In This Article
His Story
On April 11, 1818, Ivory Hovey appeared before a Massachusetts judicial officer seeking a federal pension for service performed during the American Revolution. More than forty years had passed since he entered the army in 1775, when Massachusetts militiamen first assembled in response to the fighting at Lexington and Concord. His surviving pension file connects him to those opening months of the war, to subsequent service in the Continental establishment, and to an appointment as sergeant in a Connecticut regiment commanded by Colonel John Durkee.
Hovey’s military career began in April 1775, when he entered Captain William Pearley’s company in Colonel James Frye’s Massachusetts regiment. A later Pension Bureau summary states that he served as a private until the latter part of December that year.
In January 1776, Hovey entered another period of service, this time in Captain John Robinson’s company of Colonel John Durkee’s Connecticut regiment. His service continued into 1777, according to the judicial certification supporting his pension claim.
One of the most significant documents preserved in his file is a military appointment issued by Colonel Durkee on September 4, 1776. The document appointed Hovey to serve as a sergeant in Captain Robinson’s company and directed him to perform the responsibilities of that rank.
The appointment provides contemporary evidence of his status as a noncommissioned officer. Sergeants occupied an important position within the Continental Army, helping officers maintain discipline, supervise soldiers, and carry out the daily responsibilities of military service.
Hovey’s surviving documents do not provide a detailed account of his battlefield experiences. A later inquiry associated him with the Boxford men who marched during the Lexington alarm, but the transcribed inquiry is not itself a surviving muster roll proving the particulars of his participation.
By 1818, Hovey had become eligible to seek federal assistance under legislation providing pensions for qualifying Revolutionary War veterans. His claim was approved at eight dollars per month, and his pension certificate was issued on May 16, 1818.
Two years later, the government required him to disclose his financial circumstances. Hovey appeared before the Circuit Court of Common Pleas at Salem in June 1820 and submitted an inventory of his property.
That inventory provides an unusually detailed view of his later life. He owned an elderly horse, two calves, an old ox wagon, farm implements, household furniture, cooking utensils, books, and a small assortment of other possessions. The court valued his declared estate at only sixty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents.
Hovey was approximately seventy years old and described himself as an infirm laborer suffering from rheumatism. His wife was the only member of his family identified in the surviving household statement.
The pension file does not establish his exact death date or burial location. Nevertheless, its military appointment, pension certificate, judicial proceedings, and property inventory preserve the story of a Revolutionary War sergeant whose later circumstances reveal the economic vulnerability experienced by some aging veterans.
Early Life
Ivory Hovey of Massachusetts
Ivory Hovey was born approximately 1749 or 1750, based upon his statement in June 1820 that he was seventy years old.
The surviving pension transcriptions do not establish his exact birth date, birthplace, or the names of his parents.
His later records associate him with Boxford, a community in Essex County, Massachusetts, where he resided when he submitted his 1820 pension-related property declaration.
Boxford belonged to a region of northeastern Massachusetts characterized by small farms, rural roads, woodland, and close connections to the neighboring communities of Essex County.
During the colonial period, residents depended upon agriculture, local trades, and commercial relationships with nearby towns and coastal settlements.
Local militia organizations were an established part of community life. Able-bodied men could be called upon for military training and defense, although the precise circumstances of Hovey’s participation before April 1775 have not been established.
Massachusetts on the Eve of Revolution
During the years preceding the American Revolution, Massachusetts became a center of opposition to British imperial policies.
Disputes over taxation, colonial representation, parliamentary authority, and the stationing of British troops intensified after the Seven Years’ War.
By 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress was organizing resistance and encouraging the preparation of militia companies capable of responding quickly to military emergencies.
On April 19, 1775, British regulars marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies. Fighting at Lexington and Concord brought the conflict into open warfare.
Hovey’s later military history places the beginning of his Revolutionary War service in April 1775, during the opening weeks of the conflict.
Revolutionary War Service
Captain William Pearley’s Company — 1775
According to a Pension Bureau summary prepared on February 25, 1896, Hovey stated in his original declaration that he enlisted in April 1775.
