verify his service record.
On August 21, one stepped forward:
“I, Francis Sturtevant, of Paris in the county of Oxford in the
State of Maine, a pensioner of the United States, on oath declare,
that to my certain knowledge, Asa Barrows, of Hamlin’s Gore in
said county, inlisted into the army of the United States, in the
revolutionary war, on the continental establishment at Plymton,
in the county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, for the term
of eight months, in April 1775. The company in which he served
was commanded by Capt. Joshua Benson and the regiment was
commanded by Col. Cotton in the Massachusetts line-and was
stationed at Roxbury near Boston under the command of Gen.
Thomas-and I am satisfied that he faithfully served the term of
eight months.
Francis Sturtevant”
The signature, like Asa Barrows’, is larger, and a bit shaky looking in contrast to the
excellent penmanship of the statement. Below his signature is the following:
"State of Maine
County of Oxford s.s. August 21,1832. The above named
Francis Sturtevant, to me known as a man of truth, personally
appeared and made oath to the truth of the above affidavit by
him subscribed-Before me-
Thomas Clark, Justice of the Peace."
A seal is affixed to the bottom left hand corner of the image:
(Image 13)
The next image is of the same page, but a smaller scrap of paper lies across the blank area under Thomas Clark’s signature:
STATE OF MAINE
__________
Oxford County, ss.
I, Rufus King Goodenow, Clerk of the Judicial Courts
in and for said County of Oxford, here by certify, that
Thomas Clark Esq. whose genuine signature is annexed
to the foregoing Deposition of Francis Sturtevant
is a Justice of the Peace in and for said county of
Oxford.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
affixed my seal of office, this 28th day of August in the
year A.D. 1832.
R.K. Goodenow Clerk of Oxford
County Courts.
(image 12)
There follows another document. Most of it is preprinted but there is part of one sentence
crossed over:
“And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion,
after the investigation of the matter, ((start of crossed out
portion))and after putting the interrogatories
prescribed by the War Department, ((end of crossed out
portion)), that the above applicant was a revolutionary
soldier, and served as he states. said applicant having
adduced the deposition of Francis Sturtevant, under oath,
duly administered, in corraboration of his own declaration.
Stephen Emery, Judge”
At the bottom of the page is another preprinted form.:
“I, Joseph G. Cole, Register(written over the crossed out word
“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 Asa
Barrows for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand
and seal of office this 28th day of August A.D. 1832.
Joseph G. Cole Register.”
(Image 7)
The following spring Asa made another appearance before Thomas Clark to claim his pension:
“Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the
Peace and Notary Public, in and for the county of Oxford, Asa
Barrows, who being first duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that by
reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot
swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but
according to the best of his recollection he served not less than
the period mentioned below and all as a private soldier: viz: For
ten months: and for such service I claim a pension.
Asa Barrows
State of Maine, Oxford, ss, April 27, 1833. Then the above
named Asa Barrows made oath to the truth of the above affidavit
and subscribed the same in my presence, and I hereby certify
that he is a man of truth and veracity. In testimony where of I
have here unto subscribed my name and affixed my notarial
seal the day and year afore said.
Thomas Clark, Justice of the Peace and Notary Public
in and for the County of Oxford in the State of Maine.”
Justice Clark’s seal is to the right hand bottom corner of the page.
(Image 8)
Asa died on 13 Sep 1850 at Woodstock, Maine. His last pension payment was made in the third quarter of that year:
Source Information
- Title
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900
- Author
- Ancestry.com
- Publisher
- Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Reco
