Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 41581, John Gillespie, Continental Del.
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Service Continental Del.
Gillespie, John
S.41581
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($6,846)
Pennsylvania
John Gillespie of Chester Coy. in the state of Pennsylvania
who was a Private in the regiment commanded by Colonel Hazen Capt. Darby of the Delaware Congress Regt. of the term of six years. Del & Continental inscribed on the Roll of Pennsylvania at the rate of Eight Dollars per month, to commence on the 6th of May [illegible].
Certificate of Pension issued the 12th of Feby. 1819 and sent to the Honorables: Darlington, House of [illegible] W. Slater.
Arrears to 4th of Septr. 30.70
Semi-ani. all'ce ending 4 March 1819 40.00
$78.70

Revolutionary claim, Act 18th March
Continued
Chester County
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Notification sent October 18, 1820
John G Werster, 
West Chester Pa
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John Gillespie-
68.46
West Nottingham
Feb 19
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Schedule continued
There is due to me four dollars and I am indebted the following [illegible]
One debt of Forty dollars
One debt of Ten dollars
One debt of Five Dollars
One debt of Ten dollars 

I am by trade a shoemaker and am unable to follow that occupation from infirmity of body. My family consists of my wife Jane aged sixty years and upwards, who is as infirm as myself. 

[signature] John Gillespie

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Chester County, SS:

I John G Wersler, esquire Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, of the said county of Chester; the same being a Court of Record by the Laws of Pennsylvania; Do hereby Certify, that the foregoing Declaration and oath and the Schedule thereto annexed, are truly copies form the Records of the said Court; and I do further Certify, that it is the opinion of the said Court, that the total amount in value of the property exhibited in the afore Schedule, is sixty dollars and twenty eight cents. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my and and affixed the seal of the said Court of Westchester, this fifteenth day of August one thousand eight hundred and Twenty.
[signature] John G. Wersler Prothonotary.
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County of Chester State of Pennsylvania
On the sixth day of May A.D. 1878. Before Walter Finney Esq. one of the Judges of the Seventh Judicial district for the state of Penns. personally appeared John Gillespie, who being by me first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the late act of Congress entitled an Act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolution war; That he the said John Gillespie Enlisted on the 18th day of January 1776 in Capt. Thury Darby's company of Delaware Blues under Col. Moses Hazen and served in said Compy. one year--that he then enlisted in Moses Hazens regiment (called the Congress Regimen) and served there six years and six months and was discharged June the 17th 1783.-- that his discharge is defaced by time & accident- That the declarant is about seventy years of age and from his reduced circumstances in life is now in need of assistance from his country for support and has not heretofore received any pension from the Government of the United States- [signed] John Gillespie
I Walter Finney Esq. do certify that it appears to my satisfaction that the said John Gillespie did serve more than nine months in the Revolutionary War against the common enemy and I now transmit the proceedings and the testimony taken & had before me to the Secretary of the War department, pursuant to the direction of the aforesaid act of Congress-
Witness my hand [illegible] the Date above written. [signed] W. Finney
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I Walter Finney the within named Judge from the evidence produced to me do certify that John Gillespie the within named applicant from his reduced circumstances in life stands in need of the assistance of his Country for support. Witness my hand & seal this 2nd day of February AD 1819
[signed] W. Finney
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June 15, 1932
Grant S. Youmans 
3215 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, Minnesota.

John Gillespie
S. 41581

Dear Sir:
Reference is made to your letter requesting information relative to John Gillespie, a Revolutionary War pensioner.
The data furnished herein are obtained from the papers on file in pension claim, S. 41581, based upon the service of John Gillespie in that war.
John Gillespie enlisted January 18, 1775 and served one year as private in Captain Henry Darby's Company, called "Delaware Blues", Colonel Kaslet's Delaware Regiment, following which he enlisted in Colonel Moses Hansen's "Congress" Regiment and served until June 17, 1783 when he was discharged.
He was allowed pension on his application executed May 6, 1818, at which time he gave his age as about seventy years; said application was made in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the soldier was referred to as "of Chester County".
In August, 1830, the soldier was a resident of West Nottingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania; he gave his age then as sixty-seven years and stated that his wife, Jane, was about sixty years of age. No reference was made to children.
The above record is that of the ojnly soldier named John Gillespie who was pensioned while a resident of Pennsylvania found on the Revolutionary War records of this officel.
Very truly yours,
A.D. Hiller,
Assistant to Administrator
Date of death not on A.B.
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41581
Invalid
Revy