He served as a private in Captain William Pearley’s company, part of a Massachusetts regiment commanded by Colonel James Frye.
The summary records his service in that organization as continuing until the latter part of December 1775.
Colonel Frye was among the Massachusetts officers associated with the army assembled around Boston following the opening battles of the Revolution.
The colonial forces initially consisted of militia and provincial regiments raised by individual colonies. As the war developed, these organizations were brought into the broader Continental military establishment.
Hovey’s record places him within this early period of military organization, when Massachusetts troops were maintaining pressure upon British forces occupying Boston.
The surviving transcription does not identify his exact duties, individual movements, or participation in any particular engagement during his 1775 service.
Enlistment in Colonel John Durkee’s Regiment — 1776
In January 1776, Hovey entered another period of military service.
The 1896 Pension Bureau summary identifies his new assignment as Captain John Robinson’s company in a Connecticut regiment commanded by Colonel John Durkee.
This was a different military organization from the Massachusetts regiment in which he had served during 1775.
Connecticut contributed substantial numbers of troops to the Continental Army. Its regiments served alongside units from other colonies as General George Washington attempted to build a more permanent and disciplined military force.
The transition from provincial militia organizations to longer-term Continental service required new enlistments, reorganized companies, and a more formal command structure.
Hovey’s later pension records associate his Connecticut service with the Continental establishment.
Appointment as Sergeant — September 4, 1776
One of the most important surviving documents in Hovey’s file is an appointment issued by Colonel John Durkee on September 4, 1776.
The document identifies Durkee as a colonel in the Continental Army and addresses Hovey by name.
It appoints him to the rank of sergeant in Captain John Robinson’s company.
Unlike a pension declaration written decades after the Revolution, this appointment was issued during the war itself. It therefore provides direct contemporary evidence of Hovey’s military rank and his association with Durkee’s command.
A sergeant was a noncommissioned officer whose duties could include maintaining order, assisting with company administration, supervising enlisted soldiers, and ensuring that commands were carried out.
The surviving transcription contains uncertainty concerning the precise wording of the regimental designation and the specific sergeant position named in the appointment.
Those uncertainties should be resolved by examining the original manuscript before assigning a more precise title.
Service Through 1777
The judicial certification accompanying Hovey’s 1818 pension proceedings states that he served on the Continental establishment from January 1776 until July 2, 1777.
The 1896 Pension Bureau summary also describes his service as continuing into 1777, but its transcription gives an ambiguous discharge date that appears as February 2.
These statements do not agree completely concerning the end of his service.
The 1818 certification provides a specifically dated statement that his qualifying service continued until July 2, 1777. The later administrative summary should be checked against the original document to determine whether its discharge date was accurately transcribed.
No subsequent military enlistment has been established from the records examined for this biography.
Battles and Campaigns
The Lexington Alarm — April 19, 1775
On April 19, 1775, British regulars marched from Boston toward Concord, Massachusetts, under orders to locate and seize colonial military supplies.
At Lexington, British soldiers encountered local militiamen assembled on the town common. Shots were fired, and several Americans were killed or wounded.
The British column continued to Concord, where additional fighting occurred near the North Bridge.
As the regulars withdrew toward Boston, militia companies from surrounding Massachusetts communities converged upon the road and attacked the retreating troops.
The fighting transformed a political and constitutional crisis into an armed conflict that spread rapidly throughout New England.
Boxford was among the Massachusetts communities whose men mobilized during the alarm.
A later inquiry preserved in Hovey’s pension file states that his name appeared on a pay and muster roll of men who marched to Lexington on April 19, 1775. The correspondent also referred to the history of Boxford.
However, the surviving transcription is a request for information rather than the original muster roll itself.
The statement is an important research lead, but it should not be treated as independent verification that Hovey personally fought at Lexington or Concord.
Ivory Hovey’s Role
Military context: Massachusetts militia mobilization during the opening fighting of the Revolution.
Reported connection: A later inquiry states that Hovey appeared on a Boxford pay and muster roll of men who marched during the alarm.
