Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 10,770, John Turrill, Conn.

SERVICE
NUMBER _____
SERV loan
Y. Burrill, John (Polly)
R. 10. 770
CONTENTS

Hon. Loren P. Waldo
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C.

New Milford, April 4 th 1855
Honb: Seren S r Waldo
Dear Sir
My ancestor Husband, John Turrent for whose services I would now make Application for a Pension was born 16 th of March 1756 consequently if now living would be 97 years of age in the spring of 1775 he enlisted in Capt Josiah Hark's of New Milford Company, First Regt of 8 th New Jersey this Co was in Col of South Jersey Stirling's Regt It was raised for 7 months they marched to Canada after serving out this Campaign he returned about the first of Decem r
In January 1776 he again enlisted under Capt s Isaac Bostwick Lieut Elisha Bross -twick Ensign James Bostwick all of New Milford this Co was in Col Charles Webb's Regt they marched to Boston and remained there until the British were driven from Boston they then came to New York was on Long Island and in that me- -morabile retreat from the Island which took place on the evening of the 29 th of Aug t previous to this he had been taken from Col Webb's Regt and transferred to Colonel Mendenhall's Regt of Skaneateles who was placed to guard the lines and to cover Col Shel- -don's Regt of Light Horsemen which of course would bring them into much active service
When Fort Washington was ordered to be put in a state of defence this Co was ordered into that fort and was there taken prisoner 16 th of Nov r his imprisonment was first in the Old Sugar-house for about 5 weeks he was then with about 1400 put on board the prison ship Dutton where during the 48 days they were confined there

the number had dwindled from about 100 down to 50 they were then sworn not again to take up arms against the King were put on board a vessel, and set on shore at Tharsneck where after three weeks of pain- ful suffering and toil are trying to reach home the fortunate met with Capt Isaac Bostwick the man with whom he enlisted who kindly put him upon his back and conveyed him to his fathers house I should think the Co in which he served whilst in Knowlton's Regt was commanded by a Capt Beebe of Ditchfield (but in this I may be mistaken) It was more than a year before he regained his health he afterwards joined the Army but as the pension is claimed on the above service it is unnecessary to add more
On the 31st of Oct 1819 I was joined in Marri- age with John Merrill by Rev. Andrew Elliott I being his second wife his former wife having deceased some years before.
When the first Pension Act was first passed my husband was deprived of the benefit of that Act by his having some property and he used to speak to me and others often upon the subject saying that his country had done him great injustice to cut him and others off from its benefits whilst others who had been less indus- trious and frugal were permitted to share them
My husband deceased on 19th of Feb 1829 When the Pension act last winter passed giving pensions to Widows of deceased soldiers Married subsequent to 1800 we began to look about for evidence to to attest to his services and although there were many at the time of his death that would have sworn to his faithful service yet at this late day we find they have passed away and their Grave Stones only tell where they lie

We think that if his name can be found on any of the rolls this will be sufficient evidence of his service and on this we hope not to be disappointed, having no Agent at Washington instead our Claim would hardly pay an agent, and supposing that the rolls must be at your Office will you have the goodness Sir to examine and see if John Surrill's name can be found in  on any of the above mentioned Rolls and if not will you please to inform us immediately what kind of evidence you will accept so that we may make the most strenu- ous effort we can but if the rolls are full and have been faithfully kept and preserved we are so sanguine of success that we are almost willing to say that we are ready to abandon the project if his name is  there not there found
There is one thing more that I would now speak of with much feeling and that is I am now in the  my 84 year of my age very feeble in health and if my case is not very soon attended to I shall like my deceased husband be beyond the reach of my Country's aid I therefore hope Sir that you will give my case a hearing before some others that have prospect of longer life before them and in the mean time I must subscribe myself Your most humble servant
Miner Surrill for W m Kelly Surrill
P.S. Pardon us for again pressing the request that you will soon attend to our case and inform me if his name  name can be found on any rolls at the War office and if not please to inform what course it is best to pursue
Yours Truly Miner Surrill
Hon ble J. P. Waldo

