Jacob Arnold Pension Application
Service: Pennsylvania
Name: Jacob Arnold
Number: R265
Associated letter of request to a Mr. William M. Pettit dated May 9, 1836:
Mr. William M. Pettit
846 N. Broadway
Dayton, Ohio
Dear Sir:
Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of Jacob Arnold, of Wayne Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, whose claim for pension was rejected.
The data which follow were obtained from the papers on file in Revolutionary War pension claim, R.265, based upon the military service in that war of Jacob Arnold.
Jacob Arnold was born in October, 1763, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The names of his parents are not shown.
After the Revolution, Jacob Arnold moved to Mason County, Kentucky, thence to Green County, that state; thence to Montgomery County, Ohio.
March 13, 1835, while living in Wayne Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, Jacob Arnold applied for pension and stated that while living in Berks County, Pennsylvania, he enlisted in May, 1781, served as a private in Captain Peter Smith's Company, Colonel Lindemuth's Pennsylvania Regiment, and served two months: that he reenlisted in June, 1781, served in Captain Jacob Livengood's Pennsylvania Company, that they marched to Philadelphia expecting to join a regiment being formed to be under the command of Major Barr, but that the regiment was not organized and that the company was then marched about to various places and guarded wagons and stores and the fort at Pittsburgh for a time. He stated that he enlisted for six months on this tour but he did not state the actual time that he served.
(Handwritten notes in margins of this paragraph: “Found Col. Michael Lindenmuth of PA” and “a soldier of this name (Jacob Arnold) found in PA Archives from Northampton Co. none of Berks Co.”)
His claim was not allowed as he failed to furnish proof of service of six months in a regularly organized military corps as required by the pension law.
The date of death of Jacob Arnold is not stated nor are there any data concerning his family.
Very truly yours
A. D. Miller
Executive Assistant to the Administrator
Here is the actual record:
“1838. May 9- Hist. to Wm
M. Pettit, Esquire” (notation made regarding the previous letter).
“Rejected. Jacob Arnold. Printed list of 1862 shows cause of rejection:
“He did not serve six months”.
Here is his actual application for pension:
State of Ohio, Montgomery County.
On this thirteenth day of March A.D. eighteen hundred and thirty five personally
appeared in ap??? Court, before the Court of Common Pleas now sitting, Jacob
Arnold a resident of Wayne Township, in sd. County and State, aged seventy
two years by October next, who being first duly sworn according to law,
doth on his oath make the following declaration, in order to obtain the
benefit of the Act of Congress, dated June 7th 1832.
That he entered the service, of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated: he entered a militia company in Berks County, Pennsylvania under the command of Capt. Peter Smith, over which was Col. Lindenmuth, some time in the month of May A.D. 1781, in which he served about two months, during which time they were engaged in guarding the Hessians in Reading, Pennsylvania, at this time the British Prisoners were in Lancaster in Pennsylvania. At that time at Reading there were some who were trained "eighteen months men" who remained but a short time, and were hastened on to aid in the attack upon Cornwallis. The officers of the "eighteen months men" he does not remember. At the expiration of the two months or very shortly before, he enlisted some time in the month of June A. D. 1781 in the Company of Capt. Livengood (Jacob), who lived in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Arnold lived in Berks County, Pennsylvania where he enlisted. He enlisted for six months, his term of service to expire some time in January A.D. 1782. Lt. Scott and Ensign Bouer were in the same company. At this time he believed a regiment was about to be formed under the command of Major Barr. The company in which he enlisted was marched to Philadelphia where it was ascertained that the regiment was not likely to be formed, the Company was marched on to the west. Whether it was intended to take the company to Virginia or not he cannot say, but when they arrived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, they received intelligence of Cornwallis' surrender, when they were ordered to guard some wagons containing clothes for the men at Pittsburgh. They proceeded to Shippensburgh, Chambersburgh, thence to General Irving's residence in Maryland, when, there, General Irving proceeded to Pittsburgh to take charge of that point, General Broadhead having been summoned to appear in Philadelphia to answer charges relative to his speculations on the public stores. Thence the Company went to the Potomac and thence by what was called Broadhead's road to Pittsburgh, where they were engaged in guarding the fort for the residue of his term of service. Then the Company proceeded to Philadelphia, where Arnold got his discharge, which is lost. At Philadelphia the Company remained about two weeks waiting for their pay and were daily marched up to the State House in which Congress were then in session and were from day to day informed, that no provision was made for their payment. Finally they were paid, the whole amount of which was expected in defraying the expenses then incurred. During their stay in Philadelphia efforts were made to enlist the members of the Company for during the War. Many of whom were enlisted. He was not in an engagement during either period.
During his first term of service he acted as a substitute for Matthew Keffer, who then lived in Greenwhich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where Arnold then lived.
Arnold was born in Northampton County (Pennsylvania), A.D. 1763. After his discharge he resided in Berks County, Pennsylvania, when after St. Clairs defeat he removed to the State of Kentucky, Mason County, where he lived eleven years, whence he removed to Green County and thence to Montgomery County, Ohio, where he now resides. He does not know by whom his discharge was signed.
From the exposures and privations of his revolutionary services his constitution is much injured and impaired.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any State, as sworn to and subscribed, this day and year aforesaid.
signed Edward W. Davis, clk.
signed Jacob Arnold
We, David Winters, a Clergyman, residing in the town of Dayton and James Brown, Sheriff of, and residing in Montgomery County, Ohio, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Jacob Arnold who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be about seventy two years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid
signed Edward W. Davis, clk.
signed, David Winters
signed, Jas. Brown
And the said Court do hereby declare
their opinion after the investigation of the matter, and after judging the
interrogations prescribed by the War Department state the above received
applicant was a re-" (rest of letter not sent, but probably states
that the court believes him to be a revolutionary soldier).
Documents courtesy of Paul T. Arnold