Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R 8241, for Robert Pearce, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Pearce Robert Pierce or
R 8241
CONTENTS

34.454
Robert Pierce.
Mass.
8241

La S Gregory, Marblehead Mass.

16-50 not on 1071 Index Trevel Gredly
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Essex ss.
I John Prince Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in said County do certify that Hon. Daniel A. White is Judge of the Probate Court in said County; that James Gregory Esq. is a Justice of the Peace in said County & that their signatures hereon are genuine. Witness my hand & the seal of said Court of Common Pleas October 18. 1837
John Prince Clk

State of Massachusetts } ss. Marblehead County of Essex }
On this fourth day of October, A.D. 1837, personally appeared before the Court of Probate for the said County of Essex, held at said Marblehead, the day & year aforesaid, Robert Pierce, a resident of said Marblehead, aged eighty 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 provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832. That he took an active part in the War of the Revolution, that at the commencement of said War he resided in Reading in the said State of Massachusetts, that a short time before the battle of Bunker's Hill himself & his brother in law, David Upton took their muskets & accoutrements & started on foot to join the troops then assembling at Cambridge, near Boston; that upon their arrival there they both enlisted in the company of Artillery commanded by Samuel R. Prescott late of this town, now deceased, which said company was attached to the Regiment of Artillery commanded by Colonel Gridley; that shortly after the Battle of Bunker's Hill said company was disbanded, when himself

& his said brother in law then enlisted in the "Marblehead Regiment," commanded by Colonel John Glover of this place, who was afterwards Brigadier General in the Continental Army. That himself & his said brother in law was attached, according to the best of his recollection, to the company of said Regiment which was commanded by Capt — Symonds. That after serving out the terms of their enlistments, which he thinks was eight  six months in Glover's Regiment, & two months in that of Gridley's as privates , they returned to their homes in said Reading, & did not perform any other duty in said War afterwards, as far as himself was concerned.
That his said brother in law removed many years ago into the State of Maine, & he does not know whether he is dead or alive, & he further declares that he is not aware that & does not know or recollect that any person with whom he served is now living, except William Harris of this town, who is said to have belonged to Pervett's company at the time he did, but as they came from two different towns they were then strangers, & have no recollection of each other in said service. He hereby relinquishes that he removed from said Reading many

years since to this place & has resided in Marblehead ever since.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or an annuity except the present, & he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any agency in any State.
Notaffidavit of said Robert Pierce William D. Southwick Subscribed the day & year aforesaid before
D. H. Merrill Judge of Probate for the said County of Essex.
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, & served as he states.
D. H. Merrill Judge of Probate
I, Nathaniel Lord Jr. Register of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex & State of Massachusetts, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of the above named Robert Pierce for a Pension.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this fourth day of October A.D. 1837.
C. Nath. Lord Jr., { Register of the said Court of Probate.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
County of Essex ss. Marblehead October 6th 1827.
Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace within & for the said County of Essex, the within named Robert Pierce, who, being duly sworn, deposes & saith, that by reason of his great age & infirmities & the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively , as to the absolute precise length of his service, nor with certainty as to the names of the officers under whom he served, but that according to the best of his recollection he served the period mentioned in the within Declaration, & under the officers mentioned therein. He further deposes & saith that, a few years since, & he thinks it must have been since the passage of the Act of June 7th 1832 — the within mentioned Upton was then living in the State of Maine, & that he sent a letter to the present Town Clerk of this town requesting him to obtain his (Pierce's) Deposition relative to the services which himself & said Upton performed in the Revolutionary War, & that he accordingly gave his deposition in that behalf before the late Mr. Gustus Rowen of this place — now deceased — & that his memory was much better at that time than it is now, & he presumes that said Deposition is on file in the Pension Office, & may correct any defect which his memory may have received since. Also that for the services which may be identified by the within Declaration & this amendment of it he claims a Pension.
Attested by John Hornswood James Gregory
Robert Pierce
Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid, before me,
James Gregory, Justice of the Peace.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. County of Essex ss. Marchmont October 20th. 1857. I the subscriber, one of the Justices of the Peace within for the said County of Essex, do hereby certify & declare that since the execution & subscription of the annexed Declaration & affidavit of the aforesaid Robert Pierce, no alteration, interlineation or erasure, whatever, has been made to them or either of them. And I do further declare that the said Declaration & affidavit shall & will continue the same as originally executed - up to the time of depositing them in the custody & keeping of the Post Office, for the purpose of being forwarded on to Washington. Attest, James Gregory, Justice of the Peace.

