Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 8131, William Byers, Md. Sea Service

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SERVICE
Md. Sea Service

Byers, William

NUMBER
S.8131

CONTENTS

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3225
Maryland
_______________________________________
William Byers
of Dorchester on the State of Maryland
who was a Sea; Lr --- in the[crossed out] in The       commanded[crossed out]
by Captain[crossed out] ------------ of the[crossed out] ---------- commanded[crossed out]
by Navy [drawn star above the V] ----- in the[crossed out] Com: Nally
[crossed out, illegible] 11 months 11 days from 
1 may 1782 - 
Md. [drawn star above the M] Oct. 4, 1904
Recordscorrected. 
________________________________________
Inscribed on the Roll of Maryland
at the rate of 105- Dollars 86 Cents per annum, 
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831
________________________________________
Certificate of Pension issued the 18.- day of Dece 32
and delvierd H. J.
Haudy. Oretuch
________________________________________
Arrears to 4th of Juhn 1832                       158.79
Pems = anl. allowance ending 4 Mar: 33    52.93
                                                                   ______
                                                                $ 211.72
______________________
{ Revolutionary Claim, [illegible]
Act June 7, 1832.  [illegible]
Recorded by Nathan Riev - Clerk
Book L Vol. 7 Page 27 ---

Dead
[torn] tter to Hond P. H. Thomas
[torn] of  Accdcten  of May 1840
[torn] letter to saved per {illegible] 5th June 1840
Paid at the  hearing under             
the Act of the .6. April 1838
from 4th Sat to 1838 to D [illegible]
April 1839. Agt notified
18 June 1840
__________________________________________________
Hgn Jal A. Rev at Pib: 12/59'
__________________________________________________
[illegible] by Nov[?] [illegible]

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State of Maryland Dorchester County,

On this 27th day of August in the year eighteen hundred and thirty two personally appeared in an open Court, before the Justices of the Orphans Court for the County aforesaid now sitting, William Byers a resident in the County of Dorchester and State of Maryland and Seventy 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 State of Maryland under the command of Captain Solomon Frazier in the Barges on the Chesapeake Bay commanded by Commodore Wally on the first day of May 1782 and remained under him in the Service until the close of the revolutionary War, he resided near the town of Cambridge in Dorchester County Maryland when he entered the Service and after the war returned to his native place where he resided until now, except what times he was in the Service during the late war with great britain, he was engaged with the enemy in Chesapeake Bay at Cages Straits in which battle Commodore Wally was killed, he was acquainted with the following officers on board the barges [illegible]:  Commodore Wally, Capt. Levin Spedden, Captain Dashiell, Lieutnt. Joseph Handy, Zadock Bodfield, Edward Spedden, Oakley Haddaway & Robert Grissom, he has no documentary evidence of his serving having lost his commission or it having been mislaid during his absence from home in the late war. __ I hereby relinquish every claim what ever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declare that my name is not on the pension Roll of the Agency of any State only on that of the Agency of the State of Maryland.

The following interrogatories were propounded by the Court and answered by William Byers the applicant 

1st. Where and in what year were you born
A. near Cambridge in Dorchester County Maryland in the month of February & year Seventeen hundred and sixty two

2. Have you any record of your age, and if so where is it
A. he has no record of his age

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3rd  Where were you living when called into service:  where have you lived since the the Revolutionary war and where do you now live?
A.  He lived in Dorchester County State of Maryland near the town of Cambridge when he entered the service and has resided there ever since and still doth reside there (except the time he was in the revolutionary war and the late war)

4th How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if a substitute, for whom?
A. He entered the service as a volunteer about the 1st of May 1782 and some time in the month of August in the same year he received from the governor of Maryland a Commission as Second Lieutenant

5th 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 service
A.  He answers & says that he remembers Commodore Wally who commanded the barges in Chesapeake Bay , and the following officers attached to the same service[illegible]:  Capt. Levin Spedden, Capt. Dashiell and Lieutenants Joseph Handy, Zadock Bodfield, Edward Spedden, Oakly Haddaway & Robert Grissom; and also, recollects that General Smallwood once received them; the general service of the Corps in which he was concerned was traversing the Chesapeake Bay and tributary waters in harassing the enemy and preventing their depredation.

6  Did you ever receive a Commission, and if so by whom was it signed and what has become of it?
A.  He answers and says, that he did receive a Lieutenants Commission from the State of Maryland about August 1782 signed by William Paca Governor of the State of Maryland which he kept until the late war in his House and while gone in the Service of the United States in the late war it was lost or mislaid

7th State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighbourhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity and
(good)

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good behaviour, your services as a soldier in the Revolution
A.  He answers and says that nearly all the persons who served with him and ought to know certainly of his serving in the revolution are dead, except Nehemiah Beckwith who is now living in his neighbourhood and who also served on board one of the Barges in the same Squadron Commanded by Commodore Wally, there are other persons who can from information and the general opinion prevailing in his neighbourhood testify to his character for veracity good behaviour and of his services as a soldier or officer on board the Barges in Chesapeake Bay in the Revolutionary War {illegible] Col. Ezekiel Richardson, William W. Eccleston & Captain Bartholomew Byers.

