Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 29632, Ephraim Billings, Mass.

SERVICE
Mass.
Billings, Ephraim or Ephraim S. 29632
NUMBER
CONTENTS

8067.
Massachusetts
Ephraim Billings
of Acton in the State of Mass who was a Sgt in the Company commanded by Captain Smith of the Regt commanded by Col Prison in the Mass line for 10 Aug 21 Ds Private 1 " 12 Corp 3 " 2 Sgt
Inscribed on the Roll of Mass at the rate of 56 Dollars 11 Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 12 th day of March 1833 and sent Same Dues of Acton and present Arrears to the 4th of Mar 1833 $112.22 Semisat. allowance ending 21 Sept " 28.05 $140.27
{ Revolutionary Clum, } { Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by C S to J B Blair Clerk, Book 8 Vol. 2 nd Page 4.
81
Moodley

Declaration of Ephraim Billings
Declarations
20309

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
County of Middlesex ss.
On this eighteenth day of August AD 1832 Concord personally appeared in open Court before the Court of Common Pleas  Probate now sitting at within and for the County of Middlesex in the Commonwealth aforesaid
Ephraim Billings of Acton in said County aged eighty years
Who being 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 entered the service of the United States, under the following named officers, and served as herein stated. That is to say
1 That he was a minute man in Acton in AD 1774, And on the 19 April 1775 repared with his Company commanded by Capt. Davis to the Bridge in Concord, and there received the first fire of the British when his Capt fell, after the British retreated he pursued under Lt. Baynes to Cambridge & was stationed there, untill the 8 months men were organized, having been there about three weeks — when 2 He enlisted for eight months in Capt. Smith John Harkness Company kind to, were Hartwell and Hale and the Company belonged to Col. Nason's Regt and Company was stationed in the Colleges, and I was in the Battle of Bunkerhill on the 17 th June, and I continued with my Company untill I served out my term of eight months — And the year man not having then all arrived, troops were wanted to sustain the Army and I again enlisted for six weeks in the Company of Capt. David Wheeler of Concord and continued in Col. Nason's Regt two months longer, having been in service from the 19 th of April 1775: Under Captains Davis, Smith and Wheeler for the space of ten months and two weeks, when he was discharged and returned home some time in the Spring of 1776. 3 In AD 1777. he engaged to go to the Northern frontier for one month and enlisted as volunteer in a Company commanded by Capt. John Buttrick who had been a Major in the S.M. Regt in which he suffered a wound Service after Company belonged to the Regt commanded by Col. Jon Reed of the Mass. Forces, we proceeded to Saratoga and when there when Burgoyne's Army surrendered, after which our Regt was selected to guard the Prisoners from Saratoga to Cambridge which it did and after they were encamped at Mount Hill our Company was discharged and we returned home, having been in service six weeks. 4 In the Spring AD 1778. he engaged to do a tour of duty guarding Burgoyne's troops at Winter Hill and enlisted as a Sergeant in Capt. Daniel Hainington's Company Col. Jon Reed's Regt. he repaired to the Camp and there served as a Sergeant for the space of three months, and two days when he was discharged.

He relinquishes every claim, whatever, to a pension or annuity, whatever except, the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll, of the agency of any State. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Middlesex ss. Ephraim Billings We Ezra Ripley D.D. a Clergyman residing in the town of Concord in the county of Middlesex aforesaid and Abiel Heywood of the same County hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Ephraim Billings who has subscribed and sworn to the above, and that we believe him to be eighty years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood, where he resides, to have been a soldier in the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion. Sworn and subscribed before us. Ezra Ripley Abiel Heywood Before me Sam. Dana Justice of the Peace for all the counties in said Commonwealth.
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, that after the investigation of the matter, and 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 the Rev. Ezra Ripley D.D. who has signed the preceding Certificates is a Clergyman resident in the Town of Concord and that Abiel Heywood Esq. is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit. I do hereby certify that the foregoing contains, the original proceedings, of the said Court, in the matter of the application of Ephraim Billings for a pension. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this seventh day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and thirty two
And I further certify that Samuel Dana Esq. is a Justice of the Peace for all the Counties, in said Commonwealth and that his name on the above certificate, and also on the Caption to the Deposition of Joel Chatfield which is herunto annexed are his true and proper signatures.
Samuel Dana

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Middlesex, to wit,
At the Court of Probate begun and holden at Concord on the eighteenth On the application of Ephraim Billings Interrogatories were propounded to him to wit:
within and for the County of Middlesex day of August A. D. 183 2 claiming to be a Soldier of the Revolution, the following
1. Where, and in what year were you born?
Answer, In Acton in Ms on the 14 th day of March AD 1730
2. Have you any record of your age, and where is it?
Answer, I have a family record of my age
3. Did you ever receive any written discharge from service? Ans: I never received any such discharge.
3. Where were you living, when called into service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War, and where do you now live? Answer,
I was living in Acton Ms when I always have, and do now live.
4. How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute, and if a substitute for whom? Answer,
My services were voluntary - 5 Did you ever receive any written discharge from service? Ans: I never received any such discharge
5. State the names of some of the regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served, such Continental, and Militia Regiments, as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your service?
Answer, I can not call to mind the names of any Officer whom I saw
6 Did you ever receive any discharge from service? Ans: I never received any written discharge from service
6. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a Soldier of the Revolution?
Answer, John Robbins Esq. Capt. Dane White John White Junr Simon Tuttle Esq. Acton Ephraim Billings

