 |
Colonel Joshua Burnham
Buried in Milford, New Hampshire
North River Road Cemetery
Revolutionary War Veteran |
Last week I posted the documents Col. Joshua Burnham, my 5
th
great grandfather, used to prove his military service, and his need for a
pension in his elderly years after the Revolutionary War. He died in Milford, New Hampshire in 1835 and
left his wife a widow. She was infirm,
and upon becoming widowed removed to South Boston to reside with her daughter, Jemima,
and son-in-law, Romanus Emerson, (my 4th great grandparents).
This week, I am posting the documents Jemima needed to
provide for her widow’s pension. There
appeared to be some mix up since she applied in New Hampshire but wanted to
receive her pension in the state of Massachusetts. Her lawyer, Hubbard Newton of Amherst, New
Hampshire, wrote a lot of correspondence about this situation.
Jemima died on 6 September 1843 in South Boston. I have never found her burial site. It was interesting for me to note that Jemima
signed her name with a mark. She must
have been illiterate.
-------------------------
State of New
Hampshire On
this twenty first day
Hillsborough
County S. S. } of August in the year
of
Our Lord
eighteen hundred and thirty eight, person-
ally
appeared before the Court of Common Pleas holden
at Amherst
with and for the County of Hillsborough
aforesaid,
Jemima Burnam late of Milford in said
County, now
a resident of the city of Boston in the Com-
monwealth of
Massachusetts, aged eighty two 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 provisions made by the act
of Congress,
passed July 7th 1838 entitled “An act
granting half
pay and pensions to certain widows:”
That she is the widow of Joshua Burnam
late
of Milford
in the County of Hillsborough aforesaid, declared
who was a
private in the Army of the Revolution, and
a pensioner
of the 18th March 1818, and at the time
of his
death, inscribed on the pension list, Roll of the
New
Hampshire Agency, at the rate of eight dollars
per month.
She further declares that she
was married
to the said
Joshua Burnam on the twenty first
day of
January in the year of our Lord seventeen
hundred and
seventy nine: that her husband
the
aforesaid Joshua Burnam died on the seventh
day of
January in the year eighteen hundred
and thirty
five, at Milford aforesaid, and that
she has
remained a widow ever since that period.
That she was not married to him prior
to his
leaving the
service, but the marriage took
place
previous to the first of January, seventeen
hundred and
ninety four, viz: at the time
above
stated.
her
Witness H.
Newton Jemima X Burnam
Mark
Sworn and
subscribed, on the day and
Year above
written, before the Justices of the
Court
aforesaid, in open Court.
Witness
Leonard Wilcox { Presiding Justice
Of said Court
-------------------------
Massachusetts
N.
Hampshire 1,368
========================
Jemima
Burnham
Widow of Joshua
Burnham, Rev.
who was a
pensioner under the Act of June 7, 32
and who died
on the 7th January 1835
of Hillsboro
in the State of N. H.
who was a
Priv. in the Company commanded
by Captain
Reed of the Regt. Commanded
by ??? in
the N. H.
line for 2
years
============================
Inscribed on
the Roll of Congress
at the rate
of 90 Dollars – Cents per annum,
to commence
on the 4th day of March, 1836
============================
Certificate
of Pension issued the 12th day of Oct.
’38 and ??? died
Hubbard Newton
Amherst, N.H.
============================
Arrears to
the 4th of Sept.
$225.00
Semi-annual
allowanced ending 45.00
================
$270.00
{Act July 7 }
1839
Recorded by
L. A. Elliot Clerk
Book A,
Volume 7, Page 34
--------------------------
Pension
Agency
Concord,
N.H. April 19, 1839
J. L.
Edwards Esq.
Sir,
Jemima Burnham, whose
name has
been entered as commencing
her pension
March 4, 1836, has never ap-
plied here
or been paid at this office.
I am, respectfully, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
??? Hill
--------------------------
Application
for a Transfer
Commonwealth
of Massachusetts
Suffolk
County, Ss
On this third day of April 1839
before
me, the
subscriber, a Justice of the Peace for the
said County
of Suffolk, personally appeared Mrs.
Jemima
Burnham who, on her oath, declared
that she is
he widow of Joshua Burnham
decd. Who was a Private and ??? in the
Army of the
Revolution. That her said
husband died
on the 7th day of Janry. 1835, that
she was
pensioned under the act of 7th July ’38,
at the rate
of $90 per annum as his widow,
that her
name was inscribed on the
Roll of the
Concord Agency (N. H.) that she
has resided
in Boston County & State aforesaid,
for the last
three years where she
intends to
remain and wishes her pension
to be there
payable. She further declares
that a
Pension Certificate was issued in her
name on the
12th Decr, 1839 at the rate
above stated
but that she has never
recd. Any
part of the amt. due from
the Agent in
Concord, N. H.
Sworn and
subscribed to, before
me, the day
and year aforesaid.
her
Franklin
Haven Jemima X Burnham
Just.
