Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 21797, John Wood, Mass.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass
Wood, John
R. 21797
CONTENTS

(3-223.)
Rev
No. 21.797
, Ex'r. REJECTED
OLD WAR INVALID.
John Wood of Me P.O. Capt Richmond Me
Service: Rev
Enlisted : _____ , 18
Discharged : _____ , 18
Application filed : _____ , 18
Alleges : _____
Re-enlisted : _____
Attorney : _____
P. O. _____

Suppl
32.179.
John Woodman Capt. Richmond Mass.
Feb y 3 rd 1836
Ref d to Com ee on Rev d Pensions Home on Rev.
Pensions
Rejection
27 Feb 1836
Hon. L. J. Pierce
41
Rev. Pensions
24
Fry 23. ditto line

Declarations
State of Massachusetts } ss. County of Bristol - }
On this same 2 nd day of September A.D. 1834, personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting, John Wood of Westport in the County of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, aged Eighty two 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 7 th 1832.
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
In the fore part of the month of April A.D. 1775. the precise day he does not now recollect, he well remembers that it was a short time before the Battle at Lexington near Boston, and he thinks about twelve or fifteen days before it, which battle was on the 19 th day of said month, that orders were received by the Capt s of the Company of Militia that he the said John Wood belonged to, from Col s Thomas Rempton to which Regiment said Company belonged, to call out his Company and organize it, and if there were any vacancies of officers, to choose new ones (as there been no training for a number of years) which being called out, and all the former officers declined serving any longer, and the Company met at Hukess Bridge in Dartmouth (now Westport) and Nathaniel Richmond was chosen Capt s , and the aforesaid John Wood, was chosen Lieutenant of said Company, and the Company was then dismissed, with orders to meet again in about one week, from best of his recollection, he well remembers that the news of the battle at Lexington, was told a few days after the Company met, which was for exercise and discipline, or training as he called it, which was at the house of Job Talbot, in said Dartmouth, where the officers and Soldiers spent the day in exercising &c. and was then dismissed until further orders, and about one week after the battle at Lexington, Col s Rempton, sent orders to Capt s Richmond, to call out his Company and raise a certain number of men, by listing, classing, drafting, as in such way as he might think most proper, and have them ready to march for Boston at a moments warning, which he accordingly did, and the Company met at the house of William East in said Dartmouth, and Capt s Richmond, and the aforesaid Lieutenant Wood was present, and the number that the orders were to raise, listed, and the Company was then dismissed, and he thinks in about one week after, he well recollects it was near the first of May following, that Capt s Richmond received orders again to raise one man out of every seven, to march to Boston as aforesaid, Capt s Richmond again called out his Company, which met at said William Easts, and Capt s Richmond and he the said Lieutenant Wood was present, and no one of said Company being found willing to enlist, Capt s Richmond, and Lieutenant Wood, then classed the Company, seven in a class, and ordered each class, to furnish a man, which they accordingly did, and the Company was then dismissed, he thinks it unnecessary to go into so minute a detail of his whole services, as he has been above stated, and will proceed to give a statement of the most important parts of it, orders being often received to raise men to go to Boston and elsewhere, which were raised for short terms, during the first year of the War, and a part of the second which he the said Wood at all times attended to, some times the said Company was called out to -

