Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 5587, for Jedediah Jewett, New Hampshire

SERVICE
N 16
NUMBER
P 5587
Jewett, Jedediah Elizabeth
CONTENTS

Commonwealth of Massachusetts County of Middlesex.
On this eighth day of September A.D. 1855. personally appeared before the undersigned Nathan Crosby, a judge of the Police Court of the City of Lowell in the County State aforesaid. Elizabeth Jewett, a resident of Billerica in said County of Middlesex, aged eighty six years, who, first being duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provisions, made by the Act of Congress passed on the third of February A.D. 1853 granting pensions to widows of persons, who served during the Revolutionary War; that she is the widow of Jedediah Jewett, who was a private in Capt. John Barker's Company, in Col. Bedel's Regiment of Rangers, raised by the Colony of New Hampshire; joined the Continental Army under General Montgom- ery July 12 th . 1775. and was discharged December 31 st . 1775. that he also, as she verily believes, served in said war as Commissary from July 21 st . 1780 till the close of the same; that, at the times he entered said service, he resided at Exeter, New Hamp- shire, She further declares, that she was married to the said Jedediah Jewett on the 25 th day of December A.D. 1808. in Gardner. Maine, by one Haskell, a clergyman; that her said husband died on the _____ day of Jan- uary A.D. 1823. at Pittston; in the State of Maine aforesaid; that she was not mar- ried to him prior to the second of January A.D. 1800, but at the time above stated she further declares that she is now a widow. Elizabeth Jewett
I swear to and subscribed on the day and year above written before me the undersigned Thereby certify that the applicant Mrs Elizabeth Jewett from bodily infirmity is unable to attend court. Witness my hand & seal of said court. Nathan Crosby. Judge.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Secretary's Office, Boston, Sept 11, 1855.
I hereby Certify, That at the date of the annexed Attestation Nathan Crosby was a Justice of the Peace for the County of Middlesex, and was a Justice of the Police Court in the City of Lowell
in the said Commonwealth, duly commissioned and constituted; and that to his acts and attestations, as such, full faith and credit are and ought to be given, in and out of Court.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto affixed the Seal of the Commonwealth, the date above written.
A. L. Fernald Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth.

I Mary O. Shaw of Billerica in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts widow, on oath depose and say that I know Elizabeth Jewett of Billerica named in the foregoing affidavit, that I have known her the last fifty years, that I heard of her mar- riage in Pittston, Maine, in the year eighteen hundred and eight; that in eighteen hundred and thirteen I visited the said Elizabeth Jewett at Pittston aforesaid, and saw that said Eliza- beth Jewett and Jedediah Jewett lived together as man and wife, that I was at Pittston on several occasions after this and before the death of said Jedediah Jewett and the said Jedediah and Elizabeth always lived as man and wife, and always had the reputation of being such.
Mary O. Shaw
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Middlesex ss. September 8 th 1855 Subscribed and sworn to before me
N. Crosby Justice of the Peace

174
Jedediah Jewett
Dr
1780 July 21 98 To Treasurer £ 300 (28) £ 300, Aug st £ 1200. — 1800
1780
  Sept r  101  To Treasurer in New Emission  £ 100. — — —     103  to ditto £ 8100 ditto £ 9. 18 —  8109. — 18. —    1781  104  to ditto balance purchasing Horses 0. — 19. 5 1/4      "  to ditto keeping Horses 3. 2. 1. }  4. — 1. — 6 3/4     "  to ditto towards pay  60. " —     106  to ditto  300. — —  
Specie
  1781  109  To Treasurer on Acc t State Cloth r  £ 15. — — —    1782  Nov.  111 to ditto £ 100. — ditto £ 15. —  115. — — —    1783  112  to ditto State Clothing — £ 30 —      "  ditto on acc t drwg. cattle 14. 9. 1     Feby.  "  ditto £ 7. ditto £ 9. — 16 — —  60. 9. — 1 —    Sept r   to ditto 30/4 (Oct r 31) ditto £ 6. 8. 5 1/2  7. 18 9 1/2    1784  Ap r  to ditto balance as State Clothing  65. 9. 9     9  to ditto on acc t drwg. 62/. ditto 52/.  5. 14. —     Oct r 18  to ditto £ 6. —  6. — —    1786  Ap r  to ditto 12/—   
1782 To Beef Cattle Acc t

