Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 935, Uriah Blachford, Mass Sea Service.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass Sea Service.
Blackford, Uriah or Blatchford,
R. 935
CONTENTS

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
County of Barnstable ss.
32. 61
Mr. Rec
On this twelfth day of December, in the year of Our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty four, personally appeared in open court, before the Honorable Marmaduke Mansfield, Judge of the Court of Probate now sitting at Barnstable, in & for said county.
Uriah Blackford, a resident of Barnstable, in said county 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 7th. 1832.
That he was born at Barnstable aforesaid on the first day of June 1765, and that there is no record of his birth, that he knows of; That he was in the United States Service from about the last of April or first of May 1782 to about the 25th of November 1782, as a Marine soldier of the Ship Tartar: That he was residing at Barnstable when he entered the service; That he left home with an Englishman by the name of John Saddler about the last days in April being induced by the said Saddler to leave, to go into the Country, as the times were oppressive and such emigration offered a better prospect of obtaining a livelihood: That he travelled in company with said Saddler through Sandwich, Plymouth, Frobury &c. to Boston in one day & two nights, & the second day after leaving home, he eat his Dinner on board the said Ship Tartar, then lying in the harbor of Boston; on board of which Ship he went under the following circumstances, viz. When he, with Saddler, reached Boston, they stop'd in front of a place of refreshment and were invited in by an officer to take some punch; he followed Saddler in, and Saddler was then accused of belonging already to the vessel for which they

were shipping a Crew, and the Officer turned to his Books or list, & found his name there enrolled and he was accordingly detained; that Saddler was under the influence of liquor, having drank several times in the course of the forenoon, or he probably would not have gone into that undertaking; that the declarant finding himself thus left without a friend or guide, and a stranger in Boston, fell to crying; the Officer endeavored to console him & invited him to go on board the Ship with Saddler, & promised him, if he wished to come on shore again the next day, he should come; he accordingly went on board: that she then had on board from 30 to 40 men; that he requested to go on shore the next day, but was put off with some excuse, and he repeatedly asked to leave, but was as often denied for several weeks, as near as he can recollect, for eight weeks, and was in the mean time kept at work with the rest of the ship's company, fitting the vessel; that the last two weeks before she sailed there was but little to do in fitting the ship, but she was detained principally on account of the difficulty in procuring men, the Pease Frigate and one or two other vessels were also shipping men at the same time; that more men were daily brought on board and there were daily desertions from the ship, scarcely a barge went on shore but more or less of the crew would make their escape; he was never suffered to go on shore again until the close of the cruise which was about the 25th of November 1782; that there were several others on board, who had been brought on board under similar circumstances with himself, and were detained in the same manner; that they all agreed together that they would not sign the roll or shipping paper; that the Lieutenants and the Sailing Master went round two or three times every week, endeavoring to induce them to enlist or ship, but they adhered to their agreement together for several weeks, but at last, after having been on board and kept constantly at work for eight weeks, as he thinks, he, with several others, signed the

roll of enlistment; he enlisted as a marine, this was about a week before the Ship Sailed which  and  was about the 4th. of July 1782. The Ship having obtained 150 Men Sailed from Boston and cruised for about four and a half months, as near as he can recollect, and took 3 brigs. One loaded with Salt, another with Silks and China, and the third was a privateer 16 gun Brig; - that when the Ship returned to Boston, he was discharged, as near as he can recollect, some where from the 20th to the 25th of November 1782; he was paid ten dollars, and went home, and Mr. Daniel Cobb of Barnstable, who is now deceased afterwards recieved the balance of his wages and prize money for him, but how much it was, he cannot now recollect; that he was acquainted with no one on board of the Ship when he rested except Saddler, who run away from her with five or six others, who were sent to one of the Islands in the harbor for water, but the Officer who went in the boat walk up and went into a house upon the Island, when the crew of the boat or barge rowed to the main land and escaped; that he knows of no one now living who composed the crew of the Ship; - that there was one Nelson Nickerson who belonged to the same County with him, but whom he understands is now dead; that the Commander of the Ship was Capt Cathcart, the 1st. and 2d. Lieutenants names were Lemons and Pillsbury, and the Sailing master's name was Mumford or Kinnford.
And the said declarant further says, on oath, that he cannot, from lapse of time, state the precise date of his enlistment or discharge, but he knows, and is positive, that he served for seven or eight weeks, (he thinks for eight) before he signed the roll of enlistment, and for four and a half months, or more, after having signed, making in the whole according to his best judgment, six and an half months; he is positive more than six months.

