Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 10926, for Stephen Johns, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Johns, Stephen
S. 10926
CONTENTS
cardinal

Massachusetts B7149
Stephen Johns
Berkshire in the State of Mass who was a private in the Com J te commande by Captain Hill of the Brig te commande by Colo Shepherd in the Mass line for
6 months
private
Inscribed on the Roll of Mass at the rate of 20 Dollars — Cents per annum to commence on the 14th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 6 th day of Feb y . 1834 and Sept th 26. W th Bishop Esq. Linc oln Mass
Arrears to the 14th of Sep r 1833. $ 50. Semi-ant. allowance ending 1 st Mar 31, 10 $ 60
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by George Taylor Clerk Book 4 Vol. 2 Page 38

Stephen Johns Stephen Johns 29. H.H.
Adm l 6 m Inverness
Col H. C. Col. Shepherd
H. M. Bishop Esq. Lenox Mass

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
County of Berkshire, ss.
ON this twen ty seventh day of September A. D. 1832 personally appeared in open Court, before the Honorable WILLIAM P. WALKER, Judge of the Court of Probate, within and for said County of Berkshire, now sitting,
Stephen Johns — a resident of the town of West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged 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 7, 1832.
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated. That in the Month of July in the year 1779 at West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire aforesaid he volunteered in the Company commanded by Capt. Ambrose Hill & Sergeant Francis Northway , that soon after he joined said Company which was Mustered at Sheffield  in said County where he remained nearly one week & then Marched with said Company to Litchfield in the state of Connecticut where we remained four Days & then Marched to New Haven in Connecticut & was joined to Genl. Wards Brigade where he continued to duty for one Month when he was discharged, that from the time of his Muster at Sheffield aforesaid till his discharge at New Haven aforesaid he verily believes was six Weeks, without including the time he was returning home which was four or five Days, there being a Storm on our return —
That about the first of September of the same year he again volunteered under at West Stockbridge aforesaid under Lieutenant Isaac Merrill of West Stockbridge & Marched with said Company to Stillwater in the state of New York where he continued to do duty, till a portion of the Militia were to return home on condition that others would volunteer to stay, that he was one who volunteered & remained & continued to do duty in said Merrills Company in the vicinity of Stillwater aforesaid until, the Month of December following when he was discharged at Stillwater aforesaid
1 1/2
3 M c

That again about the first of November 1782 he volunteered as a Substitute for Aaron Speary & joined the Am (who came home on a furlough & was taken sick & unable to return,) and joined the American troops at Snake Hill a few miles back of New Amg in the State of New York, where the American troops were preparing for Winter quarters & Genl Washington & most of the Officers at the time were at Newburg aforesaid as he understood & believed who were daily out to view the preparations, that he continued to do duty in the vicinity until of Snake Hill aforesaid until he was relieved by Sai Aaron Speary who returned & took his place & he was thereupon discharged at Snake Hill aforesaid, on the fifteenth day of  on the eleventh day of December following that he voluntarily believing he served in said last engagement six weeks or more without computing the time he was going & returning that there were six last mentioned wa personnel in the company in which Elijah Rose of Alfred in the County of Ulster was Orderly Sergeant, who was the only officer in the company or Regiment with whom he was acquainted previous to his joining the company & his stay was so short that he cannot now recollect any of the other officers in the company or Regiment which he joined
1 1/2 He said Stephen Johns in answer to the Interroga- tories prescribed by the War department states as follows viz in answer to the first he says that he was born at Ammeria in the State of New York in the year 1762
In answer to the second he says that he has a record of his age in the Family Bible of his father which was copied out to the birth of the  birth of the town of West Stortbridge aforesaid In answer to the third he says that that he was living at West Stortbridge aforesaid when he engaged in the service. When he has ever since resided where he now resides
In answer to the fourth he says that in all his engagements aforesaid he volunteered & and at no time was a Substitute except in the last engagement when he was a Substitute

for Aaron Spear as before stated In answer to the fifth he states that the general circumstances of his services in the several engagements of which he has before stated, he is unable with any degree of certainty any other officers or regiments
In answer to the sixth he says sixth he says he has no recollections of ever receiving any written discharge & in answer to the seventh he can state the names of the Rev. Nathan Spear & Christopher French Esq.
He further states that he has no docu- mentary evidence and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can prove to prove his engagement last mentioned he believes that Amos Woodruff is knowing to his engagement to Mrs. Haver- field above mentioned & that he knows of no one living by whom he can prove the engagement secondly mentioned

He 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
S.
Stephen Johns
Sworn to, and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.
W.P. Walker Judge of Probate
We Nathan Shaw a Clergyman, residing in the Town of West Stockbridge and Christopher French Esq. residing in West Stockbridge hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with Stephen Johns who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be seventy years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
S.
Nathan Shaw (Christopher French)
Sworn and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.
W.P. Walker Judge of Probate
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 Nathan Shaw who signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman, resident in the town of West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire and Commonwealth of Massachusetts and that Christopher French who has also signed the same, is a resident in the town of West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire and Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
W.P. Walker Judge of Probate
I, HENRY W. BISHOP, Register of the Court of Probate within and for the County of Berkshire in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of Stephen Johns for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office of said Court of Probate, this twenty fourth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty two
Henry W. Bishop Register of Probate