Kilmelford Aug. 22 1855
Honble Soren P Walde
Dear Sir
Yours of the 8th has been received with much pleasure owing to circumstances which have occurred lately I am under the necessity of making one more enquiry of you which I hope you will feel yourself at liberty to answer
Widow Polly Tuvill the claimant of the Pension is now dead has we have proceeded to take a considerable portion of our testimony but her death which took place very suddenly about the first of July put a stop to our further proceedings
There is an opinion existing here among some persons that her claim to a pension now after her death cannot be made and this is the enquiry that I wish to make will you have the goodness to say inform me whether upon sufficient proof being sent sent to the Pension Office her Heirs can lay claim to so much as would have been due to her Viz from Feb. 5 th 1855 the time the Act was approved up to her death or whether the claim dies with her let the proof be ever so con- -clusive Our claim is but a small one but my Father having poured out every thing but his life's blood in the cause of his Country I hope that I shall be allowed the privilege of making an effort to place his name with those worthy Men who defended their Country
If your answer is in the affirmative we shall immediately forward our proof as in the negative

We shall give you no further trouble. An answer is solicited at the earliest opportunity.
I have in my possession a document that I should like to lay before you. It is a Camp Book kept by Lieut. Elisha Bostwick the 2 d Lieut. in Capt. Isaac Bostwick's Company of 1776 but it continues through the campaigns of 1777 and 78. It contains the roll of all the Officers in Col. Charles Webb's Regiment also the roll of Capt. Isaac Bostwick's Comp. both Officers and privates at the end of each month name he has been careful to note down who deceased or were killed in battle and when, who were taken prisoners & who were when they deserted and when and when they were discharged. My Father's name stands the 67 on the list at the end of which is written "Taken at Fort Washington." It also contains a list of the officers and privates in Capt. Isaac Bostwick's Comp. who crossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25 th 1776 and followed Washington to the attack on Trenton. A list of the prisoners both officers and privates together with the killed and wounded. It appears that during the fall of '76 each soldier drew a certain sum per month called Bazaar Money which he laid out for Vegetables. This money was placed in the hands of Lieut. Elisha Bostwick who upon the payment to any soldier was obliged in his own hand writing to sign a receipt. This receipt is preserved in the Book. Capt. Isaac Bostwick's Comp. was mustered for service at Puddle the ancient name for Washington in Litchfield County and marched from that place on the 19 th of Dec r 1775 the first night encamped at Litchfield the 2 d at Farmington the 3 d at East Haddam and so on till they joined the main Army at Charlestown.

When the Army moved to New York the Camp is dated near Harlem the next Campment is at Kingsbridge and so on This book in the opinion of Wm Ormsby Mervin and others who have examined it would be a valuable document at the Depart- ment it belongs to a Son of Col. Bostwick Elisha Bostwick who afterwards rose to the rank of Lieut Colonel was for more than 40 years town Clerk at New Bedford
I have only to crave your pardon for troubling you with so long a letter
Yours truly
Miner Merrill
Administrator on the Estate of Polly Merrill Deceased

Hon. Leven P. Watrous - Comm. of Pensions Washington

Knott Millpond 28 th March 1858
Dear Sir
A son of an old Revolutionary Soldier, long since dead , who proposes to make application for a pension for in behalf of his step mother, the widow of his deceased father, has called on me to enquire what I recollect of his father's services in the Army of the Revolution - Being but a little over 60 years old when the war commenced, I of course never saw John Turrell, the man in question, in actual service; nor is there any one now living in this town, I presume not any where who actually served with him. I have therefore advised that a statement should be made to you of the nature of such proofs as could be obtained. I enquire whether it would be admissible - By no means expecting that you would express any opinion of its sufficiency, until presented for consideration in form - The object of my enquiring in this letter, is simply to learn whether such kind of evidence as I will proceed to state will be deemed admissible at all; if it will not, it would not be expedient to incur any expense upon the subject - The few octogenarians here, from summer resort  who know that John Turrell, was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, & that he was one of the unfortunate prisoners taken at Fort Washington in Nov. 1776, & that he partook of all the sufferings, short of death, of those unhappy men, in the Sugar House & the Prisonships at New York - I will now state my personal information -