Ephraim Billings
20.707
10 month, 21 day private
1 " 12 " Corporal
3 " 2 " Sergeant
ad'm'd
$5611.
Sam l Dana Esq. Groton Mass

BRIEF in the case of  Ephraim Billings  of Acton  in the State of  Massachusetts  (Act 7th June, 1832.)
1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? In Open Court 2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity? 3. How old is he? Eighty 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.     By April In 1775. 10 21 Private Gen. Lord Howe & Capt. Smith, Davis and Wheeler   1777 1 12 Corporal Col. Reed & Capt. Buttrick   In the Spring of 1778 3 2 Sergeant Col. Reed & Capt. Warrington  
5. In what battles was he engaged? None Named 6. Where did he reside when he entered the service? Acton 7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by documentary proof, by traditional evidence, by incidental evidence, or by the rolls? One living Witness, & traditional evidence 8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication? and if so, in what respect? Correctly authenticated
I Certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree with the evidence in the case above mentioned.
Examining Clerk.
The Certificate of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shows that applicant is on the rolls of said Commonwealth.

29 632 Recy INVALID.
File No. 29,632
Ephraim Billings Sergt Rev War
Act: June 7 th 1897
Index:—Vol. 9 , Page 37
[Arrangement of 1870.]

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

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? yes 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? yes Has the proper officer certified to the official character and signature of the magistrate as the regulations direct? yes 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? yes 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, deposeh 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.

Affidavit of Joseph Chaffin in the case of Ephraim Billings

I Joseph Chaffin of Acton in the County of Middlesex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts aged seventy nine years, do depose and say, that I served in the war of the Revolution as by my Declaration on file in the Pension Office, will appear:
And I do further testify and declare that I well know Ephraim Billings of the same Acton who
served as a Soldier in that war, that he was a private Soldier, in the Company of Capt. Smith in Colo.
Nelsons
Regiment, in which Company, I also served, in 1775
In the year AD 1774 we were both recruits in the Town of Acton and joined in the Company of Capt. Davis who was slain at Concord on the 19th of April. I joined the Company just after the first fire and we pursued the Enemy to Cambridge, Bunker hill and were encamped with the American forces, and in the first part of May we both engaged for eight months and enlisted in the Company of said Capt. Smith, then Lieut. were John Washburn and Hale and Captain my was in Capt. Nelsons Regt. and we were stationed in the Colleys and remained in that vicinity, we were both in the Battle of Bunker hill down near Fresh river, we continued in service until we had compleated our term of eight months, after which the year was not having arrived, we engaged for six weeks in the Company of Capt. Davis Wheeler and continued for two months longer in the same Regiment having been in service from the 19th of April 1775 ten months & two weeks under the Officers of said Regt. In the fall of AD 1777 said Billings and myself agreed to go to the Northern Border to oppose Burgoyne we both volunteered for one month under Capt. John Britton who had been a Captain in the 8th Regt. but agreed to go as a Capt. in Capt. Gains Regt. we proceeded to Saratoga and I then saw both Armies, and went to Fort Edward to Albany, and our Regiment was one that guarded the troops to Fort Ticonderoga, we guarded the Defiles, and often they were encamped we were dismissed having been absent six weeks and during that time in presence of S. Dana COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
County of Middlesex to wit October 27th
Joseph Chaffins mark AD. 1832.
Personally appeared before me the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace within and for all the Counties in said Commonwealth Joseph Chaffin well known to me as a person deserving full faith and credit and who subscribed the
above deposition and made solemn Oath, that the same is just and true in all its particulars, according to the best of his knowledge and belief. Sam Dana

Ephraim Billings

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Secretary's Office, Nov. 28 1832.
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
Ephraim Billings is borne on a List of the names of a Minute company under the command of Capt. John Hayward in Col. Abijah Pierce's regiment who entered the service, April 19 th 1775 for the space of 5 days
Again, Ephraim Billings is borne on a muster roll of the company under the command of Capt. William Smith in Col. John Vixon's regiment for the space of 3 months and 15 days from the 24 th of April 1775
Again Ephraim Billings is borne as a Corporal on a roll of a company of militia detached from Col. Brooks regiment to reinforce the army under Gen. Gates at the Vathenard. Sept. 29. 1777. commanded by John Buttrick in Col. Williams Reed's regiment, (cont.)

for their Bounty, for the space of 1. month and 11. days term to return home included, from the 28 th of September, Date of discharge Nov. 7.
Again, Ephraim Billings is borne as a Sergeant on an Abstract for pay due to Capt. Daniel Harrington company, in Col. Jonathan Reed regiment for three months & am- ding at Cambridge, taken from the 2 d of April to the 3 rd of July inclu- sively " for the space of 3 rd months and 2. days. —
I further certify that there is no roll of Capt. William Smith's com- pany in service in A.D. 1775 After the 1 st of August on file in this office —
Edward D. Bangs, Secy