Military Bounty-Land Applications, Part 2

I was able to learn a number of things from Nicholas Dell’s Military Bounty-Land Warrant Application file (see yesterday's blog). I knew from other sources that Nicholas Dell was married to Barbara Barnhart and that he died about 1854.

Since the entry I found in the applications index indicated that the warrant was issued under the 1855 Act, I wondered if the date of death I had for Nicholas was wrong or if the application was filed by one of his heirs. In either case, I felt the file would likely contain some valuable genealogical information.

When I received the file, I discovered that the 1854 date of death for Nicholas was indeed wrong. I also discovered that the 1855 warrant application was filed by his widow, Barbara Barnhart Dell. These were both very important pieces of information.

I had known there was a Nicholas Dell who served in Randall’s Rifle Battalion of the Maryland Militia during 1812, but I had never been able to verify that this Nicholas Dell was my ancestor. Since the warrant application was filed by Barbara Barnhart Dell, who I knew to be my Nicholas Dell’s wife, I was able to confirm that the Nicholas Dell who served in Randall’s Rifle Battalion was indeed my ancestor.

The year of death I had for Nicholas came from a Civil War pension application, which was filed about 1863, more than 5 years after Nicholas’s death. However, the warrant application, which stated that Nicholas had died on 28 March 1855, was filed on 21 May 1855, less than 2 months after his death.

Even though both dates were supplied by the same person (Barbara Barnhart Dell), the date provided in the warrant application is much more likely to be accurate, since it was filed much closer to the date of the actual event (Nicholas Dell’s death).

Another unexpected detail I learned from the application file was that Nicholas himself had applied for, and received, a warrant for 40 acres in 1851, under the 1850 Act. Barbara’s application was for the balance (120 acres) which was due to Nicholas under the 1855 Act. Nicholas’s application was included in the file with his widow’s application, and it provided some important details.

For years, I’ve been trying to connect Nicholas to a couple named John Nicholas Dell and Eve Dorothy Yingling. Many years ago I learned from a Bible record that John Nicholas and Eve Dorothy had a son named Nicholas who was born 23 June 1784, but I had been unable to prove conclusively that this was my Nicholas Dell.

In the warrant application, filed 31 October 1851, Nicholas stated that he was 66 years old, which would put his date of birth about 1785. This fact gave me another strong piece of circumstantial evidence that my Nicholas was indeed the son of John Nicholas Dell and Eve Dorothy Yingling.

Nicholas and Barbara’s applications also provided more details about his service during the War of 1812:

Nicholas enrolled for service at Baltimore County, Maryland, in July of 1814, for a term of 6 months. From 31 July to 13 October, he served as a 4^th Corporal in a company commanded by Capt. John T. Randall. This company was part of Randall’s Rifle Battalion, of the Maryland Militia, which was commanded by Major Beall Randall.

From 14 October to 1 December 1814 Nicholas served in Capt. Benjamin Gorsuch’s company, which was also part of Randall’s Rifle Battalion. He was honorably discharged at Baltimore on 1 December 1814.

With this information, I can check sources on the War of 1812 to find out in which battles Nicholas may have participated. From the research I’ve done so far, it seems almost certain that Nicholas fought at Bladensburg, Maryland, on 24 August 1814, and in the defense of Baltimore in September 1814.

One last piece of evidence in the application file was that Nicholas Dell and Barbara Barnhart were married, by a Methodist Episcopal minister named Rev. Garrison, early in the year of 1830. Barbara stated that there was no family or other record of her marriage, so it’s likely that this application file is the only place where the details of this marriage are recorded.

If you have an ancestor who fought in the War of 1812, see if you can find them in the index on Fold3: https://www.fold3.com/title/918/bounty-land-warrant-applications-index

If you do find your ancestor in the index, I encourage you to seriously consider ordering the application file (or if you live close enough to the National Archives in Washington, go there in person). As I said in my last blog, I highly recommend using the digital transfer delivery method if you decide to order the file.

By the way, the index on Fold3 also includes the names of those whose claims were rejected. In this case the entry in the index will say “TRUE” next to “Rejected.” This just means that they didn’t receive a warrant. However, it’s the application that has all the vital information, and there will be an application file whether they received a warrant or not.

Happy hunting!