Affidavit
of Charles Atkinson
State of Ohio Monroe County
Personally appeared before me Amos B. Jones
an Associate Judge for said County, Charles Atkinson of the County aforesaid after
being duly sworn deposeth and saith
that he was in the Continental service under the Command of General Sullivan in
the year of 1779 and served a tour of six months and went up the North Branch
of Susquehannah river as far as to Tyoge (Tioga?) Point and that he saw Ephraim Jones several
times during this campaign and believes that the said Jones was out during this
campaign of six months the whole time and that he belonged to Capt. John Morrisson’s Company and that were employed in boating
provisions up the river for the use of the army a considerable part of the
time, and also he knows that Jones stuck to his country while the war lasted
and did not leave his post like many others done during the 5 or 6 years that
the war lasted in that quarter. And that said Jones lived at the time in the
town of Sunsbury in Northumberland County and State
of Pennsylvania. And that I was acquainted with him for some time previous to
the war and ever since and know that he is speechless and has been for some
time past, and also believes that Jones was out more than the one campaign but
does not know certain of any particular time other than the above. In testimony where of I do set my hand this 19th day of
December 1832. (Signed)Charles Atkinson
Affidavit
of Phebe Jones
State Ohio Monroe County
Personally appeared before me Amos B. Jones
an Associate Judge for said County Phebe Jones wife Ephraim Jones of the said
County who deposeth and saith
the she was married to said Ephraim Jones in the year 1773 in the Township Woodbridge
County of Middlesex and State of New Jersey and that she has live with the said
Jones ever since and according to his account he gave her, he was born in the
aforesaid Township of Woodbridge August 12th 1751. And that in the
forepart of the Revolutionary War they removed to Sunsbury
Northumberland County Pennsylvania and in which place they resided till after
the close if the revolutionary war and that her husband Ephraim Jones was out
as a soldier several times the first time was in the company of Cap. John Black
and Regiment of Col. Hartley and went up the west Branch of the Susquehannah river some distance above the Big Island and
was quartered in a waste house and that she recollects that he started with
Cap. Black and returned with him this tour but does not recollect how long if
was. And the next tour she believes was in General Sullivans
Campaign of tour, up the North Branch of the Susquehannah
river under apt. John Morrison and that she recollects he went in the Spring
and did not return till cold weather set in the following fall or winter, but
does not recollect any certain time, or whether enlisted or volunteer in the
militia. And also he was out a number of times in scouting parties against the
Indians but does not recollect how much, and that he resided in Northumberland
County till 1796 when he removed into the limits of Monroe County where he has
resided ever since, excepting about two years on the east side of the Ohio
river State of Virginia and further that he is not on any pension roll
whatever. Sworn and subscribed this 20th day of December 1832.
(Signed with mark)Phebe Jones
Affidavit
of John Jones
State Ohio, Monroe County
On the fourth day of January 1833
Personally appeared before me Amos B. Jones
an Associate Judge for County of Monroe aforesaid John Jones of the said County
and after being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that of Ephraim Jones of the aforesaid County, and
that he knows that his father has lost the use of his speech so that he is
incapable of doing anything for himself and has been for two years and upwards
past. And also while his father lived in Sunsbury
Northumberland County Pennsylvania he recollects of his father having been out
in the service of the U.S. against the Indians several times but does not recollect
how long at any one time. But knows he went under Capt. John Black one tour,
and a tour in General Sullivan’s campaign and also that he was out against the
Indians for several summers but does not know how many or what officers he was
under, and also he recollects his father having been kept in the town of Sunsbury some of the time as a guard for the town a part of
the time, and saw him help bring in those that had been murdered and wounded by
the Indians to the town, and recollects seeing him and others bring in an
Indian prisoner at one time. And he believes his father was employed in the
service of his country nearly all or quite his whole time during the summer
seasons while the war lasted in that quarters for 5 or 6 years, and also
recollects of no one that knows as to the exact length of time that his father
was employed, and also that he believes his father was always a volunteer with
the exception of once or twice.
In testimony whereof I have
here into set my hand the year and date aforesaid. (Signed) John Jones
Response
of the War Department
War Department, Pension Office, Sept. 28,
1833
Sir,
The papers in the case of Ephraim Jones are
herewith returned. The statement respecting his service is entirely too
indefinite. If from the loss of the claimant’s speech he cannot specify his
service, and no one can specify the same for him, a pension cannot be allowed.
The enclosed printed sheet will point out particularly what is required, and
the rules so far as they are applicable to his case must be rigidly adhered to.
Very respectfully
Your obt. Sevt.
J. L. Edwards
Notes
on the papers (SJH):
Source: Petitions and memorials referred to
the committee of Revolutionary Pension (HR 23A-G17.1) Records of the U.S. House
of Representatives, National Archives, Washington D.C.
I have used the spellings in the documents
and added a few commas to what are basically paragraph long sentences. I omitted the cover page and the copy of the
regulations.
Amos B. Jones a long time resident of Monroe
County was born in Tolland County Connecticut in 1790 so probable is not a
relative of Ephraim Jones.
You will not find Sunsbury
in Pennsylvania, the name of the town is Sunbury.
Ephraim’s wife was spelled Phebe in these
papers and Phobo or Phebo
on the marriage license.
The reason the affidavits refer to the
Indians is that the fighting in Western Pennsylvania and New York was against
the Indian tribes which were allies of the British. One of the causes for the
revolution was that the British were trying to keep European settlements on the
east of the Allegheny Mountains which the colonist didn’t like but the Indians
did.
More
info on Charles Atkinson:
http://members.aol.com/rhenthorn1/fedatk01.htm
Links
to names and events in affidavits:
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/1pa/military/revwar/6-14sullivan.txt
Military: Rev War: ORDERLY BOOK. Gen. Sullivan's Expedition. June 19th, 1779, to July 30th, 1779. Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series, Vol. XIV, pages 23-65 http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/1pa/military/revwar/beattyjournal01.txt
JOURNAL OF LIEUT. ERKURIES BEATTY IN THE EXPEDITION AGAINST
THE SIX NATIONS UNDER GEN. SULLIVAN, 1779
http://pages.prodigy.net/parrish55/FoxValleyHenryMisner.html
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~srgp/articles/cedledge.htm
CEDAR LEDGE MONUMENT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hartley
http://www.swainhome.com/BENNETT%20PAGES/morrison.html