Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 8603, for Jonathan C Rathbone, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass Sea Service Privateer
Rathbone Jonathan L.
R 8603
CONTENTS
Twelve horizontal dotted lines for writing.
Twelve horizontal dotted lines for writing.

P. O. _____
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____, 18 .
Discharged: _____, 18 .
REJECTED
Application filed: _____, 18 .
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18 .
Atty. July 17, 1906
St. Louis C. P. Smith

Jonathan C. Rathbun Ohio
Rejected, see letter 20 Oct 1832 to Jonathan D. Morris
8603

Rathbone Jonathan
Ohio.
1892.

BRIEF in the case of  Jonathan H. Rathbone of Clermont County in the State of Ohio (Act 7 June, 1832.)
 1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? Open Court,  2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity?  3. How old is he? 68. Years.  4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. 
   Period. Duration of Service. Rank. Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served.   Years, Months, Days. As a Gen.     In 1776. His service, as appears from his declaration, was confined to Privateering  
 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.
Charles Little Examining Clerk.

11/18/92
6/12

Batavia N.Y. Aug 16 th 1863
France
Aug 23 1863
Hon. Lewis C. Conf. (Jonathan C. Rattbone, ) Secretary of War Application for a pension Washington D.C.

State of this Clermont County August Term of the Court of Common Pleas. Held before the Honorable George P. Lawrence Pres. Judge, Mark Whiteaker, Robert Haines and John H. Hays Esq. Associate Judges.
Clermont County to wit.
On this ninth day of August in the year 1852 personally appeared in open Court before the Honorable Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Clermont now sitting Simon C. Rattbone a resident of this Township County of Clermont State of Ohio Simon C. Rattbone aged 68 years in September next who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he related the service of the United States in the following named officers & served as herein stated.
He was born on the seventh day of September 1764 at the town of Watertown in the East End of Long Island. When one year old removed to Nantucket to the town of Sherburne at which place he lived until the year 1776 when he made his first voyage to sea - he went to the North Indies. On this expedition the vessels in which he served sailed under the command of Captain Nathan Coffin, were captured off Santa Cruz by a privateer from Tortola and carried into that Island.
Henry Mawes was the commander of the privateer. The Americans were kept at Tortola a month or thereabouts and the British let them go. They went up in a small boat to St. Kitts. While there Captain Coffin got a Schooner of 8 guns and took in a cargo from that place for Edenton in Carolina.
They sailed for that place & off of Cape Hatteras and English Frigate gave chase & Captain Coffin ran his vessel ashore. They defended her for two hours, the British anchored against her and opened their broad sides on her. They boarded her with four boats & the Americans jumped overboard and swam ashore. The British took the vessel & carried her away.
They went from there to Miramichi where they found a vessel bound for New Bedford & sailed in her to that place. From New Bedford returned to Nantucket and in the year 1777 towards the last of September went to Boston and soon afterwards sailed in a privateer brig called the Speedwell.
Jacob Denville was Capt. Dependent carried forward. Sailed to Martinique & took two prizes in the outward passage one called the Freeman an American vessel that had

been taken by the British carried fourteen guns, that were then taken from being carried on board of the French merchant ship which officers that had been taken from on board a British transport that had lost her masts. The other was called the same an English haded with Reims, & bound to Greenock from the West Indies. Took the same to the route of the Bermudas in the for part of the winter in 1777. Landed at Martinique repaired their vessel & sailed on a cruise to the windward of the Islands. Fell in with a French privateer and agreed to cruise together. a few days after they fell in with a large British armed ship and agreed to board her - bore down upon the French man taken ship & run off - engaged above two hours - the last one ship & piece were burnt up & left us. She was taken the next day by a French Frigate and they learned that they had killed twenty two men & that she had 23 guns - they bore up and sailed then and repaired, took in a cargo for Boston & arrived there some time in May or June. Went some from Boston to Nantucket & were obliged to move from there to Barnstable county Mass Chusett on account of the refugees. Remained there until the following spring, then went to Boston, and sailed from there to St Domingo in a Schooner under the command of deponent's uncle Capt. Jonathan Coffin. Went to St Domingo - discharged their cargo & took in another Consignment of Molasses, sugar, coffee etc. &c for Boston - in the Gulf Stream when shooting the Gulf were captured by a privateer from New Providence who sailed under an English Commission under the command of Captain Johnson & were carried to New Providence, from which place all the American prisoners deponent with them were sent by a flag of truce to Charleston, which from that place go to Boston by land, Crossed the North River at Stony Point and six miles from North River at Clinton Point where his five companions taken prisoners on that day by Captain Johnson 1779 by a troop of refugees. They tied us up two on a horse, tied us hand & foot & carried us to New York where they put them in the old sugar house in Liberty Street. We were there when the British sent them over soft bread. before that they had always had hard bread, a sergeant of the Ameri can was about dividing the bread & finding it had a lo saw it was poisoned. deponent sent some thing in the bread that glittered like powdered glass. Went without bread for two days & on the second day about four o'clock they sent them hard bread & took away the other sometimes in the lack of forage they were exchanged and carried to Elizabeth Town which travelled from there up the North River

