Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 15244, Thomas White, Conn.
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(3-1776)

SERVICE
Conn.

White, Thomas

NUMBER
S. 15244

carded

CONTENTS
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Connecticut 9617
Thomas White
of Litchfield in the State of Conn.
who was a private in the Company commanded
by Captain Smith of the Regt. commanded
by Major Humphrey in the Ct. Militia
line for 12 months
Inscribed on the Roll of Court
at the rate of 40 Dollars 00 Cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 3d day of June
1833 and sent to
Rupel C. Abernathy, Farmington,
Arrears to the 4th of March 1833 80.00
Semi-anl. allowance ending  4 Sept " 20.00 
$100 00
Revolutionary Claim
Act June 7, 1832.
Recorded by F. F. Franciosi Clerk
Book Co. Vol. 3rd Page 45
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11897
Thomas White

Admitted
Private - 12 months
Connt. Militia
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Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
State of Connecticut
County of Litchfield
On this 24th day of September AD 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Court of Probate for the district of Litchfield now [illegible] Thomas White a resident of Torrington in the County of Litchfield and State of Connecticut aged sixty seven 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 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as hereafter stated. That he
was born in Tolland in the State of Connecticut on the 20th day of Nov 1764 when he resided until he was 13 years old he then he moved with his Father and Family to Torrington in the County of Litchfield where he has resided ever since. That there was a record of his [illegible]
in his Fathers family bible, which bible was carried by his Mother [illegible] in [illegible]  in the State of Vermont where she [illegible] or  [illegible] years since with her family and that he has [illegible] a copy of said record in his own bible now in sd Torrington, that he the said Thomas White [illegible] said Torrington in the month of February 1781 enlisted in to the service of the United States for the term of one year from the 1st day of March 1781 into the company commanded by Capt [illegible] 1 month of the Connecticut state troops and of which Company Lieutenant [Gordon?] was the Lieutenant, that he the sd Thomas Marched with said Company to Horse neck now called Grossneck where he joined a Battalion commanded by Major Humphreys the other Battalion of the Regiment was commanded by Maj Shipman the sd Regt belonged to Gen. Waterbury's Brigade. That he marched with 1st Regt from Grossneck to [Whiteplains?] and continued then through the summer, at which place there were a large number regular troops and also the French troops among which was the Dukes horse as they were then called, That in the early part of July (he thinks, a part of the army marched from White plains (he being of the number to Frogs point where they were engaged with the enemy and drove them on to the Island after which the Americans returned to the Plains, during the
summer & fall above mentioned Genl Washington with a large part of the army marched to the [illegible]. In the fall of the year this time for [illegible] t Whiteplains returned to Horseneck and built a Fort and barracks for winter quarter, where he continued until his term of
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service expired which was on the 1st day of March 1782 at which time the Regiment was marched to Stamford and dismissed on [illegible] he had no written discharge, and has no documentary evidence of service. That he is well known to Rev William R. Gould, William Bullett, Russell C. Abernathy, Erastus Hodges,  Levi Munsell, Griswold Woodward [illegible]
& George D. Washam Esquire residing in 
his neighborhood and who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his service as a soldier of the revolution and he hereby declares that he served one year as a private soldier in sd service. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. For further [illegible] he relies upon the deposition of Dan White Esq. late of Danville now dead, and of Nathan Brown taken in [illegible] to support an application then made under the law
of 1818 which was rejected he not being in the Continental or [illegible] which [illegible]
also the deposition of Saml Woodward Esq
Sworn to and [illegible] the day & year aforesaid Thomas White
before me presiding for Wollcott Judge of Probate Litchfield District of County
We William R. Gould a clergyman residing in the town of Torrington in the County of Litchfield, State of Connecticut and Russell C. Abernathy residing in sd Torrington hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Thomas White who has who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration. That we believe him to be 67 years of age. that he is [illegible and crossed out words] believed 
in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
Wm R Gould
Russell C. Abernathy
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 the Wm R. Gould who has signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman, resident in the town of Torrington in the County of Litchfield & State of Connecticut and that Russell C. Abernathy who has also signed the same is a resident of the sd town of Torrington and is a
credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit
[illegible] Judge of Probate Litchfield District
I Phinehas Miner Clerk of the Court of Probate for the district of Litchfield do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Thomas White for a pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of the said Court this
24th day of September AD 1832
Phineas Miner Clerk
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11897
Thomas White
Connecticut

Admitted

Russel C Arburnathy
Farmington Connect.
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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. Those 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, shewing the Service of Thomas White 
Litchfield County, Conn
Period when the service was rendered. Duration of the claimant's service. Rank of the claimant. Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served. Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service. Proof by which the declaration is supported.
Years. Months. Days.
Jul 1781. 1. Pvt. Genl Waterbury Capt Smith Maj Humphreys. 67 yrs Litchfield County Connect. Traditionary Evidence and [illegible].
I am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J. L. EDWARDS,
Commissioner of Pensions.
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3
alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person 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 exexpected. 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 name 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 the 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 follow 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 and --- 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 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 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 clearly shown under what officers 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
| | The notes from |a| to |i| 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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P
15244
INVALID
File No. 15,244
Thomas White
Priv: Rev War

Act: June 7" 1832
Index:-Vol. 1, Page 485
[Arrangement of 1870]
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3-505
RECORD DIVISION
O.W. AND N. DIVISION
Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
Oct 23, 1908.

