Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 8117, Nathaniel Burrell, Mass.

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I John Lancaster of Augusta, Kennebec County, Maine, aged seventy six years & upwards, & a pensioner under the act of Congress of June 7th 1832, do upon oath testify & say that I well know Nathaniel Burrill of Newport, Penobscot County formerly of Exeter in the same County, an applicant for a pension under the act of June 7. 1832, or rather an increase of his pension, he being now on the Maine Roll, & have been personally acquainted with him ever since I was fourteen years old. We were boys together. 
In 1779, I served with said Burrill at Bagaduce, & I think that he served in Capt. Actor Patten's company with me. He belonged to Capt. Hinkley's company, & that company, being large, many of the soldiers were transferred to Capt Patten's compy. & I believe Burrill among the rest. I saw him there, I never knew of any other Nathaniel Burrill. I also state that in 1781, I knew that the said Burrill served at the mouth of Kennebec river in Capt. Lement's coy. but in what capacity I do not recollect. 
The said Burrill & I were born & brought up within three miles of each other. I well know Elisha Shaw who has testified for Mr. Burrill & was born & brought up within a few miles of him. I have seen & conversed with the said Burrill within a verry few days, & know him to be the same man who served with me at Bagaduce in 1779 & who served at Cox's head in 1781.  [  ] believe Lt Shaw's deposition to be true. John [  ]

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I Nathaniel Burrill of Newport in the County of Penobscot, & State of Maine, aged seventy five years & upwards, a pensioner on the Maine Roll under the act of Congress of June 7. 1832, as will appear by my pension certificate accompanying this declaration, do upon oath declare, in order to obtain the full benefit of said act, that I served at Machias Maine during the early part of the Revolutionary War, in Col. Allen's regiment, that I served afterwards at Cambridge, Massachusetts, guarding Hessian prisoners taken at the capture of Burgoyne, that I afterwards served at Bagaduce in Maine & was on board of one of the transports during the battle, & was informed that I belonged to Capt. Actor Patten's company, that I afterwards served in Capt. Benjamin Lement's company at Cox's Head, at the mouth of Kennebec river. All of said services being in the Massachusetts troops. My first service was in Capt. Lemont's company. That from the lapse of time & loss of memory I am unable to state positively the particular years of each service, or the

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exact length of time; that I served as a private during each of my said services, excepting one, when I was a musician, but I cannot state positively which service it was; that I live in a remote part of the country & being well able to live without the assistance of my pension, (altho I am not wealthy)
I have not paid that attention to the procurement of my pension, & to see that it was correctly computed, as I now feel desirous to do. 
I further state that my impression was that I served eighteen months in all, but not having records or dates to refer to. I could not state particulary accurately, but understanding that the Rolls of Massachusetts Militia service are now  deposited in the War Department, I earnestly request that they may be examined & upon comparison with my statement that my pension may be computed from the evidence they shall afford of my several

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services, herein enumerated.
Nathl Burrell

State of Maine
Kennebec Ss.-

Subscribed & Sworn to this 18th
day of March A.D. 1837, the applicant being
entitled to full credit.
Before me
Wm Woart Justice Peace


State of Maine
Kennebec Ss.
I the subscriber Clerk of the County
for said County hereby certify that William Woart Jr. before whom the above declaration was sworn, is a Justice of the Peace for said County,
Witness my hand the seal & the Supreme Judicial Court of said State, this 18th day of March A.D. 1837
L. A. Chandler

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I Jeremiah Brown of Winthrop, County of Kennebec, & State of Maine, a pensioner on the Maine Roll under the Act of Congress of June 7. 1832, do upon oath testify & say, that I have lived in Winthrop from a boy, except when I was in the service during the Revolutionary War; that I served as a private in the year 1781, in Capt Lement's company in Col. McCobb's regiment of Masstts troops, at Cox's head at the mouth of Kennebec river, from the spring until December, appear by the evidence in my case now on file at Washington, 
that Elioha Shaw of Leeds, an adjoining town to this, whom I well know, & at whose house I have often been, was a Lieutenant in said McCobb's Regt. in Capt. Parker's Company during all the time that I served in Capt. Lement's company, & was in service at said Cox's head all the time that [I served]. that said Shaw is an intelligent man, 7 was then as he has ever since been well known to me, & would be likely to remember the names & persons of all his fellow soldiers & acquaintances, & his statements are entitled to the fullest credit. I am informed that said Shaw has testified to the service of one Nathaniel Burrill of Exeter, & if he

