Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 30585, for Josiah Meriam, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass
Meriam, Josiah
S 30585
CONTENTS

10492 Massachusetts
Isiah Merriam
of Middlesex in the State of Mass who was a Private in the Company commanded by Captain Eds of the Regt. commanded by Col. Stevens in the Mass line for 6 months
Mid. & Mass
Inscribed on the Roll of Massachusetts at the rate of 21 Dollars _____ Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 11 th day of April 1833 and sent Isaac Isaac in Cambridge Mass
Arrears to the 4th of March 1833 $40.00 Semi-ant. allowance ending 11 Sept., 10.00 $50.00
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by Isaac Clerk, Book E Vol. 2 a Page 52
David. See letters to H. Brooks & Payt. April 3. 1835
80 Middlesex

No. 4453 Josiah Meriam
Pat 6 Mths
16 & 1/2 interrogations not coupled with
(Nov 25 1832)
Isaac Fiske Esq. East Cambridge Ms

BRIEF in the case of Josiah Meriam of the County of Middlesex in the State of Mass. (Act 7th June, 1832.)
 1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? Court,  2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity?  3. How old is he? 78 years  4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. 
   Period. Duration of Service. Rank. Names of General and Field Officers   Years, Months, Days. under whom he served.     In 1776 1 as Substitute for 7 Private Col. Revere, Capt. Codes   " 77 No Sargent do Capt. Daniel Wheeler   " 78 — 2 — do Col. Bullard, Capt. Minott  
 5. In what battles was he engaged?  6. Where did he reside when he entered the service?  7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls?  8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect? 
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.
Examining Clerk.

Mar 30 free
10.449
free
J. A. Edwards Esquire Commissioner of Pensions Washington City D.C.

Concord Mass. March 25. 1835
H. Edwards Esq. — Dear Sir — At the suggestion of the Agent for paying Pensions in Boston, I write for an order to pay the Pension of Josiah Merriam, whose Certificate is dated April 10. 1833. and number 10.492, and who died Nov. 22. 1832, leaving no widow, but Nine children, two of them in New Orleans, and the rest scattered over this State. All the children have executed a power of attorney but are applying for payment. The Agent at Boston objected because the power of attorney was more than 90 days old, saying that by the rules of the Department, the power must be executed within 90 days from the time of applying for pay. As this case, from the position of the children, cannot be brought within the rule, without a great expense than the whole value of the pension, the Agent thought that on application, you would transmit an order, waiving the objection in this instance.
Respectfully your obedient Nathan Brooks

Ionian armenian
No 4.453

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Middlesex ss.
On this seventeenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, personally appeared in open Court, before the Honourable Judge of the Court of Probate, in and for the County of Middlesex aforesaid, now sitting, Josiah Merriam a resident of Concord in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy eight 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, A. D. 1832:
That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated: In the year 1776 He served in
the Regiment of Artillery Commanded by Col. Revere, and in the Company Commanded by Capt Edes and Bradley, Warner & Prince were officers or non commissioned officers in said Company. That I served therein for the term of one year, as a substitute or in the place of a Mr Sargent. Served at Providence in Rhode Island for the term of about four months during said year. That now of Cambridge lives Jacob Potter, who was in the same Company with me and I do not know of any other person living, who was in said Company with me.
That in the year 1777 He served in the Company Commanded by Capt David Wheeler of said Concord, an amateur still in Charlestown in said County, for the term of two months.
That in the year 1778 He enlisted and served for the term of four months, in the Regiment Commanded by Col. Bullard, of Boston. Town of Reading and District of Reading, in the Company of Capt. George Minett of Concord, in this last service I was at the taking of Burgoyne.
While in Capt Edes Company of Artillery, Col. Crafts was commander of the Regiment a part of the time at least, and James Davenport, was a drummer in the same Company with me, and his deposition is hereto annexed.

That he was born in the said town of Concord in the year 1754, and I believe there is a record of my age with the records of said town. He lived in said Concord at the time he was called into the service and have lived in the same town most of the time since the Revolution.
He does not recollect that he ever received any written discharge.
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 any state,
Josiah Meriam 5
We, Ezra Ripley of said town of Concord and Abel Heywood residing in said Concord hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with Josiah Meriam who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; — that we believe him to be seventy eight years of age: that he is reputed and believed, in the neighbourhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Ezra Ripley Abel Heywood
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 certify, that it appears to them that Ezra Ripley who has signed the preceding certificate, is a clergyman, resident in Concord and that Abel Heywood who has also signed the same, is a resident in Concord and is a credible person; and that their statement is entitled to credit.
J. P. Fay Clerk
I Jonas Tuttle Register of the Court of Probate in and for the County of Middlesex, do hereby certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Josiah Meriam for a pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office on the day and year first aforesaid.
I also certify that Nathan Brooks whose own proper signature is set to the certificates or the depositions of Alpheus Mylton & James Dunnington hereto annexed is a justice of the Peace in & for said county of Middlesex.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this day & year aforesaid.
Jonas Tuttle

30 585 Pay INVALID.
File No. 30, 585
Josiah Meriam Rev. Rev. War
Act: June 7 th 32 nd
Index:—Vol. 9 , Page 268
[Arrangement of 1870.]

