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Below
are statements made by Sybil Barrett in the
Revolutionary War Pension papers of Nathaniel
Barrett and partly a statement in the file of
Joseph Proctor, her 2nd husband. Some of the copies
I received from the file were nearly un-readable. I
transcribed what I could from them.
I
Sybil
Proctor
of Mason, County of Hillsboro & State of New
Hampshire, Eighty six years of age depose and say
as follows ---
I am the
widow of Joseph
Proctor,
late of Mason forsaid a Revolutionary soldier.
I was about sixteen years old at the close of the
War.
My maiden name was
Barrett
& I had three
brothers,
Nathaniel, Reuben
and
Isaac
who were in the Revolutionary
War.
Nathl
enlisted at the commencement of the War for a few
months was at the battle of Bunker Hill - he was
about this time, being a part of the time at Mason
& a part of the time at what is now Milford -
in Amherst then. He had married a girl by the name
of Mercy
Commings
two or three years before the war. He married her
in Massachusetts somewhere - I am very sure it was
at "old Andover" but it might have been at Hatfield
or Shrewsberry - he was working in different places
in Massachusetts & I can't tell exactly where
he was married but think it was at Andover. He came
home not long after he was
married.
In a few
months after the Bunker Hill fight he came home
--
I am now
certain that he was in the army again, for I
remember that there was a time for a good while
that when he came home he came from the army &
when he went away he was going to the army. I have
also some recollection that when he started for
Cambridge at first he started with my other
brothers from Mason & that afterwards he
started with a company from
Amhurst.
I remember
also very distinctly conversations that I have
heard him have with a
Dr.
Gray who
lived in this town after the War (cannot tell
whether he lived here before or not) about a
service that they were upon in Ohio during the war.
Our army had got nearly starved out and the
captains of the different companies picked some men
to go and find something to eat, and
Nathaniel
was
taken with others. They had to crosss a large river
- had to carry their guns ready to fire much of the
way, fearing the Indians. They found some cattle,
and when they were driving them to camp and had
come to the river it had begun to rain. It was just
at night and they did not dare to cross. They had
to lay on their guns all night to keep them dry,
and in the morning they drove the cattle across and
forded the river themselves, carrying their guns as
high above their heads as they could to keep them
dry. They got the cattle to the
army.
I have aften
heard him speak of the smoky bread and horse meat
they had to eat during the time mentioned
above.
Never knew of
but two Nathaniel
Barretts
besides my brother. One was my father, who did not
serve at all in the War. - he was a lame man. The
other was a young man who came to Mason from
Massachusetts sometime after the war. He could not
have been in the War unless as ---?-- or Servant to
some officer & then not from Mason. He was too
young for a soldier. I never heard of any other
Nathaniel
Barrett besides
these but my nephew at Nelson.
I have been
at the house of my brother
Nathaniel,
both in Milford or Amherst and at Nelson. (Pecker
Nelson as we used to call it). was sick there
several weeks. I think he lived in Milford three or
for years after the war before he removed to
Nelson.
He used to
make wooden mortars, bowls, trays and other dishes.
I have a motar which he brought me from Nelson,
made of a knot which he said would last me as long
as I lived. He used to bring some on his back,
almost everytime he came to Mason. He took a hard
way to get a living. I remember his coming once to
Mason and having helped a reaping; he took the
grain he received for pay upon his shoulder to
Nelson.
The bulls ran
down a hill, dragging him by a chain which got
hitched somehow onto his leg in such a way that a
cord was torn out and he was lame always
afterwards. His son
Nathaniel
helped
him much.
He had a
shock of Palsey when he was doing something to the
roof of his house. They said it was hard work to
get him down.
His wife was
a feable woman, but she outlived him. She is dead
now and all the children, but
John.
I think the
names of his children were
Nathaniel,
John, Phineas, Hannah
and
Nabby.
I don't remember the names of the
two
who died young.
I think he
was married at Andover for when I was sick at
Nathaniel's
at
Nelson a Deacon
Ingalls
from Andover came there to see his sons & and
called to see Mercy
in that he might carry back word to her brother at
Andover how they lived. -- at any event he was
married there in these years before the war. Which
fact I personnally --?-- and distinctly
remember.
And I further
say that I have no interest in the result of any
case where my testimony is to be used as
evidence.
signed AD
1854
Witnessed by
Willis
Johnson,
Justice of the Peace
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