I Jonathan Knox of Berwick in the County of York, and State of Maine, aged Eighty years, do upon Oath declare, in order to obtain the benefit of a Resolve of the Legislature of Maine passed March 17 1835, entitled a “Resolve in favor of certain Officers and Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, and the widows of the deceased Officers and Soldiers” and another resolve passed March 23rd 1838, entitled a “Resolve additional to a Resolve in favor of certain Officers and Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, and the widows of deceased Officers and Soldiers — that I enlisted, in the month of May 1775, in the Revolutionary War, in a company attached to Col. Scamman’s Regiment, for Eight months— the officers of the company were Ebenezer Sullivan, Captain, Nathan Lord, Lieutenant — and Thomas Butler, Lieutenant— I served out this term of Eight months, at Cambridge in Massachusetts —after the expiration of this term of Service, I again enlisted in the same company, under the same Officers for the term of one year, during which Service our company was attached to Colo. Pattersons Regiment — we formed a part of the Army which marched from New York to Canada by way of the Lakes under the command of Genl Schuyler and afterwards of General Sullivan — after the expiration of this service I returned home — and afterwards in January 1777— I again enlisted for three years, in a company of which Amos Emerson was captain, Jonathan Emerson, Lieutenant and Simon Merrill was Ensign — this company was a part of Col. Cilley’s Regiment— of the New Hampshire Line — during this service I was present at the capture of Genl Burgoynes Army— I was also in the Battle of Monmouth— and in various other battles & skirmishes —I have been engaged in about thirty different battles and skirmishes thirteen of which were with the Indians—I was captured by the Indians with my Lieutenant Nathan Lord, & saw him led out to be burnt to death, when he was ransomed, & rescued from death by a British Officer—I made my escape from the Indians & after enduring hardships and privations almost incredible, I obtained protection by surrendering myself a prisoner of war, at a British fort — my memory is remarkably good for my time of life and if necessary I could relate a great number of interesting particulars of my service —
After I had fully served out the term of three years for which I enlisted, I volunteered to serve six weeks longer, which term I served out; and received an honorable discharge from Col. Cilley, which discharge I have lost or mislaid — The evidence of all these services will be found at Washington on the files of the Pension Department which was furnished in support of my application for a pension under the Act of June 7th 1832— under which Act I now draw a pension of Eighty Dollars per annum
I do further on Oath declare that at the time of my said enlistment I was an inhabitant of Berwick where I now reside — and was on the 17th day of March 1835, have been ever since and now am an Inhabitant of the State of Maine residing in Berwick aforesaid, where I have resided for Eighty years past. Except the time I was absent from home in the war of the Revolution — that neither I nor any one claiming under me, has ever received a grant of Land as money in lieu thereof, from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any other State—for my said Service or any other Service during the Revolutionary War, and that I am justly entitled to the Benefit of said Resolves
Jona Knox
SOURCE: Sherman, Sylvia J., Ed. Dubros Times. Maine State Archives. Augusta. 1975.
See the background for the depositions.