raise men or for training twice in one week, but not generally so often, he well recollects that Capt. Richmond left home the latter part of May, in said year A. D. 1775. on a visit to Boston, where he remained from two to three months, and that he the said John Wood was the only officer at home, that belonged to said company, and that in the absence of Capt. Richmond, when orders came to raise men, he the said Lieutenant Wood called out the company, and raised them, which he did a number of times, in the absence of Capt. Richmond, and in the latter part of the summer of said year, orders were issued for the officers, or an officer of each company, in the County of Bristol to meet at the Village of Assonet, about twenty miles from said Dartmouth, to chuse field officers, to fill all the vacancies in said county, which was the way of chusing them at that time, and the said Lieutenant Wood attended at said meeting for his company, and after assisting in chusing said field officers, returned home and attended to the duties of his office in said company, and that he continued to do the duties aforesaid, of raising men training etc. as aforesaid, and at the different times as aforesaid, for the aforesaid term of about one year and a half, and after that time men were raised for longer terms terms of terms, and our company was not called out so often as before, but he the said Lieutenant Wood was obliged to be at all times ready to march at a moments warning, whenever there was an alarm, on account of the enemy coming near or landing on the adjoining sea coast, and said John Wood was one of the minor men that attended to that duty at all times when required, which continued to be the case as long as he belonged to said company, he the applicant well remembers that a guard was stationed at Dartmouth Harbour (now Westport) in the Spring of the year A. D. 1777. which was continued there about three fourths of the time for nearly four years, it being dismissed about three months in each winter, which was made up from men that belonged to the same company that he did, some time in the fall of said year A. D. 1777. he cannot say precisely the time, he thinks it was the latter part of October, he well recollects that the weather had become something cool, and there was an alarm made at said Harbour, on account of some armed vessels of the enemy, being off said Harbour, and that he went on guard at said Harbour two nights, and the enemy then went off, and that he continued to do the duties of his said office, as a Lieutenant of said company, and frequently that of a Capt., until about the last of December (the precise day he does not recollect) in the aforesaid year A. D. 1777. when he claimed his discharge, which after considerable deliberation was granted, by tendering him their thanks for his long and faithfull services, in said company, he the applicant, being chosen by the aforesaid company, a Lieutenant, on the first part of April A. D. 1778. which office he continued to hold, without any intermission, until about the last of December A. D. 1777. making his term of actual service, two years, and nearly nine months, And the said John Wood further states that during the time he was an officer of the company aforesaid, a period of two years and nearly nine months, he was in the actual service of his country, during all said period, in the employ of the company, and of his country, ready to attend to, attending to, and complying with the requisitions which were made upon the company, and upon him as one of the officers of the same, that he could not attend to any other business but that which belonged to said company.

employed as aforesaid, and for the purposes mentioned, and to him as an officer of the same.
I was born in the town of Dartmouth (now Westport) on the thirty first day of May in the year A. D. 1752.
I have a record of my age, wrote in my family Bible.
I was living in Dartmouth (now Westport) when called into service, and have lived there since the Revolutionary War, and now live there.
I was chosen a Lieutenant, of a company of Militia, and accepted of the office.
I have stated the names of the officers that I served under in the former part of my Declaration.
I never had a Commission, and there was no person then authorized to sign Commission. I was chosen a Lieutenant when the War first broke out, and there was not any officer that had a Commission at that time to my knowledge.
A certificate of two persons, that I am well known to, is herewith attached by them signed, and sworn to before a proper Magistrate.
We hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State. John Wood
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
William J. L. Court of Common Pleas.
John Wood
4 District St. L. C. Pl. Sept. Term 1834
Sworn to in devoirs
J. S. Great Falls
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 abovenamed applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier & served as he states - And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that Nathan Wood and Luther K. Cury who have signed the annexed certificates are residents in Westport above mentioned are credible persons, & that their statement is entitled to credit.
Attest. J. S. Great Falls

I James Groat Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the County of Bristol, do hereby certify that the documents hereto annexed, contain the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of John Wood for a pension. — In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of Office, this Twelfth day of October Eighteen hundred thirty four.
Ja s Groat
We Sawton H. Cory and Nathan Wood of Westport in the County of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with John Wood, who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing Declaration, and that we believe him to be about eighty two years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighbourhood where he resides, to have been an officer of the Revolution, and we concur in that opinion —
Witness Sylvester Gifford
Nathan Wood
Sawton H. Cory
State of Massachusetts
County of Bristol — ss. on the 5 th day of May A.D. 1834 the foregoing Certificate was subscribed and sworn to — and it appears to me, that Sawton H. Cory, and Nathan Wood who has signed the preceding Certificate are residents in the Town of Westport in the County of Bristol aforesaid — and are Credible persons, and that their statement is entitled to credit — and I do further certify that there is no Clergyman resident within the Town of Westport which could be conveniently obtained to certify as aforesaid — and that it is very inconvenient to produce the aforesaid Sawton H. Cory and Nathan Wood to attend at Court — to certify as aforesaid —
Abner B. Gifford Jus d of the Peace