Searched by L C. Williams

Original No.........
Certificate No........
Claimant, ------
Soldier, Thomas White
Service, Rev War

Remarks: No rejected claim as above

Chief of Division
23266b5m6-06
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Samuel Woodward of [Torrington?] aged 82 years testifies that Thomas White of Torrington lived in neighbourhood according to my best recollection in the year 1781 enlisted a soldier in the service of the United States &
continued in sd Service one year
Dated [illegible] September 7th 1832 Samuel Woodward
State of Connecticut, Litchfield County to
Torrington September 7th AD 1832.
Personally appeared Samuel Woodward
signer of the foregoing deposition and made
oath to the truth of the same before me
and certify that the Saml Woodward Esq is a man of veracity
Griswold Woodward Justice of Court
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Frederick Wolcott, Clerk of the County Court
within before the County within & for the County of Litchfield in the State of Connecticut certify that Griswold Woodward Esq before whom the within affidavit of Samuel Woodward Esq appears to have been taken, was on the day of instant September that he now of Justice of the Peace for said County & that the within signature which purports to be his is genuine.
Witness my hand & the Seal of said Court at Litchfield in said County this 24th day of September 1832.
Frederick Wolcott Clerk
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Dan White of Danville County of Caledonia State of Vermont of lawfull age Deposeth and Saith that Thomas White of Torrington Litchfield County State of Connecticut Enlisted in the month of February AD 1781 into Capt Mathew Smiths Company and was accepted
as a Soldier in said Smiths Company the first of March the following and Mercht and joined Major [crossed out word] Humphreys Battalion in General Waterburys Brigade and at Horseneck New New York and when sd Thomas White Enlisted and joined said Company and Battalion and Brigade I was With him as a soldier in sd Company and he the sd Thomas served in sd company faithfully until the [illegible] day of Febuary AD. 1782 when 
I was taken Prisoner of War twenty day before said Thomas time was out but have alway understood he was honourable discharged the first day of March AD 1782 and further the Deponant saith not 
Dan White
Caledonia County of Danville Sept 24 AD 1819
Personally appeared the aforesaid Dan White and having subscribed the foregoing deposition Made solom oath to the truth of the same and I further certify that the said Dan White is a man of truth and veracity and full
credit is to be given to his testimony Before Mee
John Rrankin Assitant Judge of Caledonia
Court
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STATE OF VERMONT,
County of Caledonia ss.
R Benj F Deming Clerk of the County of Caledonia aforesaid, do hereby certify that John Rankin before whom the annexed
acknowledgement and affidavit have been made at the respective dates thereof [illegible] one of the Judges of the County Court within and for the County of Caledonia aforesaid
duly qualified for that purpose, acting under the authority of this state, and that his name subscribed thereto is his own proper signature.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the seal of said County at Danville in said County, this 7th day of September in the year one thousand eight hundred and Nineteen
Benj T Deming CLERK.
[Faint image of circular seal on left side]
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Nathan Brown of Middlebury County of Addison State of Vermont of lawfull age deposeth and Saith that Thomas White of Torrington County of Litchfield State of Connecticut Enlisted In Winter 1781 Into the Company of Capt Mathew Smith and served in the same from the first of March 1781 to the first of March 1782 when he was discharge his time out sd Mathew Smith company was commanded by Major Humphrey and In his Battalion and General Waterbury Brigade and I served in sd Capt Mathew Smith Company as a soldier with sd Thomas White at the same time
and further the Deponent saith not 
Nathan Brown
Addison County Millbury September 28th 1819
Personally apeared the aforesaid Nathan Brown and having subscribed the foregoing
Deposition Made Solom oath to the truth of the same and I further certify that the said Nathan Brown is a man of truth and veracity and full credit can be given to his testimony Before Me
Nathan [illegible] Justice of [illegible]
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State of Vermont I Samuel Swift Clerk of the said County of Addison County Addison, do hereby certify that Nathan Case before whom the within affidavit was made was on the day of the date thereof, a Justice  of the peace for said County acting under the authority of this State: and that his name thereto subscribed is his own proper signature.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said County this  22d day of September 1819
Saml Swift Clerk
[Faint image of circular seal on left side]