No 4453
Josiah Meriam
Isaac Fiske Esq r
E. Cambridge Ms.

BRIEF objections to the admission of Pension Claims, of which those answered in the negative, in red ink, will apply to the claim of Josiah Williams which require further proof or explanation.
I. Does the declaration show where the applicant resides? yes II. Did the declarant make the declaration in the county where he resides? yes III. If the applicant did not make the declaration in the county where he resides, is there any reason assigned for his not doing so? IV. Has the declarant mentioned the period or periods of the war when he served? yes V. * Has he mentioned with precision the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled? yes VI. Has he given the names of the officers under whom he served, in conformity with the regulations? yes VII. Has he made a relinquishment of every claim to any other pension than the one under the Act of June 7, 1832? yes VIII. Has the Court given their opinion? yes IX. Has the Clerk given his certificate? yes X. Is the Clerk's seal affixed? And if so, has it a device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal? yes

XI. Has the applicant obtained the evidence of a clergyman and another respectable citizen as to their belief respecting his age and the general belief in his neighborhood relative to his revolutionary service? yes. XII. If the clergyman's affidavit has not been produced, is there any reason assigned for not obtaining it? XIII. If the applicant has no documentary evidence, and has not obtained the testimony of at least one living witness, has he stated in his declaration that such proof cannot be had? XIV. † If the applicant has produced a witness or witnesses as to his service, has the magistrate who administered the oath certified that he, she, or they are persons of credibility? yes And is the official character and signature of the magistrate certified by the proper officer under his seal of office? yes XV. Does it appear from any of the papers that the witness was in such a situation, or of such an age, as to have a personal knowledge of the applicant's service? yes XVI. ‡ Are the papers authenticated as the regulations direct? yes XVII. Are the seven interrogatories prescribed by the War Department answered satisfactorily? And, if not, which of them is not so answered? yes.
 EXPLANATORY NOTES.
* QUERE V. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
“Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. who, being duly sworn, deposeth and 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 the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades: For _____ year _____ months and _____ days. I served as a _____. For _____ months and _____ days, I served as a _____: and for such service I claim a pension.”

It is important in all cases to determine with precision the period for which the applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable.
†QUERE XIV. Proof of Service.
In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses, who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimants entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
‡QUERE XVI. Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticated the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other paper authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the end of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.

We Alpheus Bigelow of Weston, and Joseph Colburn of Lincoln, in the County of Middlesex, -Rep and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, of lawful age do testify and say, that Jonas Merriam of Concord in said County, whom we have this day seen, at said Concord, did serve in the war of the revolution, in the year 1777, in the Company commanded by Capt. George Minott of said Concord, in the Regiment which was commanded a part of the time by Col. Bullard, for the term of about four months, we were in the service in the same company for nearly four months, and said Merriam was in said company during the whole of the time we were engaged therein as we verily believe —
Alpheus Bigelow
Joseph Colburn
Commonwealth of Massachusetts — Middlesex ss. August 16 th 1832. Then the above named Alpheus Bigelow and Joseph Colburn personally appeared, and made solemn oath that the foregoing affidavit by them subscribed is true — Before me Nathan Brooks, Jus. of the Middlesex ss. Dec. 12 th 1832. I hereby certify that the above named Alpheus Bigelow and Joseph Colburn, who made oath to the truth of the above deposition before me, are credible persons Nathan Brooks, Jus. of the Peace

James Derrumple of Middlesex in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, depose and say, that Josiah Merriam of Concord in said County, whom I have this day seen at Concord, was a soldier,  enlisted in the Compa- ny of Artillery, commanded by Capt Benjamin Edes, in the Regiment commanded by Col Crafts & Majr. Rouse, and served in said Company for the term of one year. He was in the same company with me. His service was in the Revolutionary war in the year 1776. James Derrumple
Commonwealth of Massachusetts -
Middlesex ss. August 17 th 1832
Then the above named
James Derrumple personally appeared and made oath that the above deposition by him sub- scribed is true. Before me Nathan Brooks Jus. of the Peace
Middlesex ss. December 12 th A.D. 1832. I hereby certify, that
James Derrumple, who made oath to the truth of the above deposition before me, is a credible person.
Nathan Brooks Jus. of the Peace