Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 14,172, for Benjamin Pierce, Massachusetts

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass
Pierce Benjamin
S 14172
Carded.
CONTENTS

20362 20.31
New York
Benj n Pierce
of Delaware in the State of N. York who was a Private in the Comp. command by Captain Nichols of the Reg t command by Col. Dagg t in the West line for N. Mass.
Inscribed on the Roll of N. York at the rate of 36 Dollars 66 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 30 day of Aug. 1833 and unto L. Morrison Ohio
Arrears to the 4th of Mar '31 $73.33. Pension allowance ending Sep. '31 18.33. $91.66
{ Revolutionary Claim, } Feb June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by S. Astles Clerk Book E. Vol. 4. Page 12

Benjamin Pierce Kitterfield - Pensional -
14401.
on Rolls Brooks 6 mo. in '80
Accts 11 mo. - pri $36.66

State of New York
County of Delaware ss
I Crawford B Sheldon Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Delaware. Do hereby certify that annexed contains the Original proceedings of the Said Court in the matter of the application of Benjamin
Pierce for a pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this 29 th day of May 1833. C. B. Sheldon Clerk.

State of Kentucky Delaware County Yps.
On this ninth day of October 1832 personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, in Belli in and for the County of Delaware aforesaid now sitting - Benjamin Pierce a resident of Horsefield in the County aforesaid and State of Kentucky aforesaid aged sixty nine 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 & served as herein stated -
That he was born in Dighton Bristol County Massachussetts on the fifth of December 1762 - He has no record except what he took off his father's bible & entered on his own - He lived in Dighton till he was twenty eight years old - then moved to Horsefield where he has resided ever since -
That when he was about fifteen years of age in 1777 & 1778 he went as a substitute for Samuel French with whom he lived (for three months) - who was drafted - He then said Benjamin Pierce marched from Berkeley Bristol Co Mass. to Providence Rhode Island, then over Pawtuxet bridge to Warwick neck, the westerly side of Newport Harbor which was then in the possession of the British & served there the three months, in company commanded by James Nichols Captain, - Martin Lieutenant - John Hathaway was Lieutenant Colonel and - Daggett Colonel - called Comd. Brigade - he received no discharge -
In the year the British left Newport he enlisted for the town of Dighton which had to send a certain number of men for two months - went to Providence, thence to Bristol Ferry; thence onto Newport where staid the time out - kept a guard at mouth of Harbor on British

paint - the British having left Newport only the day before or was said - Abiel Whitmore was his Ensign and Joseph Sanford his orderly sergeant - He received no discharge -
In 1780 the said Pierce enlisted for six months for the town of Dighton which had to furnish fourteen men went to Springfield Massachusetts and passed muster thence to West Point and joined the regular army - thence to the Jerseys - thence back to West Point - served the whole time - saw Andrew Hovey - the said Pierce was in a company called the Major's company - There soon after came in Captain - White was Captain when said Pierce was dis- charged, which however was signed by Duke Day Captain Commandant - In Seventh Regiment commanded by Colonel Brooks, in Brigade called Patten's Brigade - The Regiment had been Hovey's who was killed at Cherry Valley - Pierce gave his discharge to the town to draw the wages & received his pay from the town - the discharge was dated 10 January 1781 -
That Jedediah Gaylord, James Smith, Asa Russell Batch Ref - James Commandants of Berksfield with whom he is personally acquainted can testify in favor of his character for truth and veracity and can also attest their belief of his services as a soldier in the revolution
That he the said Benjamin Pierce has no docu- mentary evidence of his services and knows of no person where testimony Helen Moore who can testify to his services and 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 Subscribed
This 9 Oct. 1832
6 Be Hudson Falls.
Benjamin Pierce

We Roswell Hotchkiss James Smith residing in Mansfield County of Delaware and State of New York hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Ben- jamin Pierce of said Mansfield who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration and we believe him to be sixty nine 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 Sworn & subscribed
This 9 October
1832
C. B. Sheldon Clerk.
ROSWELL HOTCHKISS
James Smith
And I certify that the said Roswell Hotchkiss and James Smith are well known to me and are men of good moral character and that their statements are entitled to full credit
C. B. Sheldon Clerk
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrog- atories 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 Roswell Hotchkiss and James Smith who have signed the preceding certificates are resident of said Mansfield and are entitled persons and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I Cranford B. Sheldon Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Delaware do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Benjamin Pierce for a pension -
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office this 9th day of October 1832 -
C. B. Sheldon Clerk.