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has I have not doubt that the statement is strictly true. I am old & infirm & have seen but very few of my fellow soldiers since I left the service, I have not seen said Burrill at any time since 1781, that I recollect now. In fact I do not positively recollect the name of Burrill in Lement's company, but if Lt. Shaw has testified to his service, should have no more doubt of Burrill's service than [tho] I distinctly recollected [herein.]
Jeremiah Brown X his Mark

State of Maine
Kennebec Ss 
Subscribed & [Sworn] to this 11th day of July A.D. 1837. the deponent being well known to me as a credible & entirely disinterested witness Before me
M Mart Jr. Justice Peace

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37. 111. July 6 - 25 Sept. 2, 19-
36. 98 -6 may-[fifer]-6. 24d

Augusta Me July 12th. 1837

Sir,
your letter of the 5th inst. in relation to the claim of Nathaniel Burrill of Penobscot County for an increase of pension under the act of June 7th 1832 was duly received & is now before me.
Mr. Burrill is as honest & worthy man, as I believe, as any other person & has too good a farm & is too independent of the world, to be induced to do a wrong action for a small or large pension. His statements are strictly true, but the name of Nathaniel Burrill being upon the rolls at the Bagaduce expedition from 6th July to 25th Septr 1779 & from 15 Septr to 1st Novr 1779 makes it appear probable that there were two men of that name in service at the same time.
I have examined the Massachusetts rolls with care for week after week, & I know that the names of men are borne on the rolls for longer periods than they served in many instances, & that it is hardly to be expected that those rolls kept at the time they were should be perfect. Mr Burrill was during the expedition at Bagaduce, most of the time on board one of the transports, & hardly knew to which company he was attached. Could you sir see & converse with intelligent men who were in that ill judged, ill planned & unfortunate expedition, you would think but little of

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of the discrepancy in the rolls. Men were often allowed a certain number of extra days for travel or extra services, & after all, the pay was received by the captain, & the men, as in Mr Burrill's case, never received one cent. 
I enclose you with this the testimony of Jeremiah Brown & John Chandler in support of the evidence of [Lt] Elisha Shaw. I visited the deponents, who are very aged, at their houses, which are many miles apart, & took their statements under oath, as enclosed. Upon inquiring of them if they knew Mr Burrill, they could neither of them recollect the name, but referred me to Lt Shaw, who they said would know all about it. 
The reason why Mr. Shaw did not state that he knew the claimant to be the individual who served with him in Patten's company in 1779, & in Lemont's in 1781, is that he was not positive as to the company at the Bagaduce expedition. He knew the man at Bagaduce & I am  not sure but he testified whose company he was in, but my impression is that Shaw was not certain about the particular company. 
At Cox's head in 1781, Lt Shaw related many particulary of Burrill, particularly that he was sick at the time, That Burrill was called a fifer he well knew, but that he served part of the time as a drummer he was positive. I presume that there was not as much order in a small force

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of Militia or State troops, while taking care of a fort in 1781, as there is in a regular army, and that you frequently find such variations between testimony & the rolls. 
I knew of Mr Burrill's services many years ago, not only from Elisha Shaw, but from Calvin Hall, who served with him & who is now dead. After you required evidence in support of Mr Burrill's additional declaration, I went to Mr Shaw's residence about 25 miles from here, & took his deposition now on file in your Department. It was written hastily, & may not state the facts so fully as they ought to be stated.
I know however that Lt Shaw told me that he had known this same Mr Burrill from a boy; that they lived in adjoining lots in Bath, & served together. The statement of Shaw would be conclusive in our County, but I have supported his veracity by the evidence Mr Williams testifies to Mr Burrill's character, & the Hon Reuel Williams Senator in Congress certifies as to his standing. I hope therefore that you will allow Mr Burrill's claim & if consistent with your rules in the examination of these cases, I would urge an immediate examination of this case. I do no know that any weight would be given to my statement, but whether there is or not, I take the liberty of stating

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stating that I fully believe this claim of Mr
Burril's to be as fair a claim & as just a one
as ever was presented to your Department.

I am sir very respectfully
Yr obt Svt.
Wm Moart Jr

J L Edwards Esq
Commr of Pensions
Washington DC }