Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 20,135, Simon Chaffin, Mass.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass.
Chaffin, Simon
W. 20,135
CONTENTS

32.332
Simon Chaffin's Ohio
Pension Papers
Act of 7 th June 1832
making for One Year and four Months Service in 1780-81
Aged 71. years
Ad dup, Col Bedford Wooster Wayne County Ohio

Declaration
In order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7 th 1832.
State of Ohio. Wayne County ss: on this 20 th day of October 1834 personally appeared in open Court before the Hon. Ezra Dean and also Ohio Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Wayne in the State of Ohio now sitting Simon Chaffin , a resident of East Union township in the said County of Wayne and State of Ohio, aged Seventy one years of age 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 th 1832. That he entered the service under the following the following named officers and served as herein set forth. That he entered the service in the year 1780. in the fall of said year on the 1 st of September of said year and served as a minute man and was held in readiness to march at moment's warning or on the shortest notice against the Enemy. That this duty of being held in readiness to march was performed in Acton in the County of Middlesex in the State of Massachusetts and continued from the 1 st of September till the 1 st of December 1780. making a tour of three months duty as a minute man or militia man of Middlesex Co. Massachusetts That this applicant did serve said tour under Command of Capt Stacy or Capt John Edwards which of the two this applicant cannot now recollect. That the Major's name was Porter who commanded the Regiment in which this applicant served. That at the termination of said three months this applicant was verbally discharged from the service by his Commanding Officer. That at the time of duty which said applicant performed was in attending the military drills in said Regiment the better to be prepared in defending his Country And this applicant was again in the service and drafted out to hold himself in readiness as a minute man or militia man of the Middlesex County Militia in said State of Massachusetts for a period

of Four months - That he entered on this second tour of duty in the spring of the year 1781. under the command of Capt. John Haywood and service from the first of May till the 1 st of September. 1781. at which time or at the expiration of said four months this applicant was verbally discharged from the service by his officer under whom he served. said tour of duty as a minute man - and that all the actual duty performed was in attending the drilling in said right . And this applicant was again in the service as a substitute for one Samuel Adams for the term of three months , that That he entered on this tour of duty in Acton township located in Middlesex Co. under the command of Capt. John Haywood and Lieut. Palcomb on the first of September 1781. and served from said first of September to the first of December 1781. That the names of the men who served with this applicant during this said tour were Corporal John Eastbrooks , Joseph Russell and Zimri Spaulding , and the Col. who had the principal command was Col. Webb , That this applicant was marched from Middlesex Co. Mass. to Pekskill in the state of N. York on the east side of the Hudson River where the Corps in which this applicant served joined the main army under Command of General Heath . That after this applicant had remained there for some days he was marched to a place called " Gallows Hill " where he witnessed the execution of an American deserter and two others were condemned to be executed but were pardoned by the Commanding General - That this applicant was marched from Gallows Hill on a duty of guarding a number of military horses belonging to the American Army. That this applicant after having served out his said tour of three months he was verbally discharged from the service by his Commanding Officer.
And this applicant was again in the service as a minute man holding himself in readiness to march on the shortest notice against the British. that this service that commenced on the 1 st of June in the year 1782 as near as this applicant can recollect and continued till the first of December following in said year - making a tour of six months duty .

That this militia service was served under Capt John Staywood and the Major who Commanded the Regiment was Major Portee. The last, this applicant does not now recollect That this applicant was marched from Acton in Middlesex Co. Mass. (where he entered the last- mentioned tour of service) to a place called Waltham where the Brigade in which this applicant served joined another Brigade for the purpose of Military exercise, the more effectually to be prepared to join the serve against the enemy who were reported to be collecting on the sea board - bordering on the State of Massachusetts - on the east side thereof - That this applicant after having complied with the requisitions of the law and after having served out his said tour as a minute man he was verbally discharged from the service by his Commanding officer - That the active duty performed by said applicant during his tour as a minute man consisted in attending to the military drills in obedience to the Command of his superior officers - the better to be prepared in defending his Country against the invasion of the Common Enemy - That during the three tours of his said drafted militia service in Acton & whilst stationed there on duty and whilst on duty as a substitute he was not engaged in any civil business but was wholly devoted to the service - and that no living witness can be procured to prove the above services or any part thereof -

Interrogatories
1 st When and in what year were you born? Ans. I was born in Acton in the Co. of Middlesex in the State of Massachusetts in the year 1763 and am now seventy one years of age 2 Have you any record of your age and if so where is it? Ans. I had a record in my Bible but it is torn out & I have the record now kept by me in a book from which I know my age as above. 3. When were you living when you entered the service or when I have you lived since the Revolutionary war and where do you now live?