crossed at after points west to New London at which place he found a ship called the Discovery of twenty guns and two guage in the mizen shrouds Francis Brown of New Haven was Captain. Sailed in her to Port au Prince, in the outward voyage took a prize boarded her in their boats. The Discov- ery was a commissioned ship. After having this voyage about December the next day was promoted to the station Midshipman and Coxswain of the Patapsco Battery. Took in a cargo at Port au Prince & sailed for Bordeaux nothing material happened until they got off the coast of France, the wind then took us to North East & there we to the Coast of New Port. There they fell in with a brig & ship & The brig mounted 18 guns, the ship 26 guns, kept up a running fight with them for 14 hours, the Discovery was trying to get into the Port of Bayonne. At the mouth of the river as they were running along the shore, and near upon a shoal li- lost the ship. While she was stranded, attempted to take but the Discovery got a gun on the quarter and fired through their own rigging at the brig which was nearest to them. Kept the ship firing on her day and then she was bilged. Remained at Bayonne for some time - and went in a French ship to Rocheford, brig of the crew of the Discovery with them went in their ship - the brig was burnt down & sent to Bordeaux. From Rocheford went to Bordeaux. The most of the crew started from there and went to Bristol and there found a ship from Philadelphia, called the St. Helena, mounting 20 guns & 7 Commanded by Captain Stillwell, departed with two or three of the crew of the Discovery & sailed in her. They then went on board of other American vessels lying in that port. The St. Helena principally with dry goods and with half a dozen of soldiers as a guard. They took one English prize bound from Greenock to the West Indies, on their homeward voyage. Arrived at Philadelphia and was discharged. Went on to Boston by land. From there went out in a ship Commanded by Captain Mac Mac, Ca. does not remember the name of the ship. Sailed for Cape Francis St. Domingo arrived there discharged their cargo and took in a cargo for West. Off Cape Hatteras was taken by an English Frigate mounting thirty two guns, called the Amphitrite, and was carried in the latter part of February to New York, May 2 and in to Crane's wharf to keep her clear of ice & departed for shore and ran off from the vessels & remained lying about in New

York for about two weeks - Most of the time at the house of a woman in 3rd Street until a ship came in from Rhode Island with a party to go to the Delaware River. He went on board on board of her secured himself in the hold & went with her This was in the spring of 1793. Went from Rhode Island and from there to Nantucket and soon after he got home had next of kin. Since the revolutionary war he followed the sea until 1812 when he came to Clermont County and settled in this Township on the same spot upon which he now resides and upon which he has ever since resided. Has no documentary evidence of his service known of except from those testimony he can procure who can testify to his service. Knew Capt Perry of the Delaware, saw him on a visit after about 20 years last away at the war. Saw him at another time during the revolutionary war, he conveyed him from that place down to the mouth of the Delaware. He came out from France with dispatches to St. Domingo & Hadamar. At the same time also St. Domingo saw Capt (afterwards) Com Modore Troup, he commanded and armed vessel to be called the St. Lawrence from Philadelphia mounting thirty 20 or 26 guns. He hereby relinquishes every claim 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 known to him in open court
August 9th 1832 Jonathan L. Root J. D. Morris Clerk P.D. 1892
We the undersigned of this Township, Clermont County state of Ohio and the names of the same township hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Jonathan L. Root the person who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be right seven years of age; that he is respected and beloved in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
Known to me open August 9th 1832 Chapman H. Root J. D. Morris Clerk P.D. R. H. Root

Thursday August 29 th 1832. This day personally appeared in open Court Jonathan C. Rathbone and applicant for the benefit of the act supplementary to the act for the relief of certain surviving officers and soldiers of the Revolution Sept 1 st and 7 th 1832 and made under oath the declaration by the said act required and at the same time produced Chapman Stocker and Robert Haines who upon oath made their statement in reference to the said application all of which is referred to in certified. I certify that the above is truly copied from the journals of the Court of Common Pleas for Clermont County this made at their August Term 1832 in the matter of the application of Jonathan C. Rathbone and I do further certify that the said Court declared 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 servant as he states. And the said Court further ordered made to certify that it appeared to them that the said Robert Haines (who is one of the associate Judges of said Court) is a resident of this Township, County of Clermont State of Ohio, and signed the preceding certificate, and that Chapman Stocker who also signed the same is a resident in the said Township of this County and State aforesaid and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I Jonathan D. Morris Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of our said do hereby certify that the foregoing con- tains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Jonathan C. Rathbone for a Pension In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court this 15 th day of August A.D. 1832 J. D. Morris Clerk