Barnet Cole served as a private in the Revolutionary War from Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts, first under Capt. Samuel Baldwin’s co., Col. Dike’s regt.; service from Dec. 14, 1776 to Mar. 1, 1777; also Capt. Thomas Cogwell’s co., Col. Wesson’s regt.; mustered Apr. 9, 1777; enlistment 3 years; also in Capt. John Blanchard’s co., Col. James Wesson’s (9th) regt.; Continental Army pay accounts for service from Mar. 31, 1777, to Mar. 31, 1780.  Source:   Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol. 3, p. 755.

The following document is a transcribed copy of the Revolutionary War pension file of Barnet Cole, No. W25443.  Question marks or blank lines in the following text indicate words that were hard to decipher in the original handwritten document.  Also, page numbers appear in brackets in red text.  The law under which Barnet Cole collected his pension required that he show he was indigent before he was awarded a pension.  Later laws for Revolutionary War pensions did not have this requirement.

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[Cover page]

Service Number W 25443

Mass. Cole, Barnet

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CONTENTS

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This woman was also pensioned on
account of the services of her first
husband, John Cole, Mass. W28044

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[Page 1]

6134

Maine

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Barnet Cole -

Massachusetts line - 3 years

In the army of the United States during the Revolutionary War.

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subscribed on the Roll of the District of Maine
at the rate of $8-- per month, to commence on
the 27th of March 1818,

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Certificate of pension issued the 28 of Jany. 1819
and ______? R.C. Von(?)
Augusta, Me.

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Arrears to 4th of Sep 1818 5 mo. 5/21 4/30	42.35
Semi-anl. all’ce ending 4th March 1819	48.00
	$90.35

Malta

File March 17

Not _______?

Reinstated July 16, 1921 and forth R.W. ___________

[Written sideways on page] Notification sent the 10th July 1820, to R.C. Von., Esq. Augusta, Maine

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[Page 2]

I Barnett Cole, aged fifty six years, born in Sutton, Massachu­setts, a citizen of the United States, now resident in Malta in the District of Maine, upon oath testify and declare, that on the fifth of April 1777 I enlisted as a private soldier, for the term of three years in the war of the revolution against the common enemy, upon the continental establishment(?) in the company commanded by Capt. John Blanchard, and regiment com­manded by Col. James Wesson of the Massachusetts line, which period I fully served out, and took my honorable dis­charge from the army at West Point April 1780. My discharge I preserved a number of years, and think I afterwards left it in the pay office in Boston. If it is not there, it is not to my know­ledge now in existence. I was in Fort Stanwix twenty-one days, when it was besieged by Col. St. Leger(?). I was in both the _________ battle at the taking of Burgoyne; and in the battle of Monmouth(?). From my reduced circumstances, I need the assistance of my country for support. And I do hereby relinquish all my claim to every pension heretofore allowed me by the laws of the U.States, if any, but I am not to my knowledge borne on any pension list whatever. I request that I may be placed upon the pension list for the District of Maine.

[What followed is a very faint attestation signed by Nathan Weston, Justice of the Court of Pleas, Eastern Circuit, which basically said he knew Barnet Cole, and the declaration was made in 1818.]

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[Page 3, partly printed form, partly handwritten]

KENNEBEC COUNTY, ss.

On this twenty-fourth day of May, 1820 personally appeared before Nathan Weston, Junr. Chief Justice of the Circuit Court of Common Pleas for the Counties of Lincoln, Kennebec and Somerset, being a Court of Record for said Counties; proceeding according to the course of the common law, having origi­nal jurisdiction, unlimited in amount, keeping a record of their proceedings and having the power of fine and imprisonment, Barnet Cole, aged fifty nine years, resident in Malta, in the County of Kennebec within said Circuit, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath, declare that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows, viz. in the Company commanded by Captain John Blanchard and Regiment commanded by Colonel James Wesson of the line of the State of Massachusetts upon the Continental Establishment, for the period of three years; that he was at the taking of Burgoyne that his original declaration was made before Judge Weston on the twenty-seventh day of March 1818; that he is now on the Maine Roll, and that his pension certificate is numbered 6134. And I, the said Barnet Cole do further solemnly swear, that I was a resident citizen of the United States, on the eighteenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen; and that I have not since that time, by gift, sale, or in any manner whatsoever, disposed of my property, or any part thereof so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress, entitled “An Act to provide for certain persons en­gaged in the land and naval service of the United States, in the Revolutionary War,” passed on the eighteenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen; and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me, any property or securi­ties, contracts or debts, due to me; nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed, and by me inscribed.

The following is a Schedule of my whole Estate and income, necessary clothing and bedding excepted, viz:

The right of redeeming(?) forty acres of land with an old house thereon which does not belong to me, and ____ _______ frame thereon all of which are mortgaged, and on which I have not been able to pay as much as the interest. I therefore consider the right of redemption(?) to be of no value, the land being mortgaged for the whole amount of the purchase.