I Arnold Wood of Westport in the County of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, on Oath do testify, and say, that I am well acquainted with John Wood, of said Westport, in the County of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, aged about Eighty two years. whom I well remember in the year A. 1775. That some time in the month of April of said year, I think it was the forepart of said month, the exact day I do not recollect, I well remember, it was a short time before I heard of the battle at Lexington, that the Company of Militia were called out, that I lived within the limits of, and that they met at Hikes Bridge in Dartmouth (now Westport) to choose their officers, and I was there, and well remember that Nathaniel Richmond was chosen Capt., and that the aforesaid John Wood was chosen Lieutenant, I also recollect, that a few days after, I see the said Company at Hikes Bridge, the said Company turned out again, and met at the house of Job Taber in said Dartmouth for training, and I was there, and the aforesaid John Wood was there, and that he was Lieutenant of said Company, and performed the duties of said office, I do not now recollect of being at any other training afterwards, though I frequently heard of there being trainings, for some years afterwards, and of the Company being often called out to raise men, to go to different places, and also heard of the aforesaid John Wood attending them, and that he held the same office that he did when I was at the trainings, and I well remember of hearing him, and a number of others say, that he went to Nantucket, about twenty miles from home , at a meeting of Company officers there, to choose field officers, and from recollection, I think it was some time in the Summer of said year A. 1775. and I do not recollect any thing more particular about him than I have before stated, until some time in the fall of the year A. 1777. the precise day I do not recollect, but I well recollect it was some time after some houses were burnt in New Bedford, which was burnt in the Summer of said year, I think it was two or three months after the houses were burnt in New Bedford, that I see the said John Wood with several others, and they told me that they were going on guard at Dartmouth Harbour, that there was an alarm, and that they were going on account of it, which I had heard of before, and when I see said Wood and those that were with him, they were near the guard house, and I am sure that he was then Lieutenant of said Company, and that he had been, ever since he was chosen in April A. 1775. and how long he continued to hold it afterwards I do not recollect, but believe he did not hold it long after. Witness Ebenezer Gifford
Arnold Wood
State of Massachusetts.
County of Bristol. ss. Westport. May 5 th A.D. 1834. personally appeared before me the subscriber the above named Arnold Wood, and made oath that the deposition aforesaid by him subscribed is true. and I further certify that the said Arnold Wood is well known to me and in my opinion he is a credible witness.
Ebenezer G. Gifford Justice of the Peace

I Sylvester Brownell of Little Compton in the County of Newport and State of Rhode-Island. aged over Seventy six years, on oath do testify, and say, that I am well acquainted with John Wood of Westport in the County of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, aged about Eighty two years. whom I well remember in the year A. D. 1775. on the latter part of April in said year, I well recollect that it was a few days after the battle at Lexington in the State of Massachusetts which was on the 19 th day of said April, that Nathaniel Richmond Capt d of a Company of Militia of Dartmouth (now Westport) belonging to Col o Thomas Hemptons Regiment, had orders to raise a certain number of men to march to Boston, called out his Company, which met at the house of William East in said Dartmouth, and Capt d Richmond was present and the aforesaid John Wood who previously had been, and then was Lieutenant of said Company was also present, and that I enlisted with a number of others to go to Boston, and soon after we enlisted orders were received not to march the aforesaid men that were listed until further orders, and in a few days after, Col o Thomas Church of Little Compton in the State of Rhode-Island, had orders to raise a number of men out of his Regiment, to go to Boston, and I enlisted into Capt d Aaron Wilbours Company of Militia, belonging to said Col o Churchs Regiment, and myself and a number of others that enlisted in Capt d Wilbours Company were marched to Boston under the command of Capt d Wilbours, and I remained at and near Boston untill some time in January A. D. 1776. I well recollect of seeing the aforesaid Capt d Richmond in Boston, I think some time in May it was soon after I arrived there, and that he remained there until some time in the Summer, I do not now recollect precisely how long, and believe that Capt d Richmond left his Company and the charge of the aforesaid John Wood in his absence, I have no positive knowledge of his services any longer, but well remember of hearing that he served there three years a Lieutenant of said Company. Sylvester Brownell
Witness. Sylvester Gifford,
Newport Jy. Little Compton May 3 rd 1834 —
personally appeared before me, the above named Sylvester Brownell and made oath to the truth of the above Deposition by him signed, and I further testify and say that the said Sylvester Brownell is well known to me and that he is a credible witness in the premises — by me —
Sylvester Gifford Justice Peace

I hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Sylvester Gifford, who has subscribed his name to the within Certificate, and that he is a Magistrate duly qualified, and that the signature to the within Certificate is his true and genuine Signature.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my Seal of Office this third day of May A.D. 1834.
J. P. Brown Probate Clerk.