William Byers [signature]

Sworn to and subscribed this day and year aforesaid J.C. Henry Judge of the Orphans court of Dor. County.

We Daniel Baen a Clergyman residing in the County of Dorchester State of Maryland and William J. Ford residing in the same County and State hereby certify that we are well acquainted with William Byers who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be about Seventy years of age, that he is reputed and beleived, in the neighbourhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
Daniel Baen [signature]
Wm. J. Ford [signature]

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 that Daniela Baen, who his signed the

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proceeding certificate is a Clergyman resident in the County of Dorchester & Sttae of Maryland and that William Ford who has also signed the same is a resident in the County of Dorchester & State of Maryland and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. 
J.C. Henry CJ.O.T.O.C.

I William W Eccleston Register of Wills for the Orphans Court of Dorchester County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings in the matter of the application of William Byers for a pension.

In Testimony whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal of my office this 27th day of August in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and thirty two,
William W Eccleston Regr Wills Dor Coty

State of Maryland
Dorchester County

On this 17. day of September 1832 personally appeared William Byers before me John C Henry chief Judge of the Orphans Court of Dorchester County who made oath on the holy evangelly of Almighty God that he served in the Revolutionary War at least for the term of Fourteen months -- Four months of which time he served as a private and the remaining ten months a a Lieut. to the best of his knowledge and recollection.

Sworn Before J.C. Henry
C Judge of [illegible] of Dorch Coty

Witness
William W Eccleston
Register of Wills 
Dor Coty

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Hon Geo C. Whiting
C== of Pensions
Washington

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Navy

INVALID

File No. 8131
William Byers
[illegible] US Navy
Rev War

Act: June 7th , 1832

Index:--Vol. 7, Page 27

[Arrangement of 1870.]

Md.
Records corrected.
Oct. 4, 1904 [initials]

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William Byer [Byers]
Rev Pensioner
Act 1832

Ser papers

S B True
Present

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H of [illegible]
9th Feb 1859

Hon Geo C. Whiting
Co of Pensions

Sir

I have read the enclosed letter [illegible] my friend sd Wm. B. LeCompte in regard to the servis of Wm. Byers a [illegible] in the Revolution I knew the old man who was a [illegible] and good citizen. If it appears from the boks that anything is due him or his heirs or any pension that he plead to be informed so that I can communicate with any abstract of the laws be any or the [illegible] deem such material for him to have.

Very truly 
James A Stewart

[illegible postscript]

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William Byers
Maryland,

from 1st May 1782 11 months 11days, [illegible] Lieutenant in the Navy.

$105,86/100

to be entered or Regr

Handy

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Copy

War Department
Pension Office
8th September 1832

Sir

The papers in support of the claims of William Byers and Nehemiah Beckwith, have been examined and they are herewith Returned, their declarations being defective, Mr. Byers has stated the time [crossed out] when he Entered the Service, but he has not Specified the time when he was commissioned this he must do, in order to Enable the Department to determine to what amount of Pension he is entitled. In all cases where an applicant has served Less than Two years the calculation is made in proportion to each days service performed, and according to the particular grade in which he served.  Mr. Beckwiths declaration is defective in not showing at what time in the month of May he entered the service.  We Require him to be thus particular for the Reason first given.  As many years have elapsed since the applicants were in the service, it cannot be expected that they can in all cases remember the dates precisely.  In such cases this Department does not require them to swear positively as to the exact period, but we should be extremely embarrased in supposing a particular period upon which to fix as the Time when the service commenced.  To remove this difficulty and to prevent complaints on the part of the applicants they are Required to swear that they are positive that they

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Served "at least for the Term of   months According to the Best of Their Recollection", & If [illegible] Byers & Beckwith will Amend theirs declarations their claims Will be Admitted

Very Respectfully
Your Able Servant
James L. Edwards

Major H. S. Handey
Present

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TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Second Comptroller's Office
June 9th, 1840

Sir:

Under the act of the 6th of April, 1838, entitled "An act directing the transfer of money remaining unclaimed by certain Pensioners, and authorizing the payment of the same at the Treasury of the United States,"  The children of Wm Byers, a Pensioner on the Roll of the Maryland Agency. at the rate of One hundred & five Dollars and 86 cents per annum, under the law of the 7th June 1832, has been paid at this Department, from the 4th of Sept. 1838, to the 2d April 1839, the day of his death.

Respectfully yours, 
Albion K. Parris
Comptroller