Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 7760, for John Oakes, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Oakes, John
P 7760
CONTENTS

House of Reps U.S. December 17 th 1852
To Jas. C. Heath Esq. Commissioner of Pensions Sir
Do me the favour to give me the facts or objection to the admission of John Oakes as a Pensioner. Application made at 7 June 1832 - made about 1834 - The Widow of Oakes is living and is desirous to file her declaration but not until she is informed of the defects in her late husband's proof. After perfecting that defect she will act - Early attention to this is requested. I have not been informed of the service of Oakes but presume it was in the Penn a Line he resided in my Congressional District at the time of death I have taken his Widow now resides Very Respectfully
J. W. Howe

Declaration,
In order to obtain the benefit of the act of congress, passed June 7, 1832;
State of Pennsylvania.
Crawford County - 3 rd ss. On this Tenth - day of January one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven, personally appeared in open court before Stephen Barlow & John H. Work, judges of the Court of Common Pleas of said County. John Oakes , a resident of Randolph Township, County of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, aged sixty eight years the 7 th day of May 1837 -
who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his solemn 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 after the capture of the British forces, under the command of Genl. Burgoyne, at Saratoga, in the fall of 1777, as near as applicant can recollect, the prisoners were marched to Rutland, in Worcester County, Massachusetts, and confined within a picket enclosure of about four acres: That immediately thereafter, a draft was made on Worcester County, for men to guard the prisoners the number of whom applicant thinks amounted to more than four thousand: That by the consent of his father, applicant, in the fall of the same year, or commencement of the succeeding one, but which of the two he cannot, from failure of memory, now say - volunteered to act as waiter to one of the captains of the guards, of the name of Reggles (thinks Timothy) or Hourse - but which of the two he cannot now speak positively, tho' he believes the former - And he recollects that of the two named persons, one was a captain and the other a lieutenant of the same company. And remained with him, in that capacity, at the station aforesaid, for as much as six months , at the expiration of which term, he entered in the same capacity of waiter with Col. Rage , who was the most of the time during applicant's service to him, at the aforesaid station. He thinks had command of the guards, but of this he is not positive, but was at different times about for a short period - and applicant continued with him as much as six months : That at this same time, applicant's father, William Oakes , was in the commissariate department at the aforesaid station, and

when applicant left the service of Col. Page, he immediately entered into service with his father in said department, and continued therein three months, and he recollects well that his father received his applicant's pay for the three several periods of service as before stated, which he believes was six dollars per month, but he cannot speak with certainty of it, as to the amount. That at the expiration of this time, there was a great scarcity of and demand for men to guard the prisoners at the aforesaid station, and applicant volunteered and remained at the station two years, doing all the duties of a soldier in keeping guard, in turn with the rest of the men, and received his pay from time to time. That he was regularly enrolled as he supposes, from his name being read out from day to day with the other men and responded to by him; but in what company he is entirely unable to say.
Within the picket enclosure, were several buildings, one of which was for the accommodation of the British officers. That the pickets were frequently scaled by prisoners who escaped, and after the close of the war applicant saw & became acquainted with two of those who had escaped: - one a Scotchman, or Highlander, of the name of Walker, & the other a German of the name of Alexander, but where they are now, if living he cannot say. That a prisoner in attempting one day to escape over the pickets was shot by one of the sentry, the bullet entering in at the eye and coming out at the neck. That one day, during applicant's service, as he was returning from dinner, at the mess of the long roll, he, with others of the guard, went to where their arms were, under the guard of a young man of the name of Forbush. In reaching there they found a quarrel was in progress between him & some others, and while applicant was in the act of turning himself round, Forbush run his bayonet into applicant's left leg, about six inches above the knee, till it reached the bone; and the wound occasioned thereby disabled him from duty for two months, during which time he lay in hospital at the station.
During his service, applicant saw Genl. Warner a number of times at the station, but thinks from the time spent by Col. Page at the same place, he must have been in the command, tho' of this he

Pennsylvania } Personally came before the sub- Alleghany County } scriber an Alderman of the City of Pittsburgh and Justice of the peace in and for said County personally appeared
Rev. Timothy Holden, a minister of the gospel, now a member of the Presbytery of Ohio and resident in the borough of Alleghany, near Pitts- burgh, Alleghany County and State of Pennsyl- vania, who does hereby certify and declare that he has been personally acquainted with Mr. John Bakes of Randolph Township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, since the year 1815 excepting a period from June 1832 till the present month of September 1836 - during which time deponent has resided out of the county of Craw- ford - that he believes said John Bakes to be somewhere about sixty eight or sixty nine years of age - and that from conversations with him he believes the said John Bakes served in the ca- pacity of a soldier in guarding the British prisoners, stationed in Massachusetts, after their capture of Gen. Burgoyne's army, & which the said prisoners had belonged in the revolu- tionary war - and that the said John Bakes, as deponent believes, is an honest, upright, conscientious man - and long an exempla- ry professor of the Christian religion - and that his word, in any case, is worthy of all credit. 30 Sept. 1836 - Sworn before me
On the same day Matthew Lowrie Ald.
Timothy Holden

