SIMON LUCAS REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION, GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NEW JERSEY Contributed by: Gwen Bjorkman (gwenbj@seanet.com) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** S4576 Simon Lucas of Gloucester Co. in the State of New Jersey who was a private in the company commanded by Captain Steenman of the regt. Commanded by Col. Westcott, in the New Jersey line for 6 months - private. Inscribed on the Roll of New Jersey, at the rate of 20 Dollars 0 cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831. Certificate of Pension issued the 28th day of July 1838, and sent to J. C. Smallwood, Esqr., Woodbury, N.J. Arrears to the 4th of March 1838, $140.00. Semi-anl. Allowance ending 4 Septr 1838 10.00. Total $150.00 Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832. Recorded by G. F. Rhodes Clerk, Book E2, Vol. 3, Page 144. To the Honorable the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States - the petition of Simon Lucas respectfully represents That your petitioner is a native of Gallaway Township, Gloucester County in the state of New Jersey, and has resided in that Township on the spot where he now lives since he was ten years old. Your petitioner will be eighty two years old on the seventh day of December 1832: and although, under the blessing of God, he had hitherto been able to provide for himself by his own labour, now he is admonished by his great age and feeble health that his ability to do so must soon cease. Indeed, owing to a severe injury from a recent fall, he is now unable to minister to his own wants and he therefore is induced to present his claim for the benefits of the act of Congress passed on the 7th of June 1832, entitled "An act supplementary to the "act for the relief of certain surviving officers and soldiers of the revolution" to which your petitioner presumes the following circumstances will entitle him. During the war of the Revolution, your petitioner was drafted as a militia man in the company of Capt. Zephaniah Steenman, forming part of the regiment of Col. Richard Westcott, and served one month's tour of duty, under these officers at Amboy. Your petitioner was absent from his home on this occasion from five to six weeks. He afterwards volunteered in the company of Capt. Joseph Estell, belonging to the regiment of Col. Elijah Clark, and served a second tour of duty of one month, under these officers; during which time your petitioner was in the battle of Trenton. Your petitioner's brother was a Lieutenant in the same company, and was wounded in a skirmish with the enemy at Petticoat bridge and he was afterward killed near Gloucester. The troops being dismissed at the end of a month, your petitioner returned home. But the services of the militia being again invoked, your petitioner volunteered a second time under the same officers, and served a third tour of one month in --------ad of the winter during which time he was stationed at Somerset in New Jersey. This service being over, your petitioner as before returned to his home. Another appeal however was soon made to the militia of his native state and your petitioner volunteered for a third time under the same captain, the regiment being commanded by Col. Hilman, and the detachment by Genrl. Ellis. The troops were stationed at Haddonfield; and on this occasion your petitioner continued in the service for one month, at the expiration of which time, they were dismissed and your petitioner returned to his home. But the presence of the enemy in another direction soon called him again into the field. It was rumoured that the British had fitted out an expedition to burn and destroy the buildings and property at Chesnut Neck, near the head of Egg Harbour bay, to which place a number of prizes taken by our privateers had been sent. The militia of the country turned out to defend the spot, and repel the enemy: your petitioner then acted as Lieutenant and was one of those who volunteered in this service. Preparation was made to receive the enemy, and a fort was built on the neck, in the construction of which your petitioner laboured with his comrades. But orders were finally given (by whom your petitioner knows not) to abandon the works and retreat into the country. This was done and the British landed and burnt and destroyed the buildings and property. But after the enemy had retired, it was still deemed necessary to maintain a guard at this post, and your petitioner was frequently out on this duty. On another occasion, the Militia were called out to drive a party of Refugees from Tuckerton, and your petitioner, still holding the rank of Lieutenant, made on of the number dispatched on this duty. But the Refugees had dispersed before we reached the ground. Your petitioner was also frequently charged with the duty of escorting to Philadelphia, prisoners brought into Egg Harbour river by privateers and private armed vessels. He has a distinct recollection of having performed this duty on three different occasions he believes that he did it oftener but at this distance of time, he cannot speak with confidence to more than three occasions of this kind. Your petitioner has thus stated with as much accuracy as he is able to do the prominent points and circumstances of his service both as a private and a Lieutenant, in the militia during the Revolution. He was out as above set forth full four months, perhaps a little more, as a private, and three of those four months he was a volunteer. At this distance of time he is not able to state with precision, the duration of each particular tour of duty which he performed, in that irregular and desultory service, in which he was engaged as a Lieutenant, some of the particulars of which he has given above; and intending to be strictly conscientious in his representation, he has abstained from attempting to state the length of time that he