker_
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & affixed the seal of my office this 7th day of August 1833_

Samuel S. Clark Clerk
By John H. Russell Dep. Clerk
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Louis Gordard



5.11.17.13.16 -

specific regt


P-235
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Typed form with handwritten inserts.
BRIEF in the case of Louis Gordard
of Fort Covington in the State of N.York
(Act 7th June, 1832.)

1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? In open Court
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity?
3. How old is he? 85 years
4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed.
Column One: Period
In 17   Arrived in the U states from France about the commencement of the Revolu ty War & soon after entered the service__
Column Two: Duration of Service.
Service undefined
Column Three: Rank.As a
Column Four: Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served.
Gen. 
The names of his officers not recollected

5. In what battles was he engaged? Monmouth and York Town
6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Providence or Boston
7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls? No evidence addressed___the Judges give their opinion at length on the merits of the case
8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentification? and if so, in what respect? 
They are not atttached according to the Regulations
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.

Wm Gordon    Examining Clerk.
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Typed form

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873

4103
P.O._______________________
Louis Gordard
Service:
 REJECTED (stamped)
Enlisted:____________, 18
Discharged:__________,18
Application filed:__________,18
Alleges:___________________
Re-enlisted:_______________
Attorney:_________________
P.O._________________
_____Recognized. _________Contract.
_____Cert.of Dis.    Searched for________, 18
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New York
Revo:
______________________

Louis Gordard
Suspended
let. JHJackson
5 Nov 1833


4103


Act of June '32
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Louis Gordard
for Pension

Goddard
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Type written from with hand written responses.

BRIEF objections to the admission of Pension Claims, of which those answered in the negative, in red ink, will apply to the claim of  Louis Gordard  which require further proof or explanation.

I. Does the declaration show where the applicant resides?  Yes
II. Did the declarant make the declaration in the county where he resides? Yes
III. If the applicant did not make the declaration in the county where he resides, is there any reason for his not doing so?
IV. Has the declarant mentioned the period or periods of the war when he served? No
V. Has he mentioned 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? No

(Hand written) No allowance can be made under the Act of June 1832 for any service which is not speially & particlarly set forth by the applicant on oath as the regulations require_

VI. Has he given the names of the officers under whom he served, in conformity with the regulations? No
VII. Has he made a relinquishment of every claim to any other pension than the one under the Act of June 7, 1832? Yes
VIII. Has the Court given their opnion? Yes
IX. Has the Clerk given his certificate? Yes
X. Is the Clerk's seal affixed? And if so, has it a device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal? Yes
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Type written form with hand written responses.

                                 2.

XI. Has the applicant obtained the evidence of a clergyman and another respectable citizen as to their belief respecting his age and the general belief in his neighborhood relative to his revolutionary service? No
XII. If the clergyman's affidavit has not been produced, is there any reason for not obtaining it? No
XIII. If the applicant has no documentary evidence, and has not obtained the testimony of at least one living witness, has he stated in his declaration that such proof cannot be had? No
XIV. If the applicant has produced a witness or witnesses as to his service, has the magistrate who administered the oath that he, she, or they are persons of credibility?
Has the official character and signature of the magistrate been certified by the proper officer under his seal of office?
XV. Are the papers authenticated as the regulations direct? No
XVII. Are the seven interrogatories prescribed by the War Department  answered satifactorily? And , if not, which of them is not so answered?
________________________________________________
        EXPLANATORY NOTES.
QUERE V. 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, 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 listed below, and in the following grades: For_____year_____months and _______days, I served as a __________. For ______ months and ________days, I served as a _________; and for such service I claim a pension."
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Hand typed paper
                                 3.
It is important in all cases to determine with precision the period for which the applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months is too indefinete, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable.
QUERE XIV. Proof of Service
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 claimants enetering 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.

QUERE XVI. Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticated the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other paper authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the end 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.