State of Kentucky DeKalb County
Isaac Pierce aged sixty five years residing in Karpersfield County of DeKalb and store of Karpers being duly sworn says that he is a brother of the above mentioned Benjamin Pierce, that the said deponent went away from home to live at the age of nine years where he remained till he was sixteen years of age then returned to his father to learn a trade with an elder brother, Ebenezer Pierce that this deponent Isaac was informed and always understood and believed that the said Benjamin had been a soldier and served in the war of the Revolution that this deponent was not personally knowing to it because it took place between the ages of nine and sixteen years when this deponent was absent from his father's but the said Benjamin had been back about a year when this deponent returned to his father's and this deponent often heard the subject of his brother Benjamin's services as aforesaid spoken of in his father's family. The said deponent's father was a weakly man the business of the farm was carried on by this deponent's brother Ebenezer as aforesaid who took care of the old folks and attended to his trade that of a house joiner -
Sworn & subscribed
this 9 Oct. 1832
Isaac Pierce
C B Sheldon Clerk.
And I certify that the said Isaac Pierce is well known to me, is a man of good moral character & his statement entitled to full credit -
C B Sheldon Clerk

To J. L. Edwards Esq. Commisaires of Divorce.

Benjamin Pierce
The papers in this case were sent to Washington the 13 last Oct. & returned a few days since with the objections in red ink -
That the magistrate had not certified to the credibility of witnesses offering direct proof of service -
This has now been done & it is hoped the papers are now undobjectionable.
Pierce's whole time of service as distinctly sum up is as follows -
3 months in 1777 & 1778 -
2 months the year the British left Newport
6 months in 1780 on rother riding 10 days 1781 -
11 Making eleven months in the whole -
Mr Edwards will please direct to
Leviathan Mountain Hobart Delaware Co. New York -
20 May 1803
To Genl Edwards Esq Commissioner of Pensions

14401
Benjamin Pierce
Delaware county New York
adm 1
14
P. 382.
Levinus Monson Delhi, Delaware co N. York

BRIEF in the case of Benjamin Pierce of Delaware in the State of New York (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? 69 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 1778 — 3 — Private Genl' Washd. Col' Duggett   The year the British left Newport 2 — "   1780 — 6 — " Genl' Howe Col' Brooks  
 5. In what battles was he engaged? None  6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Lighton Mass ts  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? Papers not attested as usual 
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.
Richard Cutts Examining Clerk.

December 30, 1935
Rev Benjamin Pierce-S.14172 BA-J/AWF
Mrs. Homer A. Empie Worcester New York
Dear Madam:
Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of Benjamin Pierce, pensioned while residing in Delaware County, New York.
The data which follow were obtained from the papers on file in pension claim, S. 14172, based upon the Revolutionary War service of Benjamin Pierce.
Benjamin Pierce (Peirce) was born December 5, 1762 in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, names of his parents not given.
While residing in Dighton, Massachusetts, with Samuel French, Benjamin Pierce served in 1777 or 1778, three months as substitute for said Samuel French, in Captain James Nickols's Company, Colonel Daggett's Massachusetts Regiment. He served "the year the British left Newport", two months guarding at Newport under Ensign Abial Whitmarsh. He enlisted in 1780, served six months in Captains Thorp's and White's Companies, Colonel Brooks' Massachusetts Regiment, and was discharged January 10, 1781.
The soldier, Benjamin Pierce, moved to Hapersfield, Delaware County, New York, when he was twenty-eight years of age. He was allowed pension on his application executed October 9, 1832, then living in

Harpersfield, New York.
The papers in this claim contain no reference to wife or children of Benjamin Pierce. His brother, Isaac, was sixty-five years of age in 1832 and then living in Harpersfield, New York, and Ebenezer was his brother, Ebenezer, brother, Ebenezer.
If you desire information relative to the last payment of pension, name and address of person paid, and possibly the date of death of this pensioner, you should address The Comptroller General, General Accounting Office, Records Division, Washington, D. C., and cite the following data: Benjamin Pierce Certificate # 20363 Issued August 30, 1833 Rate $36.66 per annum Commenced March 4, 1831 Act of June 7, 1832 New York Agency.
Very truly yours
A. D. HILLER Executive Assistant to the Administrator

