Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8170, for George Phelps, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Phelps, George
R8170
CONTENTS
Blank lined area for handwritten entries.
Blank lined area for handwritten entries.

V 34.453 George Phelps.
Mass.
No roll of John Kellogg for 76
John & Joseph Morgan Capt for Aug Sept Oct 77.
Vol. 21. p. 72. 75. 78. aot on
81-70

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Hampden ss. County of Berkshire , ss.
ON this Third day of October A.D. 1837, personally appeared in open Court, before the Honorable WILLIAM D. WALKER  Oliver B. Morton , Judge of the Court of Probate, within and for said County of Berkshire, now sitting, George Phelps a resident of the town of Westfield in the County of Berkshire  Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged eighty two 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. He enlisted at Westfield , at the tavern of Capt. Chapp , & marched, in a day or two, to White Plains . My captain was John Kellogg , of said Westfield ; the Lts, were Lt. Adna Sackett , & Zechariah Bath , both of Westfield . I enlisted three months service. This was about the first of September, 1776. Solomon Stephens , now of Southern , went, & serv d with me, & is the only person I know of, now living, who knows of my said enlistment, & service.
I again enlisted, July 23 d 1777, at said Westfield , for four months. The fourth day after said enlistment, I started for Bannington , with my company, & marched thro Russell , Blandford , Becket , Washington , Pittsfield , Sandborn ; Lowell Mt. , & thence thro one or two brooks, the names of which I do not recollect, to said Bannington . I serv d , at this time, three months, & eight days. Burgoyne was then engaged in bringing on his forces; but, at the time I left, it was suppos d that a general action would not come on before the period of our enlistments expired, & that, as we could be of no use for the remainder of the period, & as we were consuming the provisions, we were dismissed. About forty of our company were also dismissed at the same time, among whom were Lieutenants Adna Sackett , & Zechariah Bath . Capt. Morgan was not dismissed at this time.
There was but one engagement, while I was at Bannington . This was about two weeks after we arrived there a large scouting party of the enemy came to Bannington , & fired upon us - we return d ? The fire, & they began to retreat.

We followed, & fired upon them twice, while they were retreating. I remember firing my gun three times; &, particularly, that the last time I fired, they were so far off, that I doubt to whether to fire, or not. When we march d to Banning-ton, we had no captain with us. Capt. Moryan did not arrive, till we had been at Bannington for some time. The Major of our regiment was from Springfield, I think; but I don't remember his name. We had Col. Woodbridge, & Col. Hubbard: the latter, I think came from Beckholme. There was a Col. Warner there, also, who was much thought of, & liked by the troops, but he did not belong to our regiment.
For the last nine years, until recently, I have liv d in Greenfield, Mass. I do not know the name of any person, now living, who was with me at Bannington; & I cannot find the name of any other person, than Mr. Steward, who was with me at White-Plains. For the last years of my life, I have been very infirm, & deaf; & therefore I have not known as well as I otherwise should have done, how to look up such testimony, if it such indeed exists. The whole period of my service as above stated is six months & eight days. The reason why I have not applied before for a pension is, that I was informed that I could not obtain a pension unless I could make proof of service for the period of nine months; & it was not till recently that I was informed to the contrary, when I made immediate application -

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
say 7/18/37
Sworn to, and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.
Before Almon Merrill judge of Probate
We Isaac Knapp a Clergyman, residing in the town of Westfield and Wm G Bates residing in Westfield hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with George Phelps who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be 82 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.
Isaac Knapp Wm G Bates
Sworn and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.
Almon Merrill judge of Probate
And the said Court do th 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 Isaac Knapp
who signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman, resident in the town of Westfield in the County of Hampden  affidavit and Wm G Bates who has also signed the same, is a resident in the town of Westfield in the County of Hampden and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
Justice Willard I, HENRY W. BISHOP , Register of the Court of Probate within and for the County of Berkshire  Hampden 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 George Phelps for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office of said Court of Probate, this Third day of October in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven
Justice Willard Register

