Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 30,944, Silvanus Cobb, Mass.

SERVICE
Colt, Silvanus
NUMBER _____
S. 30.944.
CONTENTS

63 83 Massachusetts
Silvans Cobb of Bangor in the State of Maine who was a Lieut. in the Corps commanded by Captain Chase of the _____ commanded by _____ in the Massachusetts line for 3 Months private 12 " Lieut.
Inscribed on the Roll of Massachusetts at the rate of 170 Dollars _____ Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 1 st day of March 1833 and _____ Ho- Dy Kendall S. Sec.
Arrears to 4th of Sept 1832 - $255.00 Semi-ann. allowance ending 4 March 85.00 $340.00
{ Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832. }
Recorded by Daniel Boyd Clerk, Book 9 Vol. 1 Page 94
Dead. See letters 7 Aug. 1835 to J. Knox & Pen. Agt -
93

DECLARATION, in order to secure the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832.
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
COUNTY OF WORCESTER, ss.
ON this 15 th day of January in the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and thirty three Silvanus Cobb personally appeared in open Court, before me Nathaniel Paine Judge of the Probate Court now sitting in Barnstable County a resident of Barnstable in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged ninety two 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 entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
That he entered the service of the Revolutionary War in the first part of the year 1776 as a volunteer and soldier and went to Long Island in the State of New York and was at this time for three months at the expiration of the three months he was dismissed by his commanding officer and he returned home to Middleborough in the County of Plymouth & State of Massachusetts the town in which he was born, and the place he went from, into said service; he further states that he never had any written discharge nor any of the officers or privates alive, by whom he can prove the service by. He further states, that in the year aforesaid, he went as Lieutenant in a volunteer company into said service from said Middleborough, through Canton to Rhode Island and was stationed at Newport for the time of 3 months to guard that place. Gideon Bensan was his first Captain and is the only Officer he remembers. He served his time of 3 months and he was dismissed and he returned home to said Middleborough the month on the day of the month he cannot recollect nor is there any person now surviving by whom he can prove it by. He went again into said service as a volunteer as Lieutenant in the Company commanded by Capt. Peabody which in the month of August 1776 to said Rhode Island for the time of 6 months from said Middleborough and returned the 15 th of April 1777 having served his full term of 6 months at which time he was dismissed by his officers and he returned home to said Middleborough. There is no person now surviving by whom he can prove this service.
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.
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
NATH L PAINE - Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester -
Silvanus Cobb

We James Thompson a Clergyman residing in the Town of Barre and Nathl Houghton residing in Barre hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Silvanus Cobb who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be 92 years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the revolution, and we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
Before Nathl Hume Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester.
James Thompson Nathl Houghton
And the said court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above mentioned applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
And the court further certifies, that it appears to them that James Thompson who signed the preceding certificate, is a clergyman, resident in the Town of Barre and that Nathl Houghton who has also signed the same is a resident in the Town of Barre and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
Nathl Hume Judge of Probate for the County of Worcester.
I Theophilus Wheeler Reg d Clerk 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 Silvanus Cobb for a pension.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affix d the seal of said court the 16th day of January in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty Three
Theophilus Wheeler Reg d of the Court of Probate for the County of Worcester in Massachusetts.
Silvanus Cobb Declaration of Barre, Mass.

The further States that in the year of 1777 in the Spring of that year he went again into said service for the term of three months as List and went to Long-Island, and went up the said and was stationed on the Island and finished his term of 3 months and at which time he was dismissed and he returned home to Middlebor- ough - The month and date he can not recollect - nor can he prove the same as no one is now living to his knowledge, who accompanied him in this service - The further States that he was born at Middleborou- -gh in the year of our Lord the 13 of June 1741 AD and that he always lived there, till he moved to Sandwich in the 10 of November AD 1777 in the County of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts where he has always lived, until Nov- ember AD 1832 - when he removed to Barn in said County & State and where he now resides - He states that his age is recorded in the family Bible & that he believes it also recorded on the records of said Middleborough He herewith submits his baptismal and is the only one he has preserved -
William Carr

James Otis William Spooner William Washburn Caleb Cushing Benjamin Drowne Thomas Cushing John Wheatcomb John Dyer Samuel Allen Jacob Fisher Michael Harkness Samuel Drowne Moses Gill William White James Drowne
Colony of the Massachusetts-Bay. }
The Major Part of the COUNCIL of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England,
To Silvanus Cobb Gentlemen, Greeting.
YOU being appointed Perez Churchill in the County of By Virtue of the Power Confidence in your Loyalty therefore carefully and dili- and exercising said Compa- good Order and Discipline and you are yourself, to ob- Time receive from the
Second Lieutenant of the Ninth Company Whereof is Captain of the Fourth Regiment of Militia Plymouth. Whereas Ebenezer Drowne Esq. is Colonel vested in us, WE do by these Presents, (reposing special Trust and y, Courage, and good Conduct,) Commission you accordingly.—You are gently to discharge the Duty of a Second Lieut. in leading, ordering, in Arms, both Inferior Officers and Soldiers; and to keep them in ---And they are hereby commanded to obey you as their Second Lieut. serve and follow such Orders and Instructions as you shall from Time to a Major part of the Council, or your Superior Officers.
GIVEN under Ninth  L ORD. By the Command of the Major Part of the Council John Lowell
ur Hands and the Seal of the said Colony, at Watertown the Day of May. in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred Sixty Six In the Year of our One Thousand, Seven hundred, Sixty Six.
By Secy

30944 Rev INVALID.
File No. 30,944
Silvannus Cobb Lieut Rev War
Act: June 1 st 39 th
Index:—Vol. 2 , Page 82
[Arrangement of 1870.]