Claim of Benjamin Pierce of no. 20362 file no. 14172, is not identical with claim of Benjamin Pierce of no. 20780 consolidated with widow's of no. 4993, file no. 21975.
A. E. Pope.
Sept. 19, 1906.
Am

Rev. and 1812 War Section.
awg
September 8, 1925.
E. R. Pierce Box 192 Otsago, N. Y.
Sir:
I have to advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S. 14172, it appears that Benjamin Peirce (soldier signed PEIRCE, he was pensioned Pierce and his brother Isaac, signed in said claim Pierce) was born December 5, 1782 at Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.
While residing at said Dighton, he enlisted and served as a private in the Massachusetts Troops, as follows-
From early in 1778, three months in Captain James Nickol's Company, Colonel Daggett's Regiment.
Two months, guarding at Newport under Ensign Abiel Whitmarsh, dates not stated.
In 1780 in Captain s Thorp s and White's Company, Colonel Brooks' Regiment, saw Andre hanged and was

discharged January 10, 1781.
He was allowed pension on his application executed October 9, 1832, while a resident of Harpersfield, Delaware County, New York, having moved there when he was twenty-eight years old.
It is not stated whether soldier was married.
Respectfully,
WINFIELD SCOTT Commissioner.

Dec. 13 1935
Department of Interior Bureau of Pensions Revolutionary War Sec in Washington D.C. Gentlemen
Among the Revolutionary War pensioners of Delaware Co New York, we find the name of Benjamin Pierce private in the Mass. Militia. In Aug 30 1733 his age was given as 71 yrs. Will you please send us his war record and all data concerning his family we thank you for this service

Sincerely Mrs Homer A Empire

Revolutionary War
E. REED PIERCE P. O. BOX FORTY-THREE, FLUSHING NEW YORK CITY
Present address Box 192 Otego, N. Y. 8/29/25
Treasury Department Washington, D. C. Pension Bureau
Gentlemen:
My ancestor Benjamin Pierce (Pierce) for his services in the War for Independence, was granted a pension and also given a grant of land near Quincy, Illinois. I am endeavoring to establish his record. Some members of our family residing at present in Massachusetts and in the West have joined the D. A. R. on this ancestor's record. Upon looking up this record in the D. A. R. lineage books, I am suspicious that they have the wrong Benjamin Pierce (Pierce). There were no less than 33 by that name who served in the Revolution from the Massachusetts colony alone. There were also 11 from the state of New York. I am very anxious to get at at the right Benjamin Pierce (Pierce). I have his papers showing that he received pension money. The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts writes me that I ought to be able to receive some aid from your Department. What I know of the vital records of my ancestor follows:
Benjamin Pierce (Pierce) Born 1762 - Died 1838 Married Bathsheba Webster.
According to local histories this Benjamin Pierce (Pierce) came to Harpersfield, Del. Co., N. Y., with a Colonel Harper, after whom the town was named. This Colonel Harper commanded a regiment of New York Militia in the Revolution, and according to our family tradition, our ancestor served under him. In that case he could not have served in the Massachusetts Militia as some of our family claim. His Harpersfield land was still owned by the family up to quite

recently. There is no question about his being one of Colonel Harper's party in the settlement of Harpersfield.
If there are any records in your Department which will throw some light upon this subject I shall be very greatly obliged for it. If there is an application for a Pension recorded in your Department by this man, you can also probably tell me how he spelled his name and thereby settle a long standing controversy in our family. The chirography of such sig- natures as we possess is  now very illegible.
If you could also give me any information concerning the grant of land near Quincy, Ill., I shall be very grateful. This grant of land was exchanged about 1820 for a certain farm in Delaware County, N. Y., near Harpersfield.
With many thanks for any information you can give me, I am,
Yours very truly,
E. P. Pierce

1925-Sept 8-Visit to C. N. Pierce Co. Wis. 1935-De. 30-... Mrs. Homer A. Snodgrass
Rev. Wm.
14172 INVALID.
File No. 14172
Benj m Pierce Brev. Rev. War.
Act: June 9 th 1832
Index:—Vol. 1 , Page 292
[Arrangement of 1870.]