was out on each occasion. He can say with confidence however, that his irregular duty in the whole, exceeded two months and that his whole term of service exceeded six months. He begs leave to add, that the above statement must not be regarded as embracing the whole amount of duty rendered by your petitioner during the Revolution. Feeling as he did, a deep interest in the struggle, he was always ready at a moments notice, to render such services as might be in his power; and the proximity of his residence to the theatre of the war, during a great part of the contest, and the number of Refugees and Tories in that section of the country, gave full and frequent opportunity for exertion and enterprise on the part of every Whig in it. Under these circumstances, your petitioner was more or less constantly on the alert, and by his activity and zeal, rendered himself particularly obnoxious to the enemy. As an evidence of it, your petitioner will mention, that his house was set on fire during his absence on duty by a party of the enemy, headed by a Tory and Refugee, of the name of Joseph Mulliner, who commanded a British boat well manned, and with which he did much mischief and inspired terror, by making incursions into the country bordering on Egg Harbour river. Your petitioner with a party of men, was in pursuit of him at the very time he fired petitioner's house. He was afterwards taken prisoner, tried and executed at Burlington. Under these circumstances your petitioner prays, that you will be pleased to direct such payment to be made to him, as he may be entitled to under the provision so the act of the 7th of June 1832. Simon Lucas Personally came before me the subscriber presiding Judge of the Inferior court of common pleas in and for the county of Gloucester, Simon Lucas, the above named applicant and on his solemn oath said the above declaration and statement is in all things Just and true according to the best of his knowledge and belief and he further states he is old and infirm & unable to appear before the county court, sworn before me the 28the day of November A. D. 1834. John Clement The undersigned citizens of the United States respectfully represent to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. That they are personally well acquainted with Simon Lucas of Galloway township Gloucester County, State of new Jersey; many of them reside in the same neighbourhood with him, and have known him all their lives. They take a peculiar pleasure in bearing testimony to the fact, that he is a man of the most exemplary life and piety, respected and beloved by all around him. He has long been a prominent and highly useful member of the Methodist church in his vicinity, and no one can be more esteemed than he is, for integrity and uprightness of conduct. The most implicit reliance may be placed on his word. The undersigned have read his petition addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury praying for a pension, and they have no hesitation in saying, that it may be received implicitly as the truth - because they are confident, that no consideration, would induce him knowingly to depart from the truth, and because also, it accords with the tradition of the neighbourhood and the recollection of its oldest inhabitants, in relation to his Revolutionary career, according to which, his heart and hand were devoted to the service of his country in the day of trouble, and he is believed and understood to have given most of his time to her service, when she needed it. He is now far advanced in life, and very feeble in health and constitution; and the subscribers sincerely trust, that the prayer of his petition will be granted, as they verily believe that his services to his country justly entitle him to it. John Wentz Jesse Richards Job Snick A.H. Richards Benjamin Hay Thos. Richards Maguire S. Powell Thomas S. Richards Joseph Heritage John Cone Mathias Cotner David Southard John Moore Samuel P. Richards William Smith Michael Dougherty William Montgomery John Rogers Benjamin Ford B. W. Richards Samuel Richards Charles Peterson Jos. Wiltse Samuel B. Finch Geo: Barrow Richard C. Coke Richard Higbee Mahlon Johnson John Richards Thomas Baxter John Shields Joseph H. Peterson Peter Johnson William Birr Josiah Ford County of Gloucester County - State of New Jersey Before me the Subscriber one of the Judges of the court of Common Pleas of said County personally appeared Jesse Richards, Esq. And Thomas H. Richards Whose names with others are set to the annexed and foregoing paper a Certificate, addressed to the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States and have been by me severally sworn or affirmed say, that they reside in the same neighbourhood with Simon Lucas near the dividing line of Gloucester and Burlington Counties in the State of New Jersey, and have known him all their lives. They further say that the representation made in the foregoing paper a Certificate to which their names are attached is correct and true as we verily believe.--- Nov. 29th, 1834. Sworn and subscribed before} Jesse Richards the day and year aforesd} Thomas H. Richards John Clement I John C. Smallwood Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Gloucester in the State of New Jersey do hereby certify that John Clement esquire before whom the foregoing proceedings and affidavit of Simon Lucas and affidavit of Jesse Richards and Thomas H. Richards, were had and made was at the doing thereof and still is Presiding judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas of the said County, duly commissioned and qualified and that the signature of the said John Clement subscribed to the said affidavits is genuine - In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set me hand and affixed the seal of the said court this twenty Sixth day of January A.D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty five. Smallwood Clk