Contra
6
104 By
107 By Treasurer New emission £4500. - " -
" By ditto - - - - 101-14.-
1783
June 28 By paying the Treasurer in Morris Bills/
300. - " -

State of New Hampshire.
SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE.
I DO HEREBY CERTIFY, That from an examination of the Books and Documents, relating to Military Services in the war of the Revolution, which remain in this office, it appears that the name of Jedediah Jewett is, borne upon the "A" Pay Roll of Capt.
John Parker's Company, as a Private in said Company, in Col: Bedell's Regiment
of Rangers, raised by the colony of New Hampshire, in the defence of the liberties of America, joined the Northern Continental Army, under the command of General Montgomery - 1775; Time of engagement, July 12, 1775; - Time of discharge Dec: 31, 1775; Time in service 5. 20. -
Also the name of Jedediah Jewett is borne upon a Book, relating as above, of which the annexed Paper Marked "A" is a copy.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said State, this
(Vol 7. Page 5)

STATE OF MAINE.
ANSON P. MORRILL, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MAINE.
To all who shall see these Presents,
GREETING.
Know ye, That Jacob Peasey of Pittston and Daniel Nutting of Gardiner in the County of Kennebec Esquires whose names are borne upon the papers herunto annexed were duly in commission as Justices of the Peace and of the Quorum at the date of these within attestations, that they still continue to hold said office: that the signatures purporting to be theirs, are genuine.
Anson P. Morrill
and that to his Acts and Attestations as such, full faith and credit are and ought to be given in and out of Court.
In testimony whereof, I have caused the Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed.
Given under my hand at AUGUSTA, this thirteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty- five and in the seventy  eightieth year of the Independence of the United States of America.
BY THE GOVERNOR.
John D. Sleeper Secretary of State.

No Elizabeth Jewett Widow of Jedediah
Mass
3 rd Feby 1833.

Jedediah Jewett of Pittston and Mrs Elizabeth Burd of Gardine intend Marriage. Pittston Decem r 7 th 1808
Nath l Hall
Town Clerk
I then certify that the foregoing is a true copy of record in the town of Pittston.
N. H. Clark
Pittston Aug 24 1855
Town Clerk
State of Maine
Henrietta J. Pittston Aug 24 1855
Personally appeared the above named N. H. Clark now Clerk of said town of Pittston and made oath that the foregoing extract from the records of Pittston is true.
Before me
Isaac Peaselee
Justice of Peace

"Jedediah Jewett Esq. of Pittston and Widow Elizabeth Reed of Gardiner intend marriage"
Gardiner Dec. 7. 1808
Seth Gay T. C.
I hereby certify that the foregoing, is a true copy of the record
C. P. Branch City Clerk
Gardiner August 24. 1855
Kennebec ss. Gardiner Aug. 24. 1855. Personally appeared the above named C. P. Branch, and made oath that the foregoing extract from the records of the city of Gardiner is true,
before me
Daniel Nutting Justice of the Peace

The undersigned, inhabitants of the town of Pittston, County of Kennebec and State of Maine, hereby certify that they understood and believe that Jedediah Jewett Esq. and Mrs. Elizabeth Bred were married soon after the date of their publications (as certified in the year 1808) - that they were intimately acquainted with the said Jedediah Jewett and Elizabeth his wife and knew them to live together as husband and wife from about the said year 1808, till his the husband's decease, which according to their best recollection was more than twelve years.
John Blanchard
Geo. Williamson
Martha Williamson
Betsey J. Young
State of Maine.
Kennebec County ss. August 25 th 1855 - Then John Blanchard, Geo. Williamson, Martha Williamson & Betsey J. Young personally appeared and made oath to the truth of the above certificate by them subscribed.
Before me -
Jacob Pease Lee Justice of the Peace

Billerica Mass
21 st Novr 1855.
J. Minot.
Commissioner etc.
Washington.
Sir:
I have before me your letter of the 1 st Ult: to E. Pearson of Boston, relative to the claim of Elizabeth Jewett for a pension, as the widow of Jedediah Jewett a revolutionary soldier; which letter appears to arrest any further enquiry into the claim, by leaving the claimant uncertain as to what further proof may be required by your office. At the request of a very near relative of Mrs Jewett and from a desire to obtain a fair consideration and decision in the case I take the liberty of stating the principal facts in the case as they appear to me.

