Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 57, John Adkins, Vt.

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Service Vt.     

Adkins, John.
Mercia.    

Number R.57

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5516

Mercia Adkind   dec
N.Y.

act 4 July 36
m 87. d 18
clamt died '37

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Family Register filed with the Bibles proving marriage in 1784

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State of New York
Oswego County =
Augustus Adkins of Oswego in the County of Oswego & State of New York being duly sworn deposeth and says that he is son of John Adkins, a soldier of the Revolution and Mercia his wife. That said John Adkins & Mercia Adkins were married at Guilford in the State of Connecticut in the year seventeen hundred & eighty one as appears by an old family record now in the possession of this deponent - that as Deponent has been informed and believes the said John Adkins and Mercia Adkins remained in the State of Connecticut until and sometime after the conclusion of the War and then removed to Bennington in the State of Vermont where they resided (?) five years and then removed to Cambridge in the County of Washington where this deponent was born. That the said family resided in said Cambridge for a number of years but how long this deponent is unable to state. That from Cambridge said John Adkins and his family removed to Pittsford in Vermont and from their removed to the town of LeRoy in the County of Lifferson(?) in the State of New York when the said John Adkins continued to reside till his death which took place in the month of August eighteen hundred & twenty eight at said town of  Le Roy - that the said Mercia Adkins died in the month of December eighteen hundred & thirty seven at Anglicia in the County of Albany in the State of New York -  That the said John and Mercia did not

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nor did either of them ever receive any pension from the United States and the reason why the said John Adkins did not get a pension, was, that he could not in his life time find where any person resided who known and could swear that he had served in the Revolutionary Army for nine months and that after his death the said Mercia was to inform in body & mind to make an application. That said John Adkins and Mercia Adkins always lived together as many & wife till the death of said John Adkins and that they died leaving this deponent, Clarisra Deunton Rhoda Farnham, Orpha Cory, Witthy Ann Shankland, Almina Hopkins, their children, all of whom are still living, so far as this deponent knows. That the said clarifier resides in the county of Jefferson New York, that the said Rhoda did the last this deponent knew of her residence, reside at Buffalo, New York, that the said Opha resides at Utica New York, that the said Witthy Ann resides in the city of New York and that deponent is ignorant of the residence of said Almina & has not heard from her for more than one year. This deponent further says that there is no family record of the marriage of said John Adkins and Mercia Adkins other than the original family record hereto attached and marked A. to the knowledge of this deponent nor can he learn that any other or different record of said marriage is in existence or has ever existed

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and that said family record was made by a Doctor Gillet at the town of Cambridge in the County of Washington and State of New York -------------that at the time said record was made the said John Adkins & Marsha Adkins his wife, this deponent and the said Doctor Gillet all resided in said town of Cambridge aforesaid - this deponent was well acquainted with said Doct Gillet who was the family phisician of said John Adkins 
(?) which remained in the possession  of said John Adkins till his death and ever since that period has been in the possession of this deponent - that this deponent does not know when the said family record was made but he is confident that more than thirty years have elapsed since he first saw it - that ever since the recollection of this deponent he has understood from his said father John Adkins that he was a soldier of the Revolution and had served nine months at one time and that he has been informed by his said father that he served at different times in said War to the amount of three years - that this matter was often and frequently talked over in his family and that this deponent always supposed and believed that his said father had served in said

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war nine months at one time of service at Castleton in Vermont - and further he say not
Augustus Adkins

Subscribed & Sworn in open Court, while the Court of Common Pleas was sitting, this fourth day of June A.D. 1839
D. H. Marsh    Clerk

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State of New York
Oswego County Court of Common Pleas
Oswego County SS:
Samuel Starks of Oswego Village in the County of Oswego and State of New York being duly sworn deposeth and says that he is seventy eight years old and upwards and was a private in Capt. Stark's company in Colonel Fletcher's regiment of the Vermont Militia in the Revolutionary War, the year after the capture of General Burgoyne by the American troops.  That at this time he had enlisted for nine months and was stationed at Castleton in the State of Vermont.  That while this deponent was stationed at Castleton aforementioned during said nine months he was well & intimately acquainted with John Adkins, who was also at that time a soldier in the Vermont Militia in the Revolutionary War.  That said John Adkins has since died and as deponent is informed & believes, he died in the County of Jefferson in the State of New York in the year eighteen hundred and twenty eight, when at that time he was residing with his wife Mercia Adkins.  That when this deponent knew said John Adkins at Castleton aforesaid, he was serving as a private in Captain Hutchins' company and as this deponent recollects the said John Adkins served in said Capt. Hutchins' Company for nine months, all of which time this depo-

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nent knew him and frequently saw him. That from conversations with said John Adkins and his brother Isaiah Adkins deponent was informed & believes he had before the time just above alluded to, served as a soldier in the war of the Revolution in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Herrick or Colonel Warner & which deponent does not recollect and that he was in one of said Regiments during the campaign in which Burgoyne was taken. And this deponent further says that he is unable to recollect previous dates or times and cannot set them forth with any more certainty that is herein stated. This deponent further says that he was ordered to Castleton in the fall of the year and found there said (?) John Adkins in said Captain Hutchins Company on duty. That this deponent saw said John Adkins after the war was over and knew him while he was residing in the State of Vermont with his family subsequent to the conclusion of the said Revolutionary War. That this deponent is a Pensioner to the United States & draws a Pension 
Samuel Stark
Subscribed & Sworn in open Court this fourth day of June AD 1839
D. H. Marsh     Clerk

