Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10,188, for Stephen Stilwell, New Jersey
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(3-1776) 
SERVICE                                                 NUMBER             
New Jersey   Stilwell, Stephen            R.10.188
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
CONTENTS
[blank]
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35.273
Stephen Stilwell
Ohio
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State of Ohio
Williams County [bracket] ss

On this twenty first day of September
in the year one thousand and eight hundred & forty one
personally appeared in open Court.  Before the Court
of Common Pleas of Williams County Ohio now sitting 
Stephen Stilwell as resident of Springfield Township
in the County of Williams State of Ohio, aged Eighty-
one years, who being first duly sworn, according
to Law, hath 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 
herein stated, Colonel Frederick Frelinghouse, 
Major McDaniel, Adjutant. Peter Lowe, The first
Captain under whom he was enrolled was Ruleff Seaburn
after his resignation he served [dark mark] under Captain 
John Seaburn, under whom he continued until
the war was ended.  He entered the service as Militiaman 
in the first part of January in the year one thousand seven 
hundred and seventy seven, and left it at the end of
the war in the year one thousand seven hundred and 
eighty one.  At the time he entered the service he resided
in the town of Somersville, Township of Bridgewater, County
of Somerset and State of New Jersey - The only Battle in which he was engaged was a skirmish with a foraging
party of British, at a place called Baum Brook.  He did
not march out of the county in which he resided.
The places where he performed duty were at
Baum's Brook and Schenk's Mile.  He never served
with any Continental Companies or Regiments. -
He has no documentary evidence and knows of no
person whose testimony he can procure, who can 
testify to his services.  He herby relinquishes every
claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present
and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll
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of the Agency of any state. He also states that the cause
of his not having applied before for a pension, is that
until a few months ago he did not know that a 
Militia man could draw a pension [signed name Stephen Stilwell]

Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
E.D. Potter, President judge

We Everett W. Fuller, a clergyman now residing in Tiffin
Township, Williams County Ohio, & who formerly resided in
the township of Springfield in said County and Hector R.
Major who resides in Defiance Township in said County do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Stephen
Stilwell who has subscribed and sworn to the above 
declaration.  That we believe him to be Eighty one 
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.  [signed Everett W. Fuller] [signed Hector R. Major]

Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
E.D. Potter President judge

And the said Court of Common pleas 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
certified that it appears to them that Everett
W. Fuller who has signed the preceding certificate
is a clergyman resident in Tiffin Township afore-
said and that he formerly resided in said
Springfield Township in which last mentioned
Township the aforesaid Applicant resides.  And 
that Hector R. Major who has also signed the same
is a resident in Defiance Township in said 
County of Williams, and that they are credible
persons and that their statements are
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Entitled to Credit.
E.D. Potter, President Judge

State of Ohio
Williams County [bracket] ss
[stamp to left] I, Edwin Phelps Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Williams County Ohio do herby certify that the foregoing contains
the original proceedings of the said
Court in the mater of the
of Stephen Stilwell for a pension
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and seal of office this
21st - day of September 1841
[signed] Edwin Phelps Clerk
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Stephen Stilwell
Ohio
Suspended.
-
See let: 11 Nov : 1841
Geo: S. Higgins
let: to same 31 Oct: 42
[illegible]. Dec. 14. 42 [check mark]

[in large print] 10188

Act of June 1832
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10.188 [illegible]
P.O.
Stephen Stillwell
Service:
Enlisted: [stamped REJECTED], 18 .
Discharged: , 18 .
Application filed: , 18 .
Alleges:
Re-enlisted:
Attorney:
P.O.

Recognized.    Contract.
Cert. of Dis.     Searched for [hyphen], 18
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[Center of page] Maumee City Nov 30th 1842,

Sir
Yours of the 31st of October in reference to 
the Amended
declaration of Stephen Stilwell had been recieved,
you say that his declaration is insufficient on the
ground that the applicant had not stated a sufficient 
length of Service.  I think if you will take his first
declaration in correction with his amended declaration
you will find sufficient to satisfy you that the applicant
served as militiaman through the whole revolutionary
war.  To be sure he was not out any great length of
time at all, but he was on leave [illegible] liable to be called
out at any moment, he took his turn & served his
first regular tour in garrison, and according to his first
declaration was in an action at Baum's Brook, . -
I understand the law to be that a Militiaman must
show a tour of one month at one time to entitle
him to a pension.  If you will give yourself the 
trouble to reexamine the declarations of the applicant
I think you will find enough to show that
Stilwell was out at our time much longer than
that.  The old man is now Eighty Two years old and
his memory is such that I do not think he
will be able more definitely to state his service,
the assistance of his country cannot in my
opinion be rendered to a more deserving object.
I understand from the old man that the
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portion of militia to which he belonged were
a part of them constantly in garrison.  That one
portion would remain in garrison a length of time
& then would be relived by another portion, but that
the whole force were liable to be called out
at any time when they were needed.

If I recollect right the applicant in his
amended declaration stated & specifies particularly
one tour of service in which he was out & actually
engaged for more than two months.  But as I
have before stated He is very old and his memory
such that I do not think he can state more
particularly

I am respectfully your [illegible] servant
Geo S. Higgins
atty for petitioner
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Office of Secretary of State
Trenton NJ. Oct. 9 . 1941

Sir.
Agreeable to the request contained in your [illegible]
of Sep. 23, I have examined the records of this office, and
do not find therein the name of Stephen Stilwell.  There is
record evidence of the service of some of the Officers he men-
tions in his declaration, but none of their Muster or Pay-
Rolls have ever been filed in this office.