Ans. When I Entered the service I lived in the Township of Otis in the State of Massachusetts and since the Revolutionary War I have lived in Lincoln County in the State of Maine - and in Trumbull County in the State of Ohio - and in Wayne Co. in the State of Ohio where I have resided for 21 years past -
4 th How were you called into the service Ans. I was drafted and served as a substitute as I have above stated -
5 th Did you ever receive a written discharge from the service -
Ans. I never rec d any written discharge from the service -
6 th Did you ever receive a commission in the service at any time -
Ans. I never did, but I served the period of fifteen months as a private soldier in the Middlesex County militia in the State of Massachusetts -
7 th State the names of some of the officers who served with you -
Ans. General Heath, Capt. John Hayward - Lieut. Balcom Major Porter, Col. Webb - Commanded the Regiment in which I served -

8 th State the names of persons in your present neighborhood who can testify to your character for truth and their belief of your services
Ans - Rodney Carr Esq r P.M. Reverend Samuel Millford Joseph Millford Esquire, Oliver Day Esquire - Smith Dr Esquire
Sworn to & subscribed this 20 th day of October 20 th Oct 1834 - in open court, Hloane Clerk Simon Chaffin
Relinquishment -
I Simon Chaffin, the applicant for a pension do hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and I declare that my name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any state -
Sworn to & subscribed this 20 th day of October 1834 -
Shown in open court Hloane Clerk
Simon Chaffin

1 1
We Samuel C. Willford a Clergyman residing in the County of Wayne in the state of Ohio and Oliver Day and Rodney Carr Citizens of the County of Wayne in the state of Ohio Do hereby Certify that we are well acquainted with Simon Chaffin who has subscribed and sworn to the above Declaration that we believe him to be seventy one years of age - That he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a revolutionary soldier and that we concur in that opinion -
Sworn to and subscribed before me this Eighteenth day of October - 1834
Samuel Willford Oliver Day
Rockney Carr P.M. Smith Orde (Postmaster)
Joseph Willford Justice of the peace
And the said Judges do hereby Certify that after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department. That they declare that it is their opinion that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states and the said Judges do further Certify that it appears to them that Samuel Willford who has signed the preceding Certificate is a Clergyman of Wayne County in the state of Ohio and that Oliver Day and Rodney Carr Esquires Smith Orde who have also signed the same are Citizens of Wayne County.

in the state of Ohio and are credible persons and that their statements are entitled to full faith & credit. —
In testimony whereof —
State of Ohio Wayne County
I John Hloaine Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of said Wayne County Ohio do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original pro- ceedings of said Court in the matter of the application of Simon Cheffin for a pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court at Wooster in said County the 21st day of October A.D. 1834. J. Hloaine Clerk

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BUREAU OF PENSIONS.
R.F. 10135-
Washington, D. C., _____, 19_____
In reply to your request of _____, received _____ for a statement of the military history of Simon Chaffin a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his (or his widow's) application for pension on file in this Bureau.
   DATES OF ENLISTMENT OR APPOINTMENT. LENGTH OF SERVICE. RANK. OFFICERS UNDER WHOM SERVICE WAS RENDERED. STATE.   CAPTAIN. COLONEL.     Sept 1 1780 Dec 1 1780 Private Haywood Mass.   May 1 1781 4 mos. Private John Haywood   Sept 1 1781 3 mos. John Haywood Webb   He was also a re-enlisted Private John Haywood  
Battles engaged in, none stated Residence of soldier at enlistment, Aston, Middlesex Co. Mass. Date of application for pension, Oct. 20. 1834 Residence at date of application, East Union Township, Wayne Co. Ohio Age at date of application, born in 1763 at Aston, Middlesex Co. Mass.
Remarks: His claim was not allowed as he did not render six months actual military service as required by the Act of June 7, 1832 under which he applied for pension.
Respectfully,
The soldier does not allege but one active military service & that is the one proved as below; (The three allegations as to minute man simply state that he held himself in readiness to go.) See Mass. Orders & Records Vol. 3, p. 348, for 3 mos. service from Aug. 1780 - as Simon Chaffin .
Commissioner.

These photostat copies were taken for Mr Charles Hall of Van Wert, Ohio who wished them to take to France where he expected to go for Red Cross work. and the photostat copies were delivered to Mr Hall in person on July 26 1918. AW

Name Simon Chaffin Date July 23 1918 Rev. War No. R20135-
Photographic copies wanted of 1 pieces, consisting of 8 pages.
Remarks:
J. D. Bynum
Ext.
Chief Clerk Pen. Bu. Div.
APPROVED:
J. D. Dennis
Law Clerk.
Serial 7337
No. _____
over

REJECTED
No. 20,135
[REDACTED]
Simon Chaffin
[REDACTED]
Rev. War.
[REDACTED]
Not found in printed list 1852.
No correspondence on register where this claim is recorded.
1919 May 6 that it is not a p. [illegible]

Rev Secy
April 14-1919-
Bureau of Pensions Washington D.C.
Dear Sir:-
The Registrar General of U.D.D.A.R., asks a statement from the Pension Office for completion of membership papers of Miss Lurissa Chaffin. Her Rev. ancestor was Simon Chaffin whose Pension No. is as follows. R. file No. 20135. Will be greatful to you for a statement from this Office. Sincerely- (Is there a fee?)
Mrs. L. P. Bentley. Registrar Woodale Chap. D.A.R. 701 E. Sherman St. Hutchinson, Kansas