Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 22,035, William Wanton, R.I.
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(8-1776) 

SERVICE R.J
Wanton, William (Cof) 
NUMBER S, 22,035

CONTENTS
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[left hand page of document]
15.665
Rhode Island

William Wanton

of Newport in the State of R Island who was a Private in the Company commanded by Captain Carr of the Rgt commanded by Col Topham the R Island line for 15 Months

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

Certificate of Pension issued the 9th day of July 1833 and Sent John Cross Portsmouth RI

Arrears to the 4th of March 1833      $100.00
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4th June   $25.00
                                                              ====
                                                            $125.00
                                                               ====

{Revolutionary Claim,}
{Act June 7, 1832}
Recorded by D D Addison Clerk 
Book E Vol 2 Page 135 

Died Oct 9, 1832 


[right hand page of document]

Died
Oct 9. 1802
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17007
William Wanton 
Rhode Island 

Private 15 Mos 

Jno Cross

Portsmouth RI

Asa Gray Clk
Co. Tiverton RI
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Brief in the case of William Wanton (a Coloured Man   County of Newport in the State of Rhode Island
               (Act 7th June, 1832)

1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge?      Court
_________________________________________________
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity? [Blank]

3. How old is he?    75 years

4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed.  [There is a table which describes details of the service.  The table has 4 columns and 4 Rows.  The Columns are identified from left to right: Period; Duration of Service, with subtitles:  Years, Months, Days.; Rank, subtitled:  As a; Names of General, and Field Officers under whom he served.  The four rows are identified by year and will be transcribed individually.]

Row 1
Period.   Sub"  In 1777 for Wm Anthony 
Duration of Service, 
     Years,  [blank] 
     Months,   1
     Days.  [blank]
Rank.   Private
Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served.    Capt Thomas

Row 2
Period.   "    "   A Slusfa.
 Duration of Service.
     Years, [blank]
     Months,   1
     Days,    1
Rank.   [blank]
Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served.   Capt Storm

Row 3
Period    "    1778 D Duffee
Duration of Service.
      Years,  [blank]
      Months,   1
      Days.    [blank]
Rank.    [blank
Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served.    Cap Borden  Col Cook

Row 4
Period.  Enlisted    1779  
Duration of Service.
     Years,  [blank]
     Months,   12
     Days   [blank]
Rank.   [blank]
Names of Generals and Field Officers under whom he served.     Cap Carr   Col Topham

5. In what battles we he engaged?   None

6.  Where did he reside when he entered the service?    Tiverton  Rhode Island

7.  Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls?    2 living witnesses for 1 year [illegible]

8.  Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect?  Coorus(?)


     I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.

                     M Clagett   Examining Clerk.
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Wm Wanton

       17007
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The State of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations
Clerk's Office of the Court of Probate for the Town of Tiverton, in the County of Newport & State aforesaid
I Asa Gray, Clerk of said Court, do hereby certify that I myself am a Justice of the Peace for the Town of Tiverton, in the County of Newport and State aforesaid duly commissioned under the Seal of said State, engaged thereon according to Law, and duly qualified to act in said capacity [illegible]  And I further certify that the enclosed Depositions of Giles Manchester and William Albert were taken by me, and that the signature of my name to said Depositions were made by me.  
                           In testimony whereof I have 
                           hereunto set my hand and
Seal                     affixed the Seal of the said 
                            Court, at said Tiverton this 
                             Eighth day of September in 
                             the Year of Our Lord One 
                              thousand eight hundred 
                              and thirty two   
                              And of American 
                              Independence the fifty 
                              seventh
                              Asa Gray  Clerk of Court of 
                              Probate
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                              DECLARATION

IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE BENEFIT OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS, PASSED JUNE 7, 1832. STATE OF RHODE ISLAND}
COUNTY OF NEWPORT}  ss.
On this Eighth day of September 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Judges or Justices of the Court of Probate of the Town of Tiverton now sitting, William Wanton (a coloured man) a resident of Tiverton - in the County of Newport - and State of Rhode-Island, aged seventy five 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 act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.
     That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated.
     He, at the commencement of the Revolutionary War lived in said Tiverton -  where he continued to live during said War -  that he has always lived there since said War - and doth still continue then to reside
      As he is a coloured man he was not liable to be enrolled and ordered into the public service as one of the militia -  but that he served in the militia as a substitute for the following named person, being hired by them to take their place for one month each
     That is to say -  He took the place of Judge William Anthony [the following phrase "as a substitute" is inserted] as a substitute in the Militia Company Commanded by Capt Alexander Thomas in Guarding the shores of Narragansett Bay in Tiverton - This he thinks was in the early part of the year 1777 as the British troops had [the word "had" is also inserted as a superscript] had possession of Rhode Island, at that time, only for a short period of time.
     He served for one month and was then discharged - He next took the place of Abner Durfee as a substitute in the Company of Militia in said Tiverton under the Command of Captain Ebenezer Slocum - he thinks this was late in the fall of the year 1777 - Capt Slocum  was his commanding officer.  he was in the service one month and was stationed again to guard the shores - he served out his time and was again discharged - 
     He next took the place of David Duffee as a substitute, in the Company of Militia in Tiverton aforesaid Commanded by Capt Benjamin Borden, for one month and was engaged in guarding the shores of Tiverton against the incursions of the enemy - in this months service he was under the command of Capt Borden and was as he understood attached to the Regiment under
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the command of Col. Cook - he thinks this was in the spring of the year 1778 -
     For these three months service that he served as a substitute in the militia as aforesaid he received pay from the State -  and he also received pay from the Gentlemen who were drafted from the militia and for whom he served as a substitute
     The next in the month of March 1779 at Tiverton aforesaid, enlisted as a private soldier, into Capt John Carr's Company Col. Topham's regiment of the state line for one year - Sometime after he was enlisted [illegible] he thinks in the May following he was marched with his Company to Dighton which is a short distance up Taunton River in the State of Massachusetts - staid then about five months -  then his Company, was marched back and crossed over on to Rhode Island and went to Newport very soon after the English had left, here he staid the hard Winter and was discharged at Newport in the month of March 1780 after having served out the year for which he enlisted - 

     And said Wanton avers that he faithfully and truly served out the terms aforesaid [crossout] in the defence of his country in the War of the Revolution. -

     And he further declares that he was born in said Tiverton on the Eleventh day of February - 1758 - and that he has no certificate nor record of has age - that he has always lived in said town - 
     That he never received any written discharge
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from any of his aforesaid services, but  was discharged verbally by his officers when his tems were out respectively - that he has no documentary evidence of his said service nor any of them - that there is no clergyman living in his neighborhood or vicinity - but he refers to Hon. Job Durfee & Elihu Hicks Esquires who are citizens of said Tiverton and his neighbors who testify to his Character for veracity, and their belief that he was a soldier of the Revolution -  and also to the accompanying depositions. - 

     He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any state.
     Sworn to and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.                                      his
                     [Signature]  William  X  Wanton
                                                  mark
 [Signature] Asa Gray Clerk

We, Job Durfee Esqr. residing in the Town of Tiverton aforesaid and Elihu Hicks Esqr residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with William Wanton who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be seventy five 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 to and subscribed the day aforesaid.

                             [Signature] Job Durfee
                             [Signature] Elihu Hicks
[Signature] Asa Gray   Clerk

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatries 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 Job Drufee Esqr. who signed the preceding certificate; is a resident in the said Town of Tiverton and that Elihu Hicks Esqr. who has also signed the same is a resident in the same Tiverton and are credible persons and that their statement is entitled to credit. 