Respectfully Yours
Chas G. McChesney ..
To Geo L. Higgins Esq.    Secr of State.
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Naumee City Oct 20th 1842

Sir
Enclosed is the amended declaration of Stephen Stillwell for a pension. You state that the only thing wanting in his former declaration was the he did not state a particular Tour of Service.
The old man in his declaration particularly stated with regret to that matter. I myself have no doubt that he is entitled to a [crossed out] pension.
As to my character as an individual and an attorney I would refer you to Hon Jno A Bryan I assist in the Post Office department at Washington.
Very respectfully
Yours (illegible)
Geo L Higgins

Hon J. L. Edwards
Con of Pensions
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Bryan Willaims County Ohio
Oct 24th 1841

Sir
Enclosed I transmit the declaration of Stephen Stillwell upon application for a pension, who served as a Militiaman, during the Revolution, in the State of New Jersey.
In obedience to a letter received from the War Department, I have written to the office of Secretary of new Jersey and have enclosed the answer received therefrom
In addition to the declaration of the applicant I would merely say that he is in very reduced circumstances and that a pension would materially add to the comfort of his old age.
Please inform me as early a date as convenient what reception his appreciation meets with
Very respectfully
Yours [illegible}
Geo L Higgins
Atty  [illegible]

To The Hon Commissioner of Pensions
Washington
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State of Ohio
Williams County
[flourish]

In the Court of Common pleas September Term AD 1842.

The amended declaration of Stephen Stilwell in the Case of the application of the said Stephen Stillwell. To the declaration made at a former Term of This Court, The said petitioner states that he served as stated in his former declaration from the year 1777 until the close of the war. That during that Time he was subject to regular calls to to [sic] serve in the ranks, & That at one Time from between the Third & Tenth of January 1777 until June 1777 He was in actual & Continual service in the Militia at Bound Brook & Schenks Mills, That during that period the British force Lay Encamped at the village of Brunswick, New Jersey, Ten miles from the place where I served.

Sworn to and subscribed in open Court this 19th day of September A.D. 1842.

Stephen Stilwell

And the said Court of Common pleas having propounded to the said Stephen Stilwell the questions prescribed by the pension department hereby state their opinion that the said Stephen Stilwell was a revolutionary solider & served
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State of Ohio
Williams County [illegible]

I Edwin Phelps Clerk 
of the Court of Common Pleas
in and for said County do hereby
certify that the above is a
true and correct abstract of the
proceedings of said Court in
the case of the petition of
Stephen Stilwell for a pension.  In
testimony where of I hereto subscribe my
name and affix the seal of said Court
this 19th day of September A.D. 1842

Edwin Phelps Clerk
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Stephen Stilwell

Act 1832.            Ohio.





A.H. Mackland
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State of Ohio}
County of Defiance}

Be it Know, that on this thirtyeth day of November A.D. 1852  before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace in and for the County and State aforesaid, personally appeared 1 Stephen Stillwell resident of 2 Springfield in [caret] said County [crossed out] the County of Williams, and made oath according to law that 3 is the identical man who was a Soldier in the war of the Revolution, and who has heretofore made application for the benefit of the Pension Act of 4 that 5 he is directly interested as a claimant in said pension and makes this affidavit to be filed with such additional evidence or arguments as my Agent may use in prosecuting said claim.

Countermanding and revoking all Powers of Attorney, and authority heretofore given, I hereby constitute and appoint SAMUEL M. KNIGHT, of Washington City, my true and lawful Attorney, to prosecute the claim of Stephen Stillwell for any amount of Revolutionary Pension, or increase of Pension that may be due; and I hereby authorize my said Attorney to examine all papers or documents in relation to said claim on file in the Department at Washington City, or elsewhere, to file additional evidence or arguments, and to receive for my exclusive benefit, the certificate which may be issued for said claim, which certificate I wish made payable at the Washington City, D.C. Agency; to appoint one or more substitutes under him for the purposes herein expressed, and to do all things that I might or could do were I personally present. Hereby ratifying and confirming all that my said Attorney and Agent shall lawfully do in the premises.

Stephen his X mark Stilwell

Sworn to, Subscribed and Acknowledged before me the day and year above written, and I hereby certify that I believe the said Stephen Stillwell to be directly interested in said claim as set forth, and to be the identical party therein alleged.

E.D. Bradley J.P.

State of  }
County of  }

It is Hereby Certified, that satisfactory evidence has been exhibited before me, Clerk of the Court of  that 8  the party who has sworn to, and acknowledged the foregoing Declaration and Power of Attorney is the 10  reputed soldier aforesaid. I further certify, that 11  Esq. before whom the preceding affidavit and Power of Attorney were made and acknowledged, was, at the time of so doing, a Justice of the Peace, in and for said County, and that the signature purporting to be his, I believe to be genuine.

In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal of Office, this  day of  185 
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CLERK OF COMMON. PLEAS CERTIFICATE - Printed at the Office of the Defiance Democrat, Defiance Ohio

The State of Ohio
ss
Defiance County

I, Wiliam Richards, Clerk of the court of common pleas,
in and for said county, do hereby certify that E.D. Bradley Esquire,
before whom the this forgoing elatement of power is made and who has there
unto subscribed his name officially, in his own proper hand writing, was at the time and now is an acting
Justice of the Peace within and for said county, duly commissioned and qualified according to law, and to
all of whose official acts full with and credit are, and of right ought to be given, and that said instrument is
executed and acknowledged according to the laws of the State of Ohio.

In testimony whereof I have subscribed my name and affixed the seal of said Court
hereunto, done at Defiance, this 20 day of January
A.D. 1853

W. Richards Clerk.