One cow of the value of fifteen dollars. One two year old heifer of the value of ten dollars. One yearling of the value of six dollars.

One sheep some swine of the value of five dollars.

[couple of lines illegible]

Implements of husbandry of the value of two dollars

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[Page 4, all handwritten]

I have no debts due to me that can be collected and I have besides the amount for which my land is mortgaged, about one hundred dollars for which I pay interest.

The income direct from the aforegoing property is very trifling and does not exceed ten dollars a year and not so much as I pay in interest yearly.

My occupation is that of a farmer; but from infirmity and having lost the use of one of my hands am wholly unable to labor. My family residing with me consists of four persons, namely myself, my wife Elizabeth aged forty nine who is able to labor very little and fails very rapidly, my son John aged fourteen years; and a female child by the name of Eleanor Duncan aged twelve years to assist my wife.

Subscribed, sworn to and declared, both the oath and the schedule, on the twenty-fourth day of May 1820, before me Nathan Weston, Jr. C.J.

G.G.G. Pease

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[Page 5, both printed form and handwritten]

6425
Maine

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Elizabeth Cole

widow of Barnet Cole

who served in the Revolutionary War, as a private

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Inscribed on the Roll at the rate of 96 Dollars 00 cents
per annum, to commence on the 3rd of February, 1853.

[in very small handwriting the following notation made:]

deducting former payment at $33.65 per annum under act
February 2d, 1848, as widow of John Cole

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Certificate of Pension issued
24th day of July 1858
and sent to
George W. Morton
Augusta, Maine

Recorded on Roll of Pensioners under act
February 3, 1853, Page 163 Vol. ____(?)

[Handwritten notation in next column]

1884 July J.W. Gould -- No “back pension” due nor heirs
entitled probably enquiry has reference to the effort in
U.S. Courts to obtain a reversal of the decision of
the Dept. as to ____ _____ _____ under act 1853 when
soldier died before the passage of the Act.

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[Page 6, all handwritten]

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit
of the 2d Sec. of the Act of Feb. 3, 1853.

State of Maine
County of Kennebec, ss.

On this ninth day of June 1858, personally appeared before me sole Judge of the Court of Probate for the said county of Kennebec, Elizabeth Cole, a resident of Windsor in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, aged eighty-eight 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 provisions made by the Act of Congress passed on the 3d day of February, 1853, granting pensions to widows of pensioners who served during the Revolutionary War. That she is the widow of Barnet Cole, who was a Revolutionary Pensioner of the United States, under the Act of March 18, 1818 at the rate of Eight Dollars per month, that this Pension was payable at the United States Agency for paying pensions in the State of Maine, when it was paid during his lifetime to September 4, 1836 from which time to December 22, 1836. She received the pension as his widow. She further declares that she was mar­ried to the said Barnet Cole in the town of Pittston, in the then District now State of Maine in the month of December, 1811, that her name before this said marriage was Elizabeth Cole, that her husband the said Barnet Cole died in said town of Windsor on the 22 day of December, 1836, that she was not married to him prior to the second day of January Eighteen hundred, but at the time above stated, that she is now a widow having remained unmarried since the death of her late husband the said Barnet Cole. She further declares that [part illegible] ___________ _______ __________ ________ at the rate of $33.65 per annum ______ ______ _________ _______ _____ of her first husband, John Cole.

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[Page 7, printed form with handwritten portions]

[The following is a copy of the form letter in the file that was apparently sent to people making inquiries about the service of Barnet Cole.]

        W.F. 25443        

_________________
_________________
_________________

In reply to your request of _______________, received ___________ for a statement of the military history of  Barnet Cole  , a soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his (or his widow’s) application for pension on file in this Bureau.

Dates of Enlistment or Appointment.	Length of Service.	Rank.	Officers Under Whom Service Was Rendered.		State.
			Captain.	Colonel.
Apr. 5, 1777	Apr., 1780	Pvt.	John Blanchard	James Wesson	Mass.

Battles engaged in,         Capture of Burgoyne, Monmouth     

Residence of solder at enlistment,         not stated            

Date of application for pension,     Mch. 27, 1818; His claim was allowed.    

Residence at date of application,   Malta, Maine Dist., Mass.

Age at date of application,   born in 1762 at Sutton Mass. d. Dec. 22, 1836 at Windsor, Me.        

Remarks,     Soldier married at Pittston Me. Dist. Dec. 1811, Elizabeth (maiden name *Oldham) widow of John Cole. Intention of mar. dated Malta Nov. 22, 1811, shows “Bernard” Cole & Elizabeth Cole both intend marriage.” She was also pens. on an app. ex. June 9, 1858 while a res. of Windsor, Me. aged 88 yrs. In 1820 their son John was 14 years old. No other data as to his family. She mar. John Cole Nov. 26, 1791, he died May 19, 1803 at Percy, N.H.        

* taken from W.F. 28044 wid. of John Cole.

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