from The Pettit Correspondent, Vol. 1, No. 3, page 41 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Pension Records of William and Hannah Pettit These two affidavits are found in pension file #8155. There are several others in the file, most of which are testaments from other veterans of the Revolution who possessed first hand knowledge of William Pettit's service. It appears that benefits to either William or Hannah were denied. According to information received from Frank Baldwin (848 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301) mention of their children's baptisms can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Freehold and Middleton as follows: John, 1777; William, 1779; Sarah, 1781. Monmouth ) ) SS. State of New Jersey County ) Personally appeared before me the subscriber one of the Justices of the peace in & for said County William Pettit who being duly sworn according to Law did depose and say that he was born in the State of New York in the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty and removed to this State in the year seventeen hundred & seventy three and remained in the said State until the Commencement of the Revolutionary war and then entered into the - ---[?] under Capt John Smock in the Infantry; -and was with him four years and upwards; - and after that was under Barns Smock for two years or more and after was under Hendrick Smock at the Battle of Germantown on a Scouting Party but not in the Battle; but at sundry times was in different skirmishes during said war; and [rendered at the service -- ?] Sworn & Subscribed this 8th ) day of November AD 1831 [before me?] ) Wm Pettit S. ----------- [?] Justice ) Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the 3d section of the act of Congress of the 4th of July 1836 -- State of New Jersey ) ) SS. County of Monmouth ) On this third day of February AD 1837 personally appeared before me one of the Justices of the Peace in & for said county Hannah Pettit of the township of Middletown of said county aged eighty years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4th 1836, that she is the widow of William Pettit a native of New York who removed thence to New Jersey, Monmouth County a little before the Revolutionary War that said William Pettit served in Colonel Holmes Regiment in the beginning of the War under the command of Captain John Smock whose district he then lived, that he served as a militia man in said company according to the regulations of said company at least as much as four years about which time Captain Smock was taken prisoner & the company was then commanded by Lieutenant Tobias Pothemus who was also taken prisoner but how long after his captain this deponant cannot remember. After that Captain Barnes Smock commanded said company some time cannot remember how long but thinks also that he was discharged at the end of the war by said Captain Smock, he served to the end of the war his regular tours of duty, but the particular dates of each tour this deponant cannot remember, that she has no record of his services - that while on duty he pursued no civil occupation, that his services were rendered at Sandy Hook, Sandy-nue, Tinton-Falls, Eatentown, Middletown & other places [a word crossed-out] townships of Middletown & Shrewsbury and also in Freehold in the said county of Monmouth that he was out at the time of the battle of Germantown but has heard not in the battle though near that place that he sometimes hired substitutes but cannot remember the particular times, thinks as much as for six months, cannot be much more, that his service was rendered in the field, that he was very frequently called out to join scouting parties when his militia duty did not call him out, that he served in all at least, at the lowest estimate as much as three years, thinks as much as four years. This deponant cannot remember so as to distinctly state further particulars of his service on account of her extreme age & debility. She further declares that her maiden name was Hannah Morrell that she was married to the said William Pettit by the Reverend Benjamin DuBois a dutch Reformed clergyman on the fourth day of July seventeen hundred & seventy th ree as she believes will appear of record from his register of marriages by him kept to which for greater certainty she refers, that her husband the aforesaid William Pettit died the twenty second day of March AD 1832 and that she has remained his widow single & unmarried ever since that period as will more fully appear by deference to the proof hereto annexed Sworn & subscribed the day & ) her year above written before me ) Hannah X Pettit a Justice of the Peace as aforesaid ) mark Henry B. Chumar ) I the subscriber a Justice of the Peace of the County of Monmouth & state of New Jersey do hereby certify that the applicant Hannah Pettit is a respectable inhabitant of the Township of Middletown Monmouth County New Jersey, that her statements are entitled to full faith & credit, that she appears to be of the age she represents & that she is the widow of William Pettit who died sometime since, & that from bodily infirmity she is unable to go out so as to attend the county courts. Henry B. Chumar Justice of the Peace