MARTHA BASFORD REVOLUTIONARY WAR WIDOW'S PENSION APPLICATION, FRANKLIN COUNTY, NEW YORK

Contributed by: Kevin Spaulding (spaulding@kodak.com)

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Revolutionary War Pension Records for John Bean/Martha Basford, W5791, BLW 
19811-160-55

Deposition by Martha Basford, 28 Feb 1854

State of New York, Franklin County} On this 28 day of February AD 1854 
personally appeared before the undersigned a Justice of the Peace of said County 
and State, Martha Basford, a resident of the town of Chateaugay in said County 
and aged seventy six years, who being 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 February 3d 1853, and other acts of 
Congress granting pensions to widows of certain revolutionary soldiers and 
officers-that her maiden name was Martha Dennis, that she was married to one 
Thomas Persons some time in April in the year 1795., that she lived and 
cohabited with said Persons until his death, which took place at the town of 
South Hero in the State of Vermont, some time about the month of March in the 
year 1816, that some time about the month of September or October in the year 
1821 or 1822, at the town of South Hero in the State of Vermont, she was married 
to John Bean who was a private in the army of the revolution, and whose name was 
inscribed on the Pension list roll of the Vermont agency at the rate of eight 
dollars per month, commencing on the 11th day of July 1818, that she lived and 
cohabited with said John Bean until his death which took place at the town of 
South Hero, upon Grand Isle, State of Vermont, some time in the month of 
September in the year 1825 or 1826 as near as this deponent can recollect, that 
the reason why she thinks it was in the month of September was because it was in 
the fall, and very soon after he drew his semi-annual pension-that the payment 
of a pension certificate which accompanies this declaration is as much of the 
original certificate of the said John Bean as is now in existence, and that the 
same has always been in her possession since the death of said John Bean 
aforesaid, and that the accompanying letter from G. L. Edwards late Commissioner 
of Pensions has always been in her possession since the death of her husband 
aforesaid, that some time in the month of March after the death of her husband, 
the aforesaid John Bean, being in March in the year 1826 or 1827 as near as 
deponent can recollect she was again married to Benjamin Basford at the town of 
Milton, State of Vermont, & at the house of Jonathan Blake in said town, that 
she does not recollect the name of the Magistrate who solemnized the marriage 
that said Basford was also a revolutionary soldier and deponent thinks a 
private, that his name is inscribed on the Pension list roll of the Vermont 
agency as deponent thinks a private although of this she is not certain, that 
she lived and cohabited with said Benj. Basford as man and wife until his death 
which took place at the town of Georgia in the State of Vermont on the 13th day 
of November in the year 1833-that some short time after the death of her husband 
the said Basford Basford withdrew a sum of money from the United States as the 
widow of said Basford, but the precise sum she does not now recollect, that her 
agent for obtaining the arrears of pension due her as the widow of said Benj. 
Basford was one Hunt she thinks, of the town of St. Albans, State of Vermont, 
that she has not again married since the death of said Basford but still remains 
a widow, and that she has ____ ____ any application for a pension and that she 
knows of no public record of either of her marriages and that the family record 
of her first two marriages is lost and that she has no record of her third 
marriage, and thinks there was never one made. Deponent would further state that 
owing to her advanced age and infirmities and especially to a ____ fit of 
sickness she had a few years since, her memory is very much impaired so as to be 
unable to recollect the dates of the marriages with her said husbands, or the 
names of the companies or regiments in which her husbands said John Bean and 
Benjamin Basford served during the revolutionary war, and she is not any ways 
sure as she was ever informed. Deponent would further state that she has always 
resided in the town of South Hero and Georgia State of Vermont, and the vicinity 
thereof until some time in the year 1839 when she moved into the town of 
Chateaugay State of New York, where she has resided since and now resides

Martha X Basford (her mark)
Attest

Thomas Persons

Nathan Cook

Thadeus Cook

Sworn to and subscribed before me and in the presence of Ansel Hill & Thomas 
Persons & Thadeus Cook the above subscribing witnesses and I further certify 
that I am well acquainted with said Martha Basford and know her to be a person