cannot speak with certainty. The number of men on duty at the station in keeping guard applicant has no definite recollections of, but thinks there were about fifty, exclusive of officers. And the men consisted principally of aged grey headed persons, and boys of his own age or nearly so. Applicant states that he has no knowledge now of receiving a discharge in writing when he left the service aforesaid, but if he did he has lost it. That his father William Dake resided in Hardwick, Worcester County, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary war, lived as much as forty years since, that applicant had one brother older than himself who removed to Ohio about twenty years ago, but whether he is now living, & if so where, he cannot say. Neither has applicant any documentary evidence, nor does he know of any one person, by whom, he can make proof of his service, though doubtless there are some living who might make the necessary proof, of his but knows not where they are. But he herewith produces the testimony of the Rev. Timothy Andrew taken before M. B. Lorrie an alderman of the City of Pittsburgh and of James M. Dill. And John Daniels.
As as to the character, standing and belief of applicant's services there being no regular stations clergymen in the neighborhood. Applicant further states that he was born, as told him by his parents and as he believes the seventh day of May 1769, in Worcester, Worcester County aforesaid. That his father removed to Hardwick aforesaid in the year 1775 & continued there until his death in 1793, and in 1796, applicant left that place & moved to Hawley in Hampshire County, Massachusetts at which place he resided nineteen years, & about two years immediately after at Greenfield in said County, when he moved to the Wayne (now Randolph township), Crawford County, Pennsylvania - at which where he has resided ever since.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to any pension or annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.
Sworn to & subscribed in open Court this 10 th of Jan'y. 1837 Edm. A. Reynolds 6103 Sergeant at Law
John Dake

We, James M'Dill of Wayne township John Daniels of Mead township - Crawford County, Pennsylvania -
hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Dales, who has subscribed and sworn to the within & foregoing declaration; that we believe him to be from sixty eight to seventy years of age; that he is respected and beloved, in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution as stated in his declaration, and that we concur in that opinion. And as further certify that Mr Dales is now and has been for many years a regular member of the Presbyterian Church, but that there is no stationed clergyman of the congregation in his neighborhood.
Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
James M'Dill John Daniels
Edw. H. Reynolds 613 Yrs Friend & Brother
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, & after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the war department, that the within named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier & served as he states. And the Court further certifies that Timothy Alden who has signed the accompanying certificate is a clergyman, and has been so for the last twenty years, during which time, until the last three or four years, he resided in Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, where he removed from there and is now living as the Court believes in or near Pittsburgh - Also that James M'Dill and John Daniels
who have signed the foregoing certificate are residents in the township by them mentioned and are credible persons, that their statements are entitled to credit -
Steph. Barlow John H. Mark
Pennsylvania } Crawford } ss.
I James Cochran, Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Crawford County, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of John Dales for a pension. In testimony whereof at seat of office this 10 day of Jan'y 1837.
James M'Dill John H. Mark E. H. Reynolds 613

ny 60. REJECTED
P. O. _____
John Oakes
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____, 18 .
Discharged: _____, 18 .
Application filed: _____, 18 .
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18 .

used for this case
Feb 7 4/53
Mr. Co.
Mr.
Mr. Howe
James E. Skatto Com of Penn's Washington D.C.

John Oaks Pennsylvania
Rejected
Feb 13 March 1837
D. Berickson
Hon. W. S. Garrison Jan 16/46
" S. M. Stone Feb 7/1853
did not seem a military capacity
7760

Washington, Jan. 16, 1846
Dear Sir
I enclose you a letter calling your attention to an application in your office for a pension for a revolutionary soldier.
About four weeks ago, I left with you a letter from Mr. John Mackay making enquiry into a claim for land, and as yet have not received a reply. I hope that an examination of the matter may be had as soon as possible. Respectfully yours,
Wm. L. Paxton
J. L. Edwards, Esq. Comm. of Pensions

Jan 17. Paz John Barks Peru
11
J. L. Edwards Esq. Commissioner of Pensions. War Department Washington City.

Macadilla January 10. 1837.
Dr Sir. I enclose to you the papers in the application of Mr John Dake for a pension.
I am, very Respectfully, Yours Obekient David Dickson