Amos Woodruff of West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire & Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts aged Sixty Nine years being duly sworn deposeth & saith that he has resided in West- Stockbridge aforesaid from his youth & has been well acquainted with Stephen Johns of West- Stockbridge, that he has always resided there from his youth, that during the Revolutionary War, said Johns performed a tour of duty as a soldier in the Company commanded by Capt. Amos Hill & marched from West- Stockbridge aforesaid thro' Sheffield in said County to Litchfield in the State of Connecticut when said Company tarried a few days & then marched to New Haven in the State of Connecticut, when said Johns continued to do duty in said Company till the same was discharged at New Haven aforesaid, after the expiration of about six or eight weeks from the time said Company was first Mustered & he believes said Johns was in New Haven with said Company about five Weeks -
That he well recollects that said Johns was absent from West Stockbridge & he under- -stood at the time that he had gone on a tour of duty to the Northward, it was so understood in the neighbourhood where he & this Deponent resided, that he was absent a consid- -erable portion of one season when he returned - he understood & it was generally understood & believed in the neighbourhood where lived that he was doing Military duty in the American service in his absence & he has since heard it

questioned or doubted since the time he was absent on this tour he cannot ascertain with certainty, but should think it was five months or more.
Said Woodruff further states that said John's toward the close of the war was again absent & on a short tour of duty to the southward toward New York on the Hudson River as he then & ever since has understood & believed & it was as he has been so understood & believed in West Northbridge at the time & since, it being a Matter of Public Notoriety in the Neighborhood, who the men were that went out & performed their duty in American Service, & their tours and services, having since been frequently talked about by the survivors renders the subject more familiar, & therefore he is enabled to say with more certainty & from his best recollection he believes said John's tour last mentioned was six or seven weeks.
Said Woodruff further states that said John is now poor & reduced circumstances & is a man of truth & fair & good reputation has been a Representative of a Town of West Northbridge & possesses the confidence & respect of his Neighbors.
Amos Woodruff
Berkshire ss. September 26 th 1832 The above named Amos Woodruff personally appeared & made Oath that the Facts stated in the above affidavit are true according to his best recollection & belief and I further certify that he is considered a man of truth & integrity.
Robbins Pillsbury Justice of the Peace

Berkshire ss. January 7 th 1834: personally appeared before me the undersigned a justice of the peace within & for the County of Berkshire Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Stephen Johns who being duly sworn deponeth & saith, that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to his best recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades
For two Months I served as a Soldier in the year 1779 at New Haven as stated in my Declara- tion, with this exception & alteration, that I was first mustered before Genl. Hyde at Lenox in said County of Berkshire & that our Rendezvous was at Sheffield, that my engagement & muster at Lenox aforesaid was about two Weeks prior to our Rendezvous aforesaid, a fact that escaped my recollection when I made my Declaration -
For three Months I served as a Soldier in the year 1779 in the vicinity of Stillwater in the State of New York as particularly stated in my Declaration
For one month and a half I served as a Soldier in the year 1782 in the vicinity of New- burg & Graham Hill on the Hudson River in the State of New York as also particularly stated in my Declaration - I further state that in addition to the facts stated in my Declaration I believe the Company to which I belonged was attached to Col. Shepard's Regiment who commanded at the time - I also further state that I (since making my declaration) ascertained that John Conner who was a Soldier & served in the same Compa- ny & Regiment was living & started to give his testimony but on my way ascertained he died about the month of November last

I believe that Waitstill Darrow, Joseph - an Dickinson Wm Fleming & Benjamin Stillman, were also soldiers in the same company & served with him during said war - all of whom I believe are dead.
That my service in the three campaigns aforementioned, was in the whole six & a half months and for such service I claim a Pension -
Stephen John
Berkshire ss Jan'y 7 th 1834 Sworn & subscribed before me Robbins Kellogg justice of peace.

John Eastland of West Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire aged seventy three years being duly sworn deposes and says that in the year seventeen hundred & seventy nine as he believes he performed a term of military duty in the Revolutionary Army at Stillwater in the State of New York - that he marched from West Stockbridge to Stillwater aforesaid under the command of the company commanded by Lieutenant Oliver Nevill, that when we arrived at Stillwater aforesaid the troops were billeted out in different parishes - that this Deponent was stationed at the dwelling house of William Patrick together with about nine or ten others - that he has been acquainted with Stephen Johns of said West Stockbridge from his youth who at that time resided in West Stockbridge who together with about seven or eight others marched from said West Stockbridge to Stillwater aforesaid & were in the mess at William Patrick aforesaid - among the number was said Stephen Johns all under the command of said Nevill that after a few weeks a portion of said troops were discharged & returned home - said Johns was not among the number who returned & how long he remained he is unable to state, as this Deponent was among the number who returned as aforesaid John Eastland Mark
Berkshire ss. January 10 th 1834 I certify that this day John Eastland made solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing Deposition by him subscribed according to his best recollection & belief and I further certify that said John Eastland is a man of truth & veracity & strict integrity
Robbins Kellogg Justice of the Peace

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Berkshire, ss. I, HENRY W. BISHOP, Register of the Court of Probate in and for said County, do hereby certify that Robert Mellogg Esquire, before whom the annexed deposition is taken is one of the Justices of the Peace within and for said County, duly and regularly appointed, and that I am well acquainted with his hand writing, and have no doubt that the Signature annexed to said deposition are  is genuine.
In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court this fourth day of January A. D. 1834 Henry W. Bishop Reg t Probate

Rev. Shaw
10926 INVALID.
File No. 10926
Stephen Johnson Phil. Sta. war.
Act: June 2 nd 1832.
Index:—Vol. A , Page 196
[Arrangement of 1870.]