Peace
Mark
Witness Edward N. Brown
And on the
same day personally
Appeared
Romanus Emerson, a credible
Witness, and
made oath in due ??
Of law that
he has been well acquainted
With the
above named deponent for
29 years
past and knows that she is the
Widow of
Joshua Burnham decd. & the
Identical
person named in the ??
Affidavit. Romanus Emerson
third
Sworn &
subscribed this first day of
April A. D.
1839 before me ( the date
First attend
from first to third.)
Mr. Franklin
Haven, Just. Of the Peace
For
Suffolk County
Commonwealth
of Massachusetts
Secretary’s Office Boston April 3, 1839
I hereby
certify that the above named Franklin Haven is a
Justice of
the Peace for the County of Suffolk in said Common-
wealth, duly
constituted and commissioned.
Witness my hand the Seal of the
Commonwealth
John P. Bigelow
Secy. Of the Court
---------------------------
Boston 9th
April 1839
Sir,
I enclose herewith the application of
Mrs. Jemima
Burnham a pensr. under the Act
of 7th
July 1838 to be transferred from the Agency
at Concord,
N. H. to Massachusetts. As the
pensr. has
not recd. Any of the amt. due
her at the
New Hampshire Agency, she
would be
happy to receive an early return
as is
consistant with the rules of the Dept.
I am very
resply.
Yr. obt. Servt.
L. M. Stone
J. L.
Edwards Esqr.}
Comr. Of
Pensions
Washington
D.C.
---------------------------
Commonwealth
of Massachusetts} Ss
Suffolk
County
Be
it known that as this
Eleventh day
of July 1843 personally appeared
before me
the subscriber, a Justice of the Peace in an for
said County
and Commonwealth, Mrs. Jemima Burnham,
a resident
of South Boston in the County of Suffolk
aforesaid
age about eighty six years, who being first duly
sworn
according to Law doth on her oath make the
following
declaration in order to obtain the benefits
of the
provision made by the Act of Congress passed on
the 3rd
day of March 1843, granting pensions to widows
of persons
who served during the Revolutionary
War.
That she is the widow of Joshua
Burnham
who was a Private
and ?? in the Revolutionary
War and
served as she verily believes as stated by her
In her
original declaration for a pension under the
Law of the 7th
July 1838 to which declaration and the
Papers
accompanying the same now on file in the
War
Department she would refer for a more particular
Statement of
his services for the proof of her marriage
Identity and
the time of her husband’s death.
She further declares that she was
pensioned
Under said
act at the rate of ninety dollars per annum
Which XXXXXX
she received from the 4th of March
1836 to the
4th March 1841 at the Agency in Boston
Massachusetts
and at the time of her receiving her last
payment
surrendered the Pension Certificate granted to her
under said
Act to the Pension Agent at the said city of
Boston
agreeably to the rules of the Department.
And this declarant further alleges
that she has
not
intermarried since the decease of her said Husband
but is now
and ever since has been the Widow of said
Joshua
Burnham deceased as will more fully appear
By the proof
hereunto annexed.
And further she saith not.
her
Witness
Romanus Emerson
Jemima X Burnham
Mark
---------------------------
Sworn to and
subscribed on the day and year
first within
written, and I certify that the applicant
is
personally known to me to be the person within
described.
Before me,
Lowell m. Stone
Justice of the
Peace
I Romanus
Emerson of South Boston in the
County of
Suffolk of lawful age, an oath testify
And say,
that I have been well acquainted with
Jemima
Burnham the applicant named in the within
declaration
for many years last past. I know that
she was the
wife and is now the Widow of Joshua
Burnham
deceased, who was reputed to have
been a
soldier in the Revolutionary War and that
she was a
pensioner under the law of the 7th July
1838 as
stated by her.
Romanus Emerson
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Suffolk
County } ss July 11th 1843
Then came
Romanus Emerson who is known
To me to be
a credible witness and made oath that
The
foregoing affidavit by him subscribed is
Strictly
true -.
Before me
Lowell M. Stone
Justice
of the Peace
------------------------------
Amherst, N.
H. 17th September, 1838
James L.
Edward, Esq.,
Dear
Sir, I herewith
enclose to
you, the Declaration of Jemima
Burnam, and
the widow required to obtain
Rev. claim
for a pension, under the act of the
7th
July 1834.
Should a pension
certificate, or due
examination,
be awarded, in this case, the applicant
is to be
placed on the Roll of the Massachusetts
Agency, as
she now resides in the city of Boston
in that state.
I am, however, her agent, for
this purpose,
as the widow
is all in New Hampshire, & the
business could
be done with the least expense here. And
you will
plan to cause the certificate, should
one be
granted, to be enclosed to me at
Amherst, N.
H., as also any other communi-
cation on
this subject.
Your’s very Respectfully, etc
Hubbard Newton
Counsellar
at Law
-----------------------------
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Jemima (Wyman) Burnham applies for a Revolutionary War Widow’s Pension", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 26, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/jemima-wyman-burnham-applies-for.html: accessed [access date]).
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