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State of New York
Oswego County SS
Tilly Allen of Osnya in said county and State being duly sworn says that he is fifty (?) of age old & upward and was acquainted with John Adkins the soldier in the annexed affidavits named and Mercia his wife and has been acquainted with them for about thirty years up to the times of their death. That for about thirty years he lived in the same town with them in the county of Washington & state of New York. That as Deponent is informed & believes they are both dead. That this deponent is acquainted with Augustus Adkins, Clarissa Disutiu, Rhoda Farnham, Orpha Corey & Thealthy Ayers, Sha Kleued & Alucina Hopkins & that they all are children & only surviving children of John Adkins & Mercia Adkins 
AD 1839
D. H. Marsh   Clerk

Oswego County SS. I hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Samuel Stark and Augustus Adkins two of the deponents in the annexed affidavits and that they are respectable men entitled to full credit and belief and further that upon engaging I am satisfied that Tilley Allen is also entitled to credit and belief
June 11, 1839  
D. P. Brewster    (?) Judges of Oswego of (?)
I am acquainted with the said Samuel Starks, Augustus Adkins & Tilly Allen & believe each one of them entitled to credit - June 11, 1839
A. P. Grant   Late M. C.

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and that he knows most of said surviving children  While this deponent was residing in Cambridge in said County of Washington - that during all this time he this deponent knew said John Adkins in Washington County aforesaid the said John and Mercia lived together as man and wife and were reputed & understood to be man and wife and all of the aforesaid children were understood to have been born in lawful wedlock.  This deponent further says that after said John Adkins and his family removed to Le Roy in the County of Jefferson (?) and State of New York, this deponent frequently saw said John Adkins and his wife and was at different times in his house and then found that said John and Mercia then & there lived together as

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man and wife as they had done in Washington County aforesaid. That this deponent at various and different times since his acquaintance with said John Adkins, has heard and understood and believed that he was a soldier in the War of the Revolution and had served as a private - This Deponent further says that the original family record hereto attached, marked A, was made at Cambridge in said County of Washington as he was informed and believes - that which he this deponent resided in said town of Cambridge & which said John Adkins with his family was also residing there this deponent says said original family record in the possession of said John Adkins and thinks it is at least as much as thirty years since he first saw said Record - Further he says not
Tilly Allen

Subscribed & sworn in Open Court this fourth day of June  AD 1839
D. H. Marsh     Clerk

Oswego County SS. I hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Samuel Stark and Augustus Adkins two of the deponents in the annexed affidavits and that they are reputable men entitled to full credit and belief and further that upon Enquiry I am satisfied that Tilley Allen is also entitled to credit & belief
June 11, 1839
D. P. Brewster Forth(?) Judge of Oswego (?)

I am acquainted with the said Samuel Stark, Augustus Adkins & Tilly Allen & believe each one of them entitled to credit June 11th 1839
A. P. Grant late M.C.

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State of New York
Oswego Count - ss
Court of Common Pleas in and for said County
I Daniel H Marsh Clerk of the County of Oswego and of said Court of Common Pleas do hereby Certify, that while said Court, being a Court of Record is now sitting at the Court House in the town of Leriba(?) in & for said County of Oswego before the judges thereof, Augustus Adkins, Tilly Allen and Samuel Spark who are named in the foregoing affidavits subscribed and made oath to the respective affidavits by them respectively subscribed in Open Court and before the judges thereof this fourth day of June eighteen hundred & thirty nine. In testimony whereof I have hereto affixed the Seal of said county and said court and subscribed my name the day & year aforesaid.
D.H. Marsh    Clerk

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[form with handwritten entries]
____Ex'r.    INVALID
No. 57

Children of John Adkins
[stamped] REJECTED

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Mercia Adkins
N York
Suspended
Set Hon. A. F. Grant 24 June '36
" Hon D. F. Brewster
March 5, 1842
same Mar 26 1842
Act 4th July 1836

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March 5, 1842
I have the honor to
return you the letter of W. Grant in relation to the claim of Mercia Adkins and in reply to inform you that this is a claim asserted under the act of 4 July 1836 by the representations of a claimant who died in 1837 for services which are very obscurely set forth - & unsupported by any proof. While it is stated that they lived in Conn. during the War, the service is represented to have been rendered under the authority of Vermont.
Reference should be made to the Secretary of Vt. for proof of his service and if this service be credited

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to him subsequently to the date of the marriage, she has no claim under the Act of 4 July 1836.  Nor has she any claim under that of 7 July 1838 as she died before its passage.
To Hon. D. P. Brewster

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Oswego June 14, 1839

James L Edwards Esq
Dear Sir
Enclosed I send you the papers in behalf of the application of the Heir's of John Adkins (?), which have been made out (?) X in open court and I hope they will prove to be satisfactory
Please let me hear from you at your convienience
Respectfully Yours
Obt Levit
A. P. Grant

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J. L. Edwards Esq
Com of Pensions
Washington
[vertically]
Mar W. 42
Adkins heir
wants papers
D.C. 3d
Noted [illegible]
Hon. D. P. Brewster
HR

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House of Reps March, 24th, 1842

Dear Sir
I have been requested by A. P. Grant Esq atty for the heirs of Adkins decd to withdraw the papers on file for a pension. I have not the Christian name of the Soldier but it is the case that I wrote about a few days since 
Very Respectfully Your
D. P. Brewster

J. L. Edwards Esq
Com of Pensions