16 May 2012

Surrendered Warrant and Final Pension Payment File For Elam Blain

The pension file of Revolutionary War veteran Elam Blain has been mentioned here several times before and I'm looking at the testimony of one witness for an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues. Blain served in a Continental unit of dragoons, but lived in New Jersey at the time of his service. His lengthy pension file provided significant clues about his family.

But the pension file is not all.

A careful reading of his pension file indicated his widow received a bounty land warrant. In addition to that surrendered warrant (which is what was traded for a patent to federal land essentially) is the final pension payment file--which contains the surrendered pension certificate.

Blain's widow signed the warrant to her son who in turn signed it over to someone else. This transfer of the warrant was not uncommon.

The surrendered warrant and surrendered pension certificate are enroute. We'll have a brief followup when they arrive. Stay tuned.

There's more that just the pension.