with whom they were in the action at Hurler's Creek which he was slain; in consequence of that de- tachments were introduced in the in the fall of Fort Washington; & of course were prison- ers when the period of their enlistment expired If the rolls of Benjamin Hinman's, & Chas. Webb's regiments are to be found, Surrall's name will be found in the pages above indicated, but I suppose they probably were destroyed at the burning of the town office between 50 & 60 years ago
- Soon after the passage of the first Pension law in 1818, John Surrall applied to me, (as many others did) to get his papers made out as an applicant for his a pension. I, of course well knew the intrinsic merits of his claim but knowing that he had some considerable property, I read to him the battle I should be obliged to administer, to wit: that he was in reduced circumstances & had need of aid from his country for support; upon which he declined taking the oath & gave up his in- tended application; & during his life the same bar was in his way - His Widow being a 2 d Wife, & married to him since the year 1800, was never, until very lately in a situation to claim a pension; & now there is no evidence in support of her claim, to which she can have recourse except of the nature I have mentioned.
If secondary evidence is not admissible Congress did a very silly thing in passing the late law, for some of them, at least, must have known of the burning of the town office & that time had swept away all all other positive proof -
I am Sir, very respectfully Yours Hon ble S. P. Waldo - A. S. Burdman

Newmilford April 15th 1854
Hon ble Loren P o Waldo Commissioner on Pensions
Sir it is some months since I wrote to you on the subject of the Pension of Widow Polly Tuvill deceased for the service of John Tuvill to this last I have received no answer which leads us to fear that our claim is lost if this is the case we should like to know it under your hand If our claim died with her we very much regret that we did not make our application a little more formal before her death this would no doubt have secured it but we did not know what evidence you would expect we therefor address several letters to you which caused the delay
Besides the Camp Book of Lieut Elisha Bostwick of which I have informed you we have received an Affidavit executed in legal form from a living witness in Hamilton County Ohio of the personal knowledge of the services of My Father John Tuvill in the War of the Revolution
Yours truly Miner Tuvill Administrator - on the Estate of Wid Polly Tuvill deceased

April 7. 1853
Rel: to claim of Polly Surrill widow of John.
original
Miss Surrill
New Milford
Conn.
DEPARTMENT OF THE P. Pension Office, Official

No 2479
Heir of Polly Turrill wid: of John ————— Con.
Sitt to Minnie Turrill, Adm: of Polly Turrill, 14 th Sept: 1853, 19 th Apl: 1854,
10770
At 3 rd Febr: 1853

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
10,770
P. O.
Polly Twell
Service: _____
REJECTED
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18

New Milford April 2nd 1853
Hon ble L. P. Waldo
Dear Sir
You will soon have an application for a Pension for Mrs Polly Turrent of New Milford, the second wife of John Turrent a Soldier of the Revolutionary war. I have been requested to state to you the knowledge I have of the services which said Turrent rendered in the army of his country. This will be secondary evidence only , for altho now an old man (almost 77) I was but an infant at the time he was serving in the army. I have often heard my Father and others recount and tell over the services and sufferings of the soldiers in the army, and John Turrent was always mentioned as one of the most brave and faithful amongst them. If I remember right he enlisted under Capt. Josiah Starr in the year 1775 and again (I think they said) under Capt. Isaac Bostwick in Col. Webb Regt. They said he was in the battles of Flatbush and Harlem heights and taken prisoner perhaps at Fort Washington. He was put on board one of the prison ships in New York where he suffered about all that man can bear and live. Having (as they said) subsisted for three days together on a single cast off cabbage stump, and covered with the most loathsome vermin.
Soon after the passage of the first Pension Law was passed, quite a number of old Soldiers came together for the purpose of having their papers prepared for application for pensions. Among them I saw John Turrent, and when the oath was read to him requiring him to swear that he needed his country's assistance he declined taking the oath.

Whether he ever applied for a pension I do not know — he died soon after and before the law was passed dispensing with the oath — I think his name can be found in the rolls of Col. Webb's Regt but most probably his last discharge will not appear as he was parolled and set on shore by the British at a place called Nassau-neck (now Stamford ) —
I think it was said he did not recover his health so as to join his company again before the time for which he enlisted had expired — There are perhaps none of those about my age who doubt the fact of the faithful services of John Snell but perhaps no one can be found at this time who has personal knowledge of their existence — very few I fear can take the benefit of the law passed last Session unless a very liberal construction is allowed in regard to the evidence of services rendered by the late husbands of the applicants —
Very respectfully your
Honbl L. T. Waldo
Q.M. Secy
Orange Mervin
Comm ee of Pensions