I Solomon Stephens of Southwick in the County of Hampshire Commonwealth of Massachusetts aged twenty nine years & upwards depose testify & say, that I am well acquainted with George Phelps of said Westfield, whom I have known ever since the war of the rebellion. That some time in the month of September 1776 the particular day of the month I do not remember on account of my age & infirmity, tho I should think about the first day of the month, said George enlisted for the period of two months, to serve as a volunteer. I enlisted at the same time & for the same period with said Phelps. I turn out myself in hopes to prevail upon some of the rest of my company in said Southwick, to turn out also; but none of them would do so, & we were accordingly drafted. I belonged to the same company in the army with said Phelps, tho I lived in a different town, belonged to a different company at home.
Col. Mosely commanded the regiment, our Captain was John Kellogg, & Lt. Adna Sackett, & Mr — Bush, (afterwards Maj. Bush) were our Lieutenants. We saw beyond the time for which we were drafted, & for which I supposed said George enlisted. I do not positively know the time, for which said Phelps enlisted, but I always supposed it was for but two months. I was not present when he enlisted & it may be I got the idea that he enlisted for two months, because I was drafted for that time; but I know well that he stayed after the expiration of two months & I should think for the whole term of three months, tho from the loss of my memory I cannot state precisely. I know there was snow on the ground when we came home. We started to come home together, & I went with him when we march?

to White Plains. The mark? first to Rock-neck; the British then come out & we went to White- Plains, where there was something of an engage- ment; the hogs, what there were, at White Plains were burnt. I know nothing of any other service of Mr. Phelps. I have always known him. He is very poor, & I never heard anything but that he was a man of good character.
Ezra Clapp. Solomon his Henry B Smith X Stevens mark.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Samuel J. May Jr. Oct 12 d 1837.
Personally appeared Solomon Stephens of said Santhwick well known to me to be a man of undoubted truth & veracity, & being unable by reason of his age to write his name, he made his mark in my presence & in presence of the above witnesses, & made solemn oath to the truth of the above deposition. I further certify that I have perfect confidence in the truth of said statements so above made by him.
Mr G. B. Bates Institute of the Peace

I Ezra Clapp now of Middlefield aforesaid aged seventy seven & upwards, do hereby testify & say, that I have always known George Phelps before referred to since we were boys: That during the first part of the revolutionary war I was at school at Southampton, in the year 1776. & I remember that I heard at the time that said Phelps was absent or had been absent in the army, but the partic- ulars as to time & place I cannot recollect. Said Phelps has always maintained a good character for truth & veracity - I think one of the places where he was said to have lived was White Plains. Ezra Clapp
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Hampden ss. Oct 2 d 1837.
Personally appeared Ezra Clapp above named well known to me to be a man of undoubted truth & veracity & made solemn oath to the truth of the above deposition. I further certify that I have perfect confidence in the truth of his statements so above made by him. Wm G Bates Justice of the Peace.
I William G. Bates above named do certify that when said Phelps applied to me for advice respecting his pension, he requested to know if he could obtain it without proving that he had served for nine months - & I have no doubt from his inquiries, & from the deafness & other infirmities of said Phelps that he was ignorant of the law giving a pension on proof of six months service.
Wm G Bates
Sworn & subscribed Oct 3. 1837.
Wm Morris Judge of Probate

Rejected
George Phelps Mass
In let to Wm. G. Bates, April 23, 1838, same May 23 d 1838

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
REJECTED
8170
P. O.
Service:
Enlisted: _____, 18 .
Discharged: _____, 18 .
Application filed: _____, 18 .
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. . _____ Contract.
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18 .

Nov 10.
Mass.
Geo. Phelps,
Dear Genl. A. P. Smith
Secy of War
Genl. J. T. Adams
Commr of Pensions
Washington City
FREE

Westfield, Hampden Mass — Nov. 7. 1837.
Sir
I enclose the Pension papers of George Phelps — Communica- tions upon the subject may be directed to me —
Yrs respectfully
Wm G Bates

BOUNTY LAND WARRANT RECORD CARD*
NAME Phelps, George GRADE Private LINE Virginia
WARRANT NUMBER 12449 ACREAGE 100 ISSUED June 29, 178? (torn) to — not shown —
*The information concerning the issuance of warrants carded on this form is found in volumes 2 to 4 of "Land Warrants Issued Prior to 1800" which are registers of bounty land warrants issued to non-commissioned officers and privates under congressional resolutions of September 16, 1776, and subsequent dates. Other records relative to the applications for warrants appear to have been destroyed in the War Department fire of November 9, 1800. Information concerning warrants surrendered to the Federal Government is to be found in General Land Office records in The National Archives.