File No. 41.581
John Gillespie
[illegible]
Act; 18th March 18th
Index: Vol 8, Page 193

Arrangement of 1870
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1932 - June 15 - Hist. to Grant S. Youmans - JLL
1939- March 2 Hist. to Mrs A.H. McElred JLL
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[illegible damaged document]
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State of Maryland
Cecil County SS
This is to certify that Wm Brison of the county & state aforesaid Personally Appeared before me the Subscriber one of the Justices of the peace in , & for the county & State aforesaid and solemnly declared and affirmed that he has been personally Acquainted with John Gillespie. Now of Chester county Pennsylvania for fifty years past and that he knew the said John Gillespie to be a Regular enlisted soldier under General George Washington in the continental Army during the Revolutionary war in behalf of the united States of America.
Witness my hand & seal 
5th mo. 1st 1818
B Reynolds
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Maryland Cecil County
I hereby certify that Benjamin Reynolds Before whom the [illegible] Acknowledgment appears to have been taken and whose name is thereto signed was at the time of taking and signing the same and Still is one of the State of maryland, Justice of the peace in and for the County aforesaid duly commissioned qualified and sworn and to all whose acts as such due faith and credit are and ought to be given as will in Court of Justice as throughout.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of my office this second day of may in the year Eighteen hundred and Eighteen
James Sewall
Cecil County Court
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[letterhead] Standard Bond and Mortgage Co.
Grant S. Youmans, President
Investment Securities
May 8th 1932
Minneapolis, Minn.
3215 Chicago Avenue
United States Pension Bureau,
Washington, D. C. 
Gentlemen:
As a living descendant of the man, I write to request that you kindly furnish me with copies of the pension papers of one John Gillespie about whom I have just learned from the following data:
"John Gillispie, private, Feb, 12th, 1818; age 81 Chester Co. Penn.
Believing that he had a brother by the name of William only Pa, also kindly send me copies of William's pension papers. They were both living in Penn. when pensioned.

They may have been known as Gillaspy.
Respectfully,
Grant S. Youmans
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[receipt stamp: Received Jan 15, 1939
Mail Sub Div
Vets. Adm. Reader
 23
115 Washington Blvd
Urbana, Illinois
Jan 23, 1939
Pension Dept of the Veterans Administration
Washington, D.C.
Dear Sirs: Enclosed is stamped envelope [hand written notations "ret. Jan 26"] will you please send me all the information you have of John Gillespie (and his family) who fought 6 or 7 years in Revolutionary War, and received a pension as stated in Pennsylvania Archives. They had to give family history in order to receive pension
Thanking you
Yours truly,
Francess McElrath
(Mrs. A.H.)
P.S. John Gillepsie daughter Rebecca was my great grandmother.
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March 3, 1939

Mrs. A. H. McElrath
115 Washington Blvd
Urbana, Illinois

Ba-J/ILL
John Gillespie
S. 41581

Dear Ma'am,
Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of John Gillespie, cited as a pensioner in Pennsylvania Archives.
The data which follow are found in the papers on file in pension claim, S. 41581, based upon service in the Revolutionary War of John Gillespie. He was a pensioner of Pennsylvania.
John Gillespie enlisted January 18, 1776 and served one year as private in Captain Henry Darby's company of "Delaware Blues", Colonel Haslet's Delaware Regiment, then reenlisted in Colonel Moses Hasan's "Congress" Regiment, and served until June 17, 1783, when he was discharged. The residence of this soldier at the time he enlisted is not shown.
John Gillespie was allowed pension on his application executed May 6, 1818, at which time he resided in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He gave his age then as about seventy years, but in August 1820, gave his age as sixty seven years; the date and place of his birth and the name of his parents are not shown. In 1820, he resided in West Nottingham Township, in said Chester County; at that time his wife, Jane, was aged "sixty years and upwards". Her maiden name was not given, nor the date and place of their marriage.
There are no data pertaining to children of this soldier.
In order to obtain the date of last payment of pension, name and address of person paid, and, possibly, the date of death of this
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pensioner, you should apply to The Comptroller General, General Accounting Office, Records Division, this city, and cite the following data

John Gillespie
Certificate [illegible]
Issued February 12, 1829
Rate $8 per month
Commenced May 6, 1818
Act of March 18, 1818
Pennsylvania Agency.

Very truly yours, 
A.D. Miller
Executive Assistant to the Administrator.