Amanuensis Monday
What's an Amanuensis, you say? It's a copyist: someone who sits like a crazy person squinting their eyes and probably ruining eyesight to read that old document hand-written so very long ago and type it out. We do because we love:)
Nehemiah Newans (about 1740 - 1820) is one of my four Revolutionary War ancestors, and right now the one that has my attention. You can see more about him using the page tab above where you'll find a rough timeline of his life. Today I'm going to attempt to transcribe the next and possibly the most interesting part of the letter packet sent by him in hopes of getting a pension out of the War Office for his service in the Revolutionary War.
I got totally lost in transcribing this one! Found it really dramatic as the pension application letter delivered Nehemiah Newas' war history. Here are the high points:
* Sergeant, in the Pennsylvania line in Gen. Waynes Brigade
* entered the company of Capt. Finley as a Sergeant, which was the first Company in the first (?) Regiment of the Pennsylvania line and commanded by Col. Butler
* Green Springs near James River in Virginia
* Wounded: left knee at above
* removed to the hospital in Hanover
* while there, saw the enemy of Lord Cornwallis marched thr’o that town, after their defeat
* ordered to York in Pennsylvania, on the Recruiting Service,
* remained (in York PA) until ordered to join his own Company in Lancaster in which he served till the end of the war
* honorably discharged, by Col. Butler, in Lancaster
* in the year 1796 he removed into the State of New York
Now I can go off and see what I can find about these units and locations. One thing I already know is that he met and married my 5th GGM, Catherine Kepplinger, in York and this gives me a reason behind why he might have been there. But, and here's where the plot thickens as they say, he never returned there after the war. This document puts him very near York at the end of the war and in Lancaster. What the heck happened??!!
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/amanuensis-monday-nehemiah-newans.html
To the Hon: the Secretary at War of the United
States of America (corner folded over)
The memorial of Nehemiah Newans of the town of
Canandaigua in the county of Ontario and the State of New York, Humbly showith,
that he the said Nehemiah Newans is a citizen of the United States, that he is
now Seventy years of age~~
That he served this country in the War of the
Revolution, against the Common Enemy ~~ That he entered the service as a
Sergeant, in the Pennsylvania line in Gen. Waynes Brigade ~~ That he afterwards
entered the company of Capt. Finley as a Sergeant, which was the first Company
in the first (?) Regiment of the Pennsylvania line and commanded by Col. Butler
~~ That while in this Company, at the Green Springs near James River in
Virginia, he received a wound through the left knee by a musket ball, in an
engagement with the enemy ~~ That he was removed to the hospital in Hanover,
and while there, saw the enemy of Lord Cornwallis marched thr’o that town,
after their defeat ~~ That after this, he with all the other who were at
Hanover /wounded/, were removed to Williamsburg; That after he was recovered
from his (?) wound, he was ordered to York in Pennsylvania, on the Recruiting
Service, where he remained until ordered to join his own Company in Lancaster,
in which he served till the end of the war, and then was honorably discharged,
by Col. Butler, in Lancaster ~~ That in the year 1796 he removed into the State
of New York, and on that journey, he lostHis discharge ~~ And he by leave further (? ?) that
he never received any pension from the United States ~~ That he continues to
reside therein, and is attached to its government nd institutions ~~ That he is
unable to labour ~ That his right arm having been broken, prevents his using
it. ~ That he is very frequently disabled ~~ That he is in “reduced
circumstances”, and staunch in (?) of the aid of his country, as is providence
in a late law of the United States, (passed?) the 18th day of March
1818, entitled “An Act to provide for certain persons, engaged in the land and
naval service of the Untied States, in the Revolutionary War” ~~ And the said
Nehemiah Newans, on this Seventh day f April, in the year of our Lord, one
Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighteen, being duly Sworn, doth say, that the
foregoing declaration, and Statements, contained in this his said declarations,
and Statements, contained in this his said memorial, are True, and
further said not ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sworn to and Subscribed this Seventh day of April, in the year 1818 ~~ before me, a Judge of the CourtOf Common Pleas, in and for the CountyOf Ontario & State of New YorkThoms Citweter (?)
I got totally lost in transcribing this one! Found it really dramatic as the pension application letter delivered Nehemiah Newas' war history. Here are the high points:
* Sergeant, in the Pennsylvania line in Gen. Waynes Brigade
* entered the company of Capt. Finley as a Sergeant, which was the first Company in the first (?) Regiment of the Pennsylvania line and commanded by Col. Butler
* Green Springs near James River in Virginia
* Wounded: left knee at above
* removed to the hospital in Hanover
* while there, saw the enemy of Lord Cornwallis marched thr’o that town, after their defeat
* ordered to York in Pennsylvania, on the Recruiting Service,
* remained (in York PA) until ordered to join his own Company in Lancaster in which he served till the end of the war
* honorably discharged, by Col. Butler, in Lancaster
* in the year 1796 he removed into the State of New York
Now I can go off and see what I can find about these units and locations. One thing I already know is that he met and married my 5th GGM, Catherine Kepplinger, in York and this gives me a reason behind why he might have been there. But, and here's where the plot thickens as they say, he never returned there after the war. This document puts him very near York at the end of the war and in Lancaster. What the heck happened??!!
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/amanuensis-monday-nehemiah-newans.html
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