Friend
J. Gump
free
in at May 28 W. S. L.
James L. Edwards Esq Commissioner of Pensions, Washington, D. C.

Marblehead April 28 th 1888.
Honored Sir, — I have received your favor of the 23 rd inst. & in relation to its contents would respectfully observe — that I have inspected the documents referred to in the archives of this state, & more particularly Symonds' company of Glover's Regiment — up to the first day of August, 1775, & I do not find the name of Robert Pierce therein.
The Rolls appertaining to Glover's Regiment, for the year '75 — that is, the first period of the service, or, as we in Marblehead speak, the eight months' service, are not to be found in the Secretary's Office after the said 1 st of August. Whether Pierce joined said Regiment after the 1 st of August '75, or whether he served in the second term of the same instead of the first, it is impossible for his friends to determine in the absence of all living witnesses & all documentary access. — The Rolls &c for the second term of Symonds' company, Hatchwick's Regiment, are in Washington, & his friends are alike out of the pale of information from them. That Pierce did perform some service there is not a man in Marblehead, as I presume, who has any doubt of it. When I forwarded Pierce's Papers I had the burden of stating the fact, that, owing to the great age &c of Pierce it was very possible that he may have mistaken the name of the Corps in which he served, but that at the request of David Upton, his brother in law, then living in the state of Maine, he had, in say 1833, given in his affidavit to prove the service of said Upton, & at a time

time when his mental & corporeal powers were much more vigorous than they now are. I also beg'd leaf to refer your Honor to the said affidavit, presuming that it must be on file in the Pension Office among Upton's Papers. Neither Pierce nor his friend know whether Upton is now living, or if living, where, or in what part of the State of Maine he may be found.
The presumption is that he was Pensions'd, & that his residence is known in Washington.
Such then being the situation of poor Pierce he will have to forego any relief from his country unless he or his friend can be informed, one way or another, of the contents of said affidavit now undoubtedly on file in the Pension Office at Washington. And as it would appear from the contents of your Honor's Letter of the 16th inst. to me directed, that these facts cannot be obtained, short of a visit to, or an agent at the Metropolis for the purpose - I feel that his case is hopeless, without any remedy, as must be that of hundreds of others, however meritorious, living witnesses being now, in most cases, entirely out of the question - unless he & they can have reasonable access to the Rolls & Documents in existence for their names & services, & then be allowed to rest their claims mainly upon the proof of identity , - that being a matter much more easily proved by municipal Records & living witnesses than that of service itself.

Were it not for exhausting your Honor's patience I might illustrate to support this point by innumerable proof; but as it is not within my province either to control or prompt the Regulations of those to whom guardian care the premises are committed, I will conclude by subscribing myself, with great respect, Your Honor's obedient humble servt; James Gregory
James L. Edwards Esq. Commander of Passengers, Washington, D.C.

Robert Pierce
Miss.
Suspended.
In lib. to Jas Gregory
" " April 23, 1838
to Jas. Gregory
May 31, 1838.

REJECTED
P. O. Robert Prince  (Service?)
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____, 18 .
Discharged: _____, 18 .
Application filed: _____, 18 .
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18 .

James Gregory, Esq. Marblehead, Mass.
Apl. 23, 1838
The papers in the case of Robert Pierce have been examined and filed in this office. He alleges that he and his brother in law David Upton enlisted a short time before the battle of Bunker Hill in the company of Capt. Trench of Col. Gridley's regt. of artillery and served therein until it was broken up after the battle. The pay roll of that company from 8 th May, '75, to 21 st June, '75, does not bear the name of either of them.
If he served in Capt. Symonds' co. of Glover's regt. record proof can be obtained from the office of the Secy. of Mass. at Boston. Unless the record verifies the alleged service, a claim presented under such circumstances cannot be allowed.
To same.
May 31, 1838.
In reply to yours of 28 th ult. respecting the case of Robert Pierce, I have to state that the allegation of his enlistment with David Upton in the 8 mos. service of 1775 serving one part of the

time in Trewets' Arty. co. & the remainder in Symonds' co. of Glover's regt. of Inf. is dis- credited not only by the rolls of those two companies but by his own deposition in behalf of Upton in Apl. 1834 in which he expressly states that Upton went into the service in spring of 1775 & hired him to carry on his farm for 12 mos.
This claim is rejected as Upton's was in 1835, who claimed for service not in Trewets' or Symonds' co., but in Capt. Prince's-