: that since the Revolutionary War, he has always resided in Barnstable aforesaid. 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. - That the Reverend Henry Hersey is his minister, with whom he is personally known, as also to Henry Crocker Esqr both of whom can testify to his reputation for truth and his being reputed as in the service of his country in the Revolutionary War. Uriah Blackford
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year first aforesaid Abner Davis Reg
We, Henry Hersey, a Minister of the Gospel, residing in Barnstable, and Henry Crocker, a Magistrate, also residing in Barnstable, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Uriah Blackford, who has subscribed & sworn to the foregoing Declaration; that we believe him to be sixty nine years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a Marine in the service of the United States in the War of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion, and that we know him to be a man of truth and veracity and his statements entitled to full credit.
Sworn & subscribed as aforesaid Abner Davis
Henry Hersey Henry Crocker
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, & after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier or Marine on board the Ship Farton and served as he states.
And the Court further certify that it appears to them that the Rev. Henry Hersey, who has signed the preceding certificate, is a Clergyman in the town of Barnstable, and that Henry Crocker Esqr who has also signed the same, is a resident in s d Barnstable, and a both credible persons, and that their statement is entitled to full credit.
Nymphas Warson - Judge
I, Abner Davis, Register of the Court of Probate, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of Uriah Blackford for a pension. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand & seal of office on the day & year first aforesaid.
Abner Davis Reg

Ex'r.
INVALID.
REJECTED
Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
Uriah Blatchford
P. O. _____
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____

Massachusetts Uriah Matchford
reputed not born since 61 dead Recd 1835

32. 613
985

House of Representatives Feb 5 th 1835
Sir
I have this day recd the Papers of Uriah Blackford an Applicant for a Pension which I herewith enclose
I will add that this Applicant is a neighbor of mine & has always been reputed & I fully believe him to be a man of truth and honesty
With Respect To Mr. Lee John Reed
P.S. I herewith enclose a letter of H Brockman Esq a Representative from Barnstable. J.R.

Pension
Hon. John Steel

Boston Jan y . 29 th . 1835
Hon. John Reed
Sir I have enclosed to you, with this, the Declaration of Uriah Blatchford of Barnstable, and the certificate of Mr. Bangs in support of a part of his claim. - You will perceive, should you have time to look over his Declara- -ation, that he has very particularly stated many little incidents, which would at first seem to be quite unnecessary; - but he was aware that it was quite doubtful whether his name could be found on the Ship's Roll for the whole time he states he served, and Judge Marston therefore thought he had better state as many particulars as he could recollect which would make his statement appear like a connected story, and then let as many of them be corroborated by the En y ! Certificate, as might be found to be practicable. - Although he is not entered on the Ship's Roll until July 6 th . '82 - yet he states that he left Barnstable with one "Saddler" and went on board the Ship. with him in May , and did duty on board some weeks before he was entered on the roll (the cause of this he states in his Declaration) To corroborate this - Saddler's name is found on the Roll, entered May 21 st . - Blatchford also states that Saddler deserted, before the Ship sailed - This appears by

the Roll to be true, & Mr. Bangs so certify. — If Blattford's name had been entered on the same day with Saddler's, which was unquestionably the day on which he went on board the ship, and from which day he did the regular duty of a seaman or marine — then he would have been able to prove six mos. service. — As it is he can prove but 4 mos. & 15 days.
If, with the evidence he has been able procure in support of his claim, and the testimony of his character & reputation for truth, taken in connection with his straightforward story — He can secure a six mos. pension, it will be serviceable as well as acceptable to him and his family. —
Be pleased Sir, to present his Declaration & the evidence at the Pension Department. —
I am Sir, very respectfully Your Obs. Servt.
Henry Crocker

Wm Blackford
New York agt

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Secretary's Office, Jan y 27 th 1836.
I hereby Certify, That, from an examination of the Books and Documents, relating to Military Services in the War of the Revolution, which remain in this Department, it appears that the name of "Uriah Blatchford," as a Marine, is borne on the pay roll for the Officers and Men belonging to the State Ship Tarter, John Cathcart Esq r Commander." where he is allowed from July 6 th to Nov r 21 st 1782. four Months and fifteen days. ————— m. d. 4 = 15
John Sadler's name (who is in Blackford's Declaration) is also on the same roll, entered May 21 st 1782. Deserted August 5 th 1782. ————— On the same roll is also the name of Anson Nickerson mentioned in Blackford's declaration, who was discharged on the same day with Blackford. Edward D Bangs Sec y