Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S 5149, for John Perkins, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER _____
Mass.
Perkins, John
S 5149.
Carded
CONTENTS

15457.
Massachusetts
John Perkins
of Beck in the State of Mass who was a Private in the company commanded by Captain [blank] of the [blank] commanded by [blank] Smith in the [blank] line for [blank].
enlist
Inscribed on the Roll of [blank] at the rate of 80 Dollars — Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the [blank] day of June 1830 and [blank] [blank] [blank]
Arrears to the 4th of [blank] 1830 $160 — Semi-ant. allowance ending [blank] [blank] — $200 —
{ Revolutionary Claim, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by [blank] Clerk, Book [blank], Vol. [blank], Page 64.
80 [blank]
H 96 Eng 11 Apr 1818 Yrs 16 May 1818 [blank]

John Perkins Map
Old Case Strate 2 Years admitted 19158 1910-
B. Morris Salem Map

BRIEF in the case of  John Perkins  60 of Essex in the State of Mass  (Act 7th 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? 79  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.     Continental Army 11 March In 1781 voluntary to the end of the War - - As a Gen. Capt Hayward Col Smith Then Capt Dailey Col Sprout  
 5. In what battles was he engaged? none  6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Wrentham Mass  7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditionary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls? Traditionary  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.
George D. Taylor
Examining Clerk.
The applicant has been on the Pension Rolls under the Act of 1818 and his papers are in the Department.

John Perkins.
11 Apr.
✓
(of Wenham) in the 2 d Mass. Regt.
Enlisted 24 Feb. 1781.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Be it remembered, That John Perkins of Wenham in the County of Essex in the Commonwealth aforesaid, doth make upon oath the following DECLARATION , to wit,
That on the twenty fourth of February in the year 1781 he enlisted as a private soldier for the term of three years in Capt Hayward company of foot in the second Massachusetts Regiment of the continental establishment in the war of the revolution, and he served faithfully in the same regiment two years nine months and twenty four days when he was honourably discharged viz on the 20 th of December 1783. His cer- tificate of discharge is hereto annexed.
That the Declarant is infirm; that from his reduced circumstances in life he is now in need of assistance from his country for support; and that he hereby relinquishes his claim to every pension heretofore allowed him by the laws of the United States.
John Perkins

AFFIDAVIT.
I
of
in
the County and Commonwealth aforesaid, on oath depose and testify,
do
That
Discharge certificate hereto attached re- mained & placed in Chiefs room for safe keeping W.L.E. Apr 23/04.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
ESSEX, ss.
On this eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, personally appeared before me Samuel Putnam one of the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of said Commonwealth.
the aforementioned John Perkins and in my presence severally subscribed and made solemn oath to the aforesaid Declaration and AFFIDAVIT, by them him respectively made as aforesaid:—And it appearing to my satisfaction, that the aforementioned John Perkins served more than NINE MONTHS, to wit, from the 24 th day of Feb y . A.D. 1781 to the 20. day of Dec r . A.D. 1783 at one period of the Revolutionary War, on the Continental Establishment, against the common enemy, I do hereby certify the testimony in the case, and the proceedings had thereon, to the Secretary of the Department of War.
Given under my hand, and the seal of the Court aforesaid, at Salem, this eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
S. Putnam Just
S. J. Court of Mass t .
I Ichabod Tucker Clerk of all the judicial courts of said State in & for the County of Essex do hereby certify that the Hon Samuel Putnam is a judge of said Supreme Judicial Court, that the above signature is his proper hand writing that the seal hereto affixed is the Seal of said court Salem Apr 20 1818 Attest Ichabod Tucker, Clerk