                (of State aforesaid a Court of Record}
I Asa Gray  Clerk of the Court of Probate for the Town of Tiverton in the County ^}[the caret refers to the insertion of the above statement "of State aforesaid a Court of Record"] do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the applicant of William Wanton for a pension.
                                   In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this eighth day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand Eight hundred thirty two - And of American Independence the fifty seventh.
            [Signature]  Asa Gray  Clerk of Court}
                                                     of Probate}
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I Giles Manchester of Tiverton in the County of Newport and State of Rhode Island & aged seventy three years on solemn Oath depose and say that I have always been acquainted with William Wanton, a Coloured man and an applicant for a Pension under the late act of Congress from his youth up; living most of the time near neighbors in said Tiverton, and I am knowing to his serving in the Regiment of Rhode Island State troops commanded by Col Topper [a superscript reads "or Topham"] or Topham in the year the British troops left Rhode Island, and I am fully of belief that said Wanton served a year in said Regiment and further this deponent saith not - 
                                                 his                 
                      [Signature] Giles  X  Manchester 
                                             mark

Newport Sc. At Tiverton September 1st AD 1832 Personally came the above named Giles Manchester and made solemn oath to the truth of his afforegoing Deposition and Subscribed the same in my presence  And I further certify that said Deponent is personally known to me, and is a credible person and that his statement is entitled to credit - 
 Before me,  {Signature] Asa Gray  Justice of 
                                       the Peace
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I William Albert of Tiverton in the County of Newport and State of Rhode Island aged seventy two years, do on Solemn oath depose and say; that I was in the time of the Revolutionary War and am now well acquainted with William Wanton of said Tiverton, a Coloured man, an applicant for a Pension under the late Act of Congress; in the month of March 1779 enlisted into Capt. Thomas' Company State service, in Col Topham's Regiment I think; and I know that said William Wanton served in the same Regiment in Capt Carr's Company, and I think he enlisted at the same time that I did;  I recollect, he was discharged about the same time, and that the enlistment in said Regiment at the time we enlisted was for one year.   I further recollect that said Wanton was stationed with his Company as part of the time up Taunton river, for upon the British leaving Rhode Island the Company to which I belonged marched up the river towards Taunton in the night, and brought down a number of Boats which had been kept there, at this time I saw said Wanton there with his Company; we then all came down the river and crossed over to Rhode Island; and I verily believe that said Wanton served one year in said [a word is crossed out] Regiment, and further this Deponent saith not - 
                                            his
             [Signature] William  X  Albert
                                         mark

Newport Sc. At Tiverton, September 7th 1832.  Personally came the above named William Albert and made solemn oath to the truth of this aforegoing Deposition and subscribed the same in my presence - An I further certify that said Deponent is personally known to me and is  a credible person, and that his statement is entitled to credit - 
        Before me, [Signature]  Asa Gray  Justice 
                                              of the Peace
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22035
Invalid
[handwritten vertically] Revolution
         _________________
File No.  22035
     William Wanton
    Priv      Rev   War
       __________________


Act:   June 7th 32
Index:--Vol. 2, Page 435

[Arrangement of 1870]
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June 14, 1933
BA-J/EEL
William Wanton-S.22035

The data furnished herein are obtained from the papers on file in Revolutionary War pension claim, S.22035, based upon the military service of William Wanton, a colored man, in that war.

William Wanton was born February 11, 1758, at Tiverton, Rhode Island.

While residing in said Tiverton, he enlisted early in 1777, and served two months in that year and one month in 1778 under Captains Alexander Thomas, Ebenezer Slocum, and Benjamin Borden, and Colonel Cooke, in the Rhode Island Troops: he again enlisted in March, 1778, and served one year in Captain John Carr's Company, Colonel Topham's Rhode Island Regiment. 

Pension was allowed on his application executed September 8, 1832 at which time he was still residing in Tiverton, Rhode Island.

He died October 9, 1832.

There are no data as to wife and children.

[handwritten]AB

The history to be furnished if ever called for. It was written just to have a record of negroes.