Morrison's Pensions
Phineas (Phinehas) Weed
W 22583
To the honorable, the legislature of the State of the State of New York in
Senate and assembly convened.
The Petition of Phinehas Weed of Milton in the County of Saratoga humbly showeth:
That in the spring of the year 1781, William Weed a brother of your petitioner enlisted into Captain Job Wright’s company in Col. Marinus Willett’s Regiment for the term of three years and served in the said company as a sergeant for a few months and received a certificate for bounty lands as your petitioner understood that your petitioner took the place of his said brother in the said company under an agreement between them that your petitioner should receive the pay, bounty lands, and emoluments arising from such enlistment and service, and served in the said company as a sergeant from the time his brother left the company until the close of the war, and was regularly discharged on or about the 4th of January in the year 1783. The company being then commanded by Captain Peter B. Tierce.
That the said William Weed shortly after his enlistment lost he pocket book containing his certificate and has been dead between twenty and thirty years. Your petitioner also sometime after the close of the war lost his discharge but is unable to say with certainty at what time or by what means that your petitioner or his said brother had never received any bounty lands on account of such enlistment and service nor has your petitioner at any time conveyed or transferred his right to bounty lands (if he had any such right) to any person whatever, that your petitioner is in extremely indigent circumstances and has been for a number of years, unable to labor for the support of his family (consisting of a wife and ten children) by reason of a palsy with which he has been and still is afflicted, and from the obscurity of his situation he has been deterred from applying to your honorable body for relief, having entertained a belief that the loss of the certificate and discharge was an insuperable barrier to the obtaining of bounty lands for his services, but having recently understood that many soldiers who served in the same regiment and company have obtained bounty lands and preferring to owe the support and comfort of himself and family during the remnant of his life, to the justice of the state he has served, rather than to the more precarious benevolence of his neighbors, he is induced at this late period to offer his claims to the notice of the Legislature.
The prayer therefore of your petitioner is, that your honorable body will be pleased to take his case into consideration, investigate the truth of the facts set forth in his petition, and grant him such relief as in your wisdom may be deemed consistent with your justice and his rights.
February 21st, 1811
(Signed with his mark) Phinehas Weed
State
of New York
John Thornton of the City of Schenectady being duly sworn says, that this
deponent was a Lieutenant in the company commanded by Peter B. Tierce in Col.
Marinus Willett’s Regiment. That Phinehas Weed was a Sergeant in said
company and remained until the regular discharge of said company in January
A. D. 1784 when the said Phineas was also discharged.
William Weed the brother of the said Phineas served in the company of Job Wright until the said Phineas took he place in said company, that this exchange between William and Phineas took place in consequence of a previous arrangement between them, with the consent of the officers.
The said William being in such ill health that he could not do duty, that a short time after this exchange, this deponent was directed to select men form different companies and enroll them in the company of Ticerce for particular purposes. That among the others Phineas Weed was selected by this deponent and this deponent further saith that he perfectly recollects the above facts being well acquainted with the family of the father of Phineas Weed in whose house the company in which he was an officer had their quarters during the whole summer of the year 1781 and this deponent further saith that the said Phineas Weed always was esteemed and a true and faithful soldier. That he has been on several expeditions with this deponent and under his command and particularly against Oswego in which the said Phineas was always found peculiarly prompt and active in the performance of his duty and further this deponent saith not.
(Signed) John Thornton
Sworn before me this 8th March 1811
JB Yates Master in Chy.?
Robert Ayres of lawful age sworn says that he this deponent was an enlisted soldier in the company commanded by Capt Job Wright in Colonel Marinus Willett’s Regiment in or about the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty one, that he this deponent was well acquainted with William Weed, a sergeant in said company; that sometime in the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty one, or one thousand seven hundred and eighty tow as this deponent recollects the said William Weed left the said company and Phinehas Weed, too the place of the said William Weed, and served as sergeant in the company aforesaid until Captain Peter B. Tierce took the command of the said company, and then served as aforesaid under the said Peter B. Tierce until the company was discharged, and this deponent understood and verily believes that the said Phineas Weed was also regularly discharged; and this deponent further says that he this deponent received as a compensation for his services as aforesaid, three hundred and fifty acres of land and thirty collars, in lieu of five hundred acres which was the quote of land allotted for each soldier in the said regiment.
(Signed) Robert Ayres
Sworn and subscribed the 6th day of March 1811 before me. Thomas Palmer, Master
in Chancery
Declaration
In order to obtain the benefit of the third section of the act of Congress
of the 4th July 1836.
State of New York
County of Oswego
On this 12th day of March, 1844, personally appeared before the subscriber
a judge of the court in and for said county, Abigail Weed, a resident of Soriba
in the County of Oswego and State of New York, aged seventy seven years, who
being first duly sworn according to law, doth on her oath make the following
declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act
of Congress, passed July 4, 1836: That she is the widow of Phineas Weed who
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution.
That he entered the service in the year 1776, seventeen hundred and seventy six, served as a waiter to Capt. White two or Capt. White or May not, he was a long time at Fort Plain and in that section, was at the west against Oswego and continued on, in the standing or Continental Army to the close of the War of the Revolution, serving part of the time as Sergeant, received an honorable discharge, and drew a bounty lot of land which was granted him by the state, in the state, in the Town of Sterling in the County of Cayuga, and State of New York, that his place of residence during the War of the Revolution was at Ballstown, Saratoga County, New York.
That this deponent and her said husband removed on to the said bounty or soldiers lot of land which was granted by the State of New York by her said husband, Phineas Weed, for his Revolutionary services in the year 1811, eighteen hundred and eleven.
She further declared that she was married to the said Phineas Weed on the 23rd day of June 1783, seventeen hundred and eighty three.
That her husband, the aforesaid Phineas Weed, died on the 31st day of July
1812, eighteen hundred and twelve and that she has remained a widow ever since,
that period, as will more fully appear by reference to the proof hereto annexed;
that the attached family record and record of this deponent and her said husband’s
marriage, is the old original record of their marriage and of their ages and
of the ages of their children.
(Signed with her mark) Abigail Weed