Remembering Our Veterans

Yesterday I wrote about Dominicus Smith, my 5th great-grandfather, who served in the Revolutionary War. It was exciting to learn he served with General George Washington at the Battle of Trenton. I got the information from his pension application which I accessed on Fold3. It was interesting to read his circumstances in 1818 and again in 1823 when he applied for his pension and then updated his financial status. I found it interesting but sad that it appears one had to be destitute in order to receive a pension. Below are the images and transcriptions of this portion of his application. He was awarded a pension of $8/month paid in semi-annual installments of $48. He got $77.16 for back pension payments. His daughter, Patience, age 33 and feeble, is my 4th great-grandmother and his granddaughter, Sarah, age 7, is my 3rd great-grandmother. 


Seeing the inventory in these images, I am reminded of the debt we owe our veterans for their sacrifices and our duty to care for them and their families. 

Maine                                           been wholly applied    

Dominicus Smith                                 to the discharge of his

Privat 1 year 1776                              first Debts -

1 Schedule, June 1820                           His age 68. Farmer -

14 acres of poor Land –                        Patience – 33 – very feeble

A small house & Barn                            Jedediah – 11 – Christiana 8

1 Cow – 1 pair of small                        Sarah – 7 -

Cattle – 6 sheep – At Home

a few articles of furniture

amt. of Schedule $219                           Recorded 2 Sep 1823

2 Schedule – 2^nd May 1823

Real Estate – none –

an old Home & a few

articles of furniture –

The Real Estate in

first Schedule was sold

to Elisha Smith, Febry

6. 1821 – Deed made and

acknowledged same day –

Consideration $150 – the

proceeds of said sale have

Schedule of real and personal estate, (necessary clothing and bedding excepted) belonging to me the subscriber viz:

Real estate – I have none

Personal estate – One old horse and a few mean (unk. Word) or cooking utensils and household stuff.

      Since the exhibition of my first schedule the following changes have been made to my property and circumstances. The fourteen acres of poor and rocky land mentioned in said schedule I sold to Elisha Smith in February 1821 – for one hundred and fifty dollars, with which I paid [Doet?] Emerson about sixty dollars – and an execution in favor of [Dort?] Aaron Porter against me for about 50 dollars and the rest has been appropriated to pay sundry small demands I owed to different individuals and for my family’s support. The Stock mentioned in said schedule has also been consumed in the support of myself and family – I have no income or prospect of any

                        Dominicus Smith

May 2, 1823

      Signed and sworn to

            Before me Asher Ware D.J. of U.S.

Schedule of family residing with me Dominicus Smith,who by occupation am a farmer – which I am not able to pursue by reason of bodily infirmity – am not able to do a days work

Names       Ages              Capacity of each to contribute to their support

Patience – a daughter 33     very feeble

Jedediah          11                     

Christiana         8          young children not able to support themselves  

Sarah             7

11.769 R

District of Maine

Dominicus Smith

of Biddeford in the state of Dist. of Maine

who was a private in the regiment commanded by

Colonel Patterson of the Massachusetts

Line for the term of one year

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________

Inscribed on the Roll of the Dist. of Maine

At the rate of 8 Dollars per month, to commence on

The 16^th of May 1818

­____________________________________________

Certificate of Pension issued 11 of June 1819

and sent to [unreadable]

Saco, District of Maine

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Arrears to 4^th of Mar 1819 [unreadable] $77.16

Semi-anl. all’ce ending 4th Mar 1819  $48 ~

                                       $125,16

            {Revolutionary claim,}

            {Act 18^th March, 1818}

                        Yorke County


Dominicus & Jedidiah (Tarbox) Smith
David & Patience (Smith) Shepard
Jacob & Sarah (Shepard) Emmons
Gilbert & Laura (Emmons) Yates
Estes & Eva (Hayes) Yates
Linona Yates - my grandmother

Holy History Jackpot!

I was working on genealogy and looking for some possible Revolutionary War ancestors when I hit the jackpot. Dominicus Smith, my 5th great-grandfather, on the Yates line lived in Biddeford, District of Maine and enlisted in the army in 1776. Last night I downloaded images of his application for a pension but I didn't have time to read them. This afternoon I started transcribing his testimony and this is what I found. (Bold is mine)

Transcription of the Revolutionary Pension file of Dominicus Smith.

I Dominicus Smith of Biddeford in the County of York & commonwealth of Massachusetts aged fifty eight years & native citizen of said Commonwealth declare & say that about the tenth of January anno domini 1776 I inlisted as a private soldier in Captain Nobles Company & in Col. Patterson’s Regiment of the Massachusetts Line & Continental establishment to serve for one year. We were stationed at Cambridge hill April & then marched to New London & New haven & then went to New York & then we marched to Albany, then to Saratoga over the lake to St. John [Saint-Jean] & to Moreal (Montreal?) & was detained there a little while where we had the smallpox & then retreated to St. Johns & there crossed the Lake & made a stand at Fort Independence till October, & then marched down to Albany thence went down the North River & crossed over the state of Jersey to Pennsylvania & there joined General Washington & then recrossed the Delaware & attacked the enemy at Trenton & after that marched to Princeton & had an engagement with the enemy there & drove them down to (unk. word, perhaps Brunswick) & we were marched to Morristown for winter quarters where I tarried till my time of one year expired & I inlisted again in the same regiment for six weeks at the expiration of which time I was discharged in writing & also had a written pass to go home but have lost them both supposing after I had got home that they were of no value – I further declare I have no property & am indeed in circumstances & stand in need of support from the country – I have no pension – I am now growing old and much infeebled & not able to labour sufficiently to afford me a comfortable living - & I pray I may be allowed something to live upon 16 May 1818.

                  Dominicus Smith

Washington Crossing the Delaware

Washington at Trenton

Battle of Princeton

I Stephen Bryant of Saco, County of York & Commonwealth of Massachusetts aged sixty one years depose & say that I have read the declaration of the above named Dominicus Smith & testify that it is true, & that I served a private soldier in the same regiment during the time mentioned in said Smith’s declaration & in the battles there mentioned & am well knowing to his being honourably discharged as he has stated after he had served the year & six weeks for which he engaged.       Stephen Bryant

16 May 1818 –

Commonwealth }

Massachusetts } This 16 day of May Anno Domini 1818 personally appeared before me the subjects the above named Stephen Bryant & being duly sworn made oath to the truth of the testimony by him in my presence subscribed-

George Parker (or Barker) {one of the justices of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Dominicus Smith & Jedidiah Tarbox
Patience Smith & David Shepard
Sarah Shepard & Jacob Emmons
Laura Emmons & Gilbert W. Yates
Estes Yates & Eva Hayes
Linona Yates - my grandmother