John Perkins
19458
✓
352-244-2
Please address reply to Ben Merrill Salmon

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.
STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS: COUNTY OF ESSEX, ss.
On this second day of October A. D. 1832, personally appeared in open court, before the HONORABLE DANIEL APPLETON WHITE, Judge of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex aforesaid, now sitting, John Perkins , a resident of Wrentham , in the County of Essex and State of Massachusetts, aged 79 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:
That in March, 4 th 1781 at Wrenham he volunteered and enlisted as a private soldier in the Continental Army - and passed muster by Col. Crane at Boston and marched thence to Head Quarters at Westpoint and there was stationed at first in Capt. Haywood's Company in Col. Smith's Regiment in the Massachusetts line of Continental Army and afterwards in Capt Adam Bailey's Company in Col Eben Spout's Regiment in same line: that he marched with the Army to the South and served at several places and continued in the service till after the Peace was proclaimed when the Army was disbanded, and he was then discharged honorably at Westpoint: he had

a written discharge, which in 1818 he thinks he sent on to the War De- partment where it is on file with his appli- cation for a Pension under law of 1818:
[ His former Pension Certificate is dated May. 16. 1818 N o 563 Rev. of Mass ts Agency ]
He was born in Wrentham in 1753 and has always resided there. he has no written record of his birth: he is known to Rev Eben Sperry & Moses Foster Esq. & other citizens of Wrentham.
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.
John Perkins
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
D. D. White
JUDGE OF PROBATE.
We, _____ a clergyman, residing in _____ aforesaid, and _____ Esquire, a magistrate, residing in _____ aforesaid, do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with _____ who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be _____ 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.
Subscribed and sworn to before

And the said Court hereby declares its opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the abovenamed applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies that who has signed the preceding
Certificate, is a Clergyman resident in
and that the said
who
has also signed the same is a Magistrate resident at
and is a credible person and that
their statement is entitled to credit.
D. White Judge of Probate
I, NATHANIEL LORD Junior, Register of the Court of Probate for the County of Essex aforesaid, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of John Perkins for a pension.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this second day of October , A. D. 1832.
Nath. Lord Jr.

Rev War
5749
INVALID.
File No. 5749
John Perkins
Print Rev War
Act: June 7 th 1832.
Index:—Vol. m , Page 291
[Arrangement of 1870.]

File No 5149
John Perkins Mass

The bearer John Perkins, soldier in the 2 nd Mass t Reg t having served two years Nine months & twenty four days, is hereby honorably Discharged, the Army of the United States. Given under my hand at W. Point this Twentieth day of Dec r 1703
H. W. 1811 B: General
Registered in the books of the Reg t
J. H. Pepper

John Perkins Map
19458

BRIEF objections to the admission of Pension Claims , of which those answered in the negative, in red ink, will apply to the claim of John Perkins which require further proof or explanation.
I. Does the declaration show where the applicant resides? yy II. Did the declarant make the declaration in the county where he resides? yy 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? yy 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? VI. Has he given the names of the officers under whom he served, in conformity with the regulations? yy VII. Has he made a relinquishment of every claim to any other pension than the one under the Act of June 7, 1832? yy VIII. Has the Court given their opinion? yy IX. Has the Clerk given his certificate? yy 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? yy

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? 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's name is not found on the rolls of military service, has he produced a witness or witnesses as to his service? If he has produced direct proof as to service, has the magistrate who administered the oath, certified to the credibility of the witness or witnesses? Has the proper officer certified to the official character and signature of the magistrate as the regulations direct? 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? 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?
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 each 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. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state they served two years in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours; the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must in every case be clearly shewn under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement; the particular place or places where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil pursuit.
†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 authenticates 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 ends 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.
¶ In every case where the clerk of the court, or other certifying officer, has no public seal of office, the certificate of a member of congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.

563
Massachusetts Roll
John Perkins 11 Private
Massachusetts line — 1 st Reg. 2 years. In the army of the United States during the Revolutionary War.
Inscribed on the Roll of Massachusetts at the rate of Eight Dollars per month, to commence on the 11 of April 1818
Certificate of Pension issued the 16 th of May 1818 and sent to Hon. Sam d . Putnam, Salem, Mass.
Arrearages to 4 th Sept r . 1818
4 months 24/30  $38.40
{ Revolutionary claims, { Act 18th March, 1818, }
✓
Woburn, Mass. Co.