That a person by the name of Jedediah Jewett served from July till Decr 1775 in a New Hampshire Regiment under the Command of Col n Badell and made an effredition into Canada may be proved from the pay rolls of the Regiment.
That the claimant of the pension is the widow of Jedediah Jewett, may be proved by the parties who have known them in society as man and wife for years, and never heard it doubted.
That the husband of the claimant served in the revolutionary war, may be proved, as well as the nature of the case can admit of, by the testimony of Daniel Connor, now 84 years of age, but of sound reason, who was the nephew of J. Jewett and knows that the fact of his services, was notorious in the common circle of their acquaintance forty or fifty years since.

It would be but a mockery of justice, or liberality for the Country to award pensions for services rendered eighty years since and then to require the Claim to be established by proof as strong as should be brought in the case of a soldier of the War in Mexico. Eighty years since was a confused time compared with the present day; records either public or private were not as common then, as now, and in nearly all cases of Claims originating so far back, the evidence must necessarily be circumstantial only.
Jedediah Smith was a resident of the State of New Hampshire, at the time the regiment he is supposed to have been in, was raised in that State, or in the neighborhood.
If all this is not sufficient to make out the case, will you do me the favor to point out wherein

The evidence is deficient? for I think it may be supplied if the parties only knew what was required. The Claimant is now 87 years of age and her friends find it very difficult to grope about in the dark of 80 years since with only the little light that her decaying memory can cast upon the transaction. Should the pension be granted it is not probable in the ordinary course of nature that the Gov't would be long burdened by the payment.
I notice in your letter referred to above, the expression "Papers designed as evidence in pension cases must be separate in themselves, from those designed as proof;" if it is material to the case I would thank you for a further explanation of the meaning.
I am very respectfully Your Obs Servt. James Gaynor.

Billerica Mass:
13 th Decr 1855.
Sir
I have to acknowledge the receipt on the 6 th inst. of your communication of the 1 st relative to the claim of Elizabeth Jewett. If the law under which she claims, requires six months service to entitle the widow of a revolutionary soldier to a pension, as I infer from your letter it does; there would appear to exist an insuperable difficulty in this case, as the parties interested in the claimant, though entirely satisfied of her right, can obtain at present, no other proof of service than the records of N. Hampshire.
I am very respectfully Your Obs Servt
James Glyn
J. Merick Commissioner Pension Office Washington

Gratuity for the Special
Pay
J. Minot Com. of Pensions Washington D.C.

Envelop plain Adams today Dec 23 Paid
Paid
E. Pearsons Esq Counselor at Law 24 Old State House
Boston Mass

No 6023 Elizabeth Jewett Widow of Jedediah Mass
Pearson Sep 21 1855- same October 1, 1855- same Dec 1 1855- same Dec 1 1855-
5587
Feb 4 3 1855
928

Decatur
Boston Sept. 17. 1855
I enclose Off. for pension & bounty land for widow I write in cust. of the services of her husband Jehoidiah I write in Rev. War - I have put the papers relating to both cases together as the proof is the same in both cases -
Yours truly & respectfully E. Pearson
J. Minot Esq. Law of Pensions

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
55-87
P. O.
Elizabeth Prunett
Service:
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
REJECTED
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.

Providence Sept 25. 1855
Dear Sir
Yours is recd. & I am much obliged for such attention to Mrs. Jewett's case & we will endeavor to not satisfy the defect. I supposed identity of names was proof of identity of persons - such was the decision of the Sup. Court of N. H. & etc. - If I understand it Mrs. J. must prove that the Jewett whose names are proved were her husband - but is it meant that her own oath is not enough? that his proof must be furnished over & above identity of names & the widow's own oath - I see nothing in the instructions that requires it -
Can you not separate from the papers last year the Application for bounty land & act upon it & grant it if proper? so that a new Application the & lives & a Dist. sum & is a fairer woman please do so if you can -
Yours truly
E. Pearson
J. Mind E