Washington Jany 22 / 1833
James L. Edwards Esq —
Dear Sir

No. 23 rd from Hon. S. G. Kendall.
Brigs Sylvanus Cobb and Bane 1 st Lieut. $170 per ann Imo. per
by Chas.
Rotary Station
Pass
Sentinel
Washington

I send you the papers of Sylvanus Cobb-
very respectfully yours
Joseph G. Kendall

Aug 9 Comm.
James E. Edwards Esq. Commission of Pensions Washington D.C.
Aug 3
2 m

Wardwick, (Me.) August 1. 1855
James S. Edwards Esq. Comr. of Pensions -
Dr Sir:
Considerable trouble has arisen, & may be occasioned, to the children of Sylvanus Cobb, late of Barn, in this state, deceased, in endeavoring to procure the amount which was due said Cobb, of his pension at the time of his decease - The facts are these - Mr. Cobb was a Pensioner under the law of 1832 & entitled to a pension of $170 per year - his pension Certificate bears date, March 1. 1833, & is numbered 6383. He died at Barn, June 9. 1834, having received his pension up to the 4 th of March next preceding - That which accrued between said 4 th of March, & the time of his decease, his children now wish to obtain; he having left no widow living at the time of his decease - His children are then in number, viz, Clarissa Cobb, Anna Dulce, Marina White, & Polly Burse, all of Barn aforesaid, Joseph Cobb of Lyden, Mass t , Hope White of Readwick Mass t , Betsey Haskell of Lyden, Vt., Deborah Bridges of Montague Mass t , Daniel Cobb, of said Montague, Benjamin Cobb of Durfile, Mass t , & Ellis Cobb of Barton Vt. - The necessary evidence of the death of the pensioner, & that the persons above named are his children, & entitled to the amt. remaining due upon his pension, has been procured from a Court of record, to the satisfaction of every one - The difficulties which have arisen are these - On the 6 th day of January last, Clarissa Cobb, (one of the children) made application, by atty, at the Bank in Boston, where the pension is payable, for her portion of the amount due - one 10 th part - She failed to obtain it - the reason given was that all the children must apply at the

Same time - Measures were then taken to obtain applications from the other ten - they were obtained (after the labor expense of sending into the four quarters of our own state, & partly over Vermont had been incurred) from nine of the remaining ten - One (Marina White) absolutely refused, & still refuses to apply - She has long, it appears, held a grudge against the other members of the family, and for this reason had rather lose her portion of the money, than to gratify them so much as to enable them to procure theirs - In this state of things, the ten children applied again for their several portions of the pension, a few days since, but were still refused it, on the ground that all had not applied - The amount due is small, but to some of the applicants, is greater than they are able to lose, as they are in circumstances of great necessity - Your perception that injustice, & most manifest wrong, is done them, by the operation of what I have no doubt is a wholesome rule of practice, though I did not know of its existence till the sole application of Miss Clarissa Cobb was refused - Every possible accommodation has been extended to the applicants by the agent at Boston - At the time the last application was made he wrote me as follows; "Marina White of Barre has not signed. If you will write to James De. Edwards, Counslr. of Pensions, Washington, & state the facts in this case, he will probably order the whole amount due, to be paid to the ten children who have applied - Clarissa Cobb's power of Atty has expired, it being over 90 days old - if you write to the Counslr. in this case also, he will probably order us to pay her portion without requiring a new power Atty".
You see from the above extract, the object of this letter - The heirs of Mr. Cobb are very anxious that something should be done to get the portion of the pension now due - if you

can enable them to obtain it, you will certainly do them a great favor. By the way - probably most of their Powers of Atty will have expired before another application can be made. Can you not therefore remedy the trouble in each case by a general order to pay over upon those now made? - The Agent you mention, suggests that the portion of Maria White may be paid to the other children. This would require them all to make new Letters of Atty, as the old ones authorize the payt. of one 11th part only - Of course Maria's portion would be a curse to them (as it has emphatically been thus far) subjecting them to expense five times greater than its amount -
The facts are before you, and I doubt not you will speedily provide the means of procuring the sum due over the ten children for whom I write - Please admit to me at this place -
With much esteem,
J. S. Edwards Esq. Washington }
Y. Friend H
Jos. Knox