I William Cury of Westport, in the County of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts. aged about Seventy Six years. on oath do testify and say, that I am well acquainted with John Wood, of said Westport, in the County of Bristol, and State of Massachusetts, aged about Eighty two years. whom I well recollect in the forepart of April A.D. 1775. some time in forepart of said month of April, the precise day I do not now recollect, the Company of Militia that I lived within the limits of, were called out, and met near the house of Job Fisher, in the town of Dartmouth (now Westport) for Military exercise, and discipline, and I was at said meeting, or training as we called it, but I did not then belong to said Company, and I well remember, that Benjamin Cury, belonged to said Company, and was present, who was a private, and that he had his gun, and a drum with him, and I recollect that the Capt told Cury, that if he would drum for them that day, that he would excuse him from standing in the ranks, which he accordingly did, and that I asked the Capt for liberty to take Cury's gun, and exercise in the Company, which he very readily granted me, which I did during that day, and I well recollect the officers of the Company, Nathaniel Richmond was Capt and the aforesaid John Wood was Lieutenant, and I do not remember of being to any other training afterwards, as I did not then belong to the Militia Company, although of sufficient age, but well remember, that the Company was often called out, for exercise, listing, or drafting men, for two or three years, and was told that said John Wood, at all times attended to it, whilst he belonged to said Company, I well recollect of said Company being called out twice, and met at the house of William Cury, to raise men to go to Boston, the first time I believe, about the last of said April, and the second time, in the fore part of May, and that Capt Richmond, and said Lieutenant Wood attended at said meetings to raise the men, I also recollect of Capt Richmond being absent from home, and was told that he had gone to Boston, and that he was absent from said Company, from the best of my recollection about two months, and that he left home the latter part of May of the aforesaid year A.D. 1775. and in the absence of Capt Richmond, I know of no other officer of said Company, and am very sure there was not, except the said John Wood, and when orders were sent to raise men out of said Company, in the absence of Capt Richmond, the said Lieutenant Wood called out the Company and raised the men according to orders, which he at all times did, in the absence of the Capt, I well remember of the said John Wood having my father's name on a list, to go to Assonet, he told me that orders were received, for the officers, or an officer, from each Company in the County of Bristol, to meet at Assonet, to choose field officers for said County, and on his return he told me that they had chosen them, in the latter part of March A.D. 1775. I remember standing guard at Dartmouth Harbour, and some time in the fall of said year, there was an alarm made at said Harbour, and a number went on guard that did not belong to it, and I am sure that the said John Wood was there on guard one night (though I do not positively recollect him) from what he has frequently told me took place there, which I am certain he could not have known so particular about, had he not been there, of a battle that I had with a woman, that lived in one part of the guard house, in which I was so much impressed, that I drew my bayonet, and had not the Capt of the guard interposed, I cannot say, what the consequences would have been,

and I do fully believe that the said John West was then Lieutenant of said company, and that he had been, from the time that I see him at the training at Job Tabers, in April A.D. 1775. until some time in the fall of the year A.D. 1777. and how much longer I do not recollect
William Cory
Witness Honor D. Gifford
State of Massachusetts. County of Bristol - ss.
On the fifth day of May, A.D. 1834, personally appeared the above named William Cory and made oath that the deposition aforesaid by him subscribed is true and I further certify that the said William Cory is well known to me and that I believe him to be a credible witness
Honor D. Gifford Justice of the Peace
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Bristol ss. I James Spratt, clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for said County of Bristol, do hereby certify that
Honor D. Gifford Esq. whose signature is subscribed to the foregoing and several certificates, is a Justice of the Peace in & for said County of Bristol and duly qualified to administer oaths.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the seal of said Court, this twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty four. Jas. Spratt