Participation classification: Reported by later source; original muster roll not independently examined.
Combat at Lexington or Concord: Not established from the transcriptions reviewed.
The Siege of Boston — 1775
Following the fighting at Lexington and Concord, American militia forces gathered around Boston and effectively confined British troops to the town and its immediate defenses.
General Thomas Gage commanded the British forces during the opening phase of the conflict. American troops occupied positions around the surrounding countryside, establishing an increasingly extensive military encirclement.
In June 1775, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander in chief of the American army. Washington arrived in Massachusetts in July and began reorganizing the provincial forces into a more coordinated military establishment.
The siege continued through the remainder of 1775 as both sides struggled with military supplies, fortifications, and the challenges of maintaining their forces.
Hovey’s reported service under Captain William Pearley and Colonel James Frye began in April 1775 and continued until late December.
His service therefore overlaps the period of the Siege of Boston.
However, the available pension transcription does not identify his exact station, the operations in which his company participated, or any specific engagement in which he personally fought.
His association with the siege is best understood as the military context of his 1775 Massachusetts service rather than proof of participation in every operation conducted around Boston.
Ivory Hovey’s Role
Unit: Captain William Pearley’s company, Colonel James Frye’s Massachusetts regiment.
Rank: Private.
Reported service: April through late December 1775.
Participation classification: Personally reported military service summarized by the Pension Bureau; siege association is historical and regimental context.
Specific battles: Not established from the surviving pension transcriptions.
Continental Army Operations — 1776–1777
The year 1776 brought major changes to the American military effort.
Following the British evacuation of Boston in March, the principal theater of operations shifted toward New York, where British commanders attempted to seize the strategically important harbor and surrounding territory.
British forces defeated American troops on Long Island in August 1776 and subsequently occupied New York City.
Washington’s army retreated across New Jersey before counterattacking at Trenton in December and Princeton in January 1777.
Connecticut regiments formed part of the Continental Army during this period, although the service of individual soldiers must be established through unit records rather than inferred from broad campaign histories.
Hovey entered Captain John Robinson’s company of Colonel John Durkee’s Connecticut regiment in January 1776.
His September 4, 1776, appointment establishes that he held the rank of sergeant within the regiment during the period of major military operations around New York.
The surviving transcriptions do not identify his precise battlefield location on that date or establish that he personally fought at the Battle of Long Island, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, or Princeton.
His documented connection is to the Connecticut Continental military establishment, not to an individually verified battle.
Ivory Hovey’s Role
Unit: Captain John Robinson’s company, Colonel John Durkee’s regiment.
Rank: Sergeant, established by an appointment dated September 4, 1776.
Service: Reported from January 1776 into 1777.
Participation classification: Contemporary appointment and retrospective pension evidence confirm military association; specific campaign movements remain unverified.
Named battlefield participation: Not established.
Military Honors and Recognition
Appointment as Sergeant
Ivory Hovey’s appointment as sergeant on September 4, 1776, is the clearest surviving evidence of his advancement beyond the rank of private.
The appointment was issued under the authority of Colonel John Durkee and identified Captain John Robinson’s company.
This appointment represents formal military recognition of Hovey’s position within the regiment. It should not, however, be confused with a battlefield decoration or an award for a particular act of valor.
Federal Pension Recognition
Hovey received federal recognition of his Revolutionary War service when his pension claim was approved under the Act of March 18, 1818.
His pension certificate authorized payment at the rate of eight dollars per month, beginning April 15, 1818.
No individual battlefield medal, Badge of Military Merit, or other personal military decoration has been verified in the supplied records.
Original Military Records
September 4, 1776 — Appointment as Sergeant
Colonel John Durkee issued a military appointment naming Ivory Hovey as a sergeant in Captain John Robinson’s company. The document directs him to perform the responsibilities of his rank and obey lawful commands.
Archival image: 4159580_00574.
April 1818 — Judicial Certification of Military Service
A Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court certification records Hovey’s qualifying service on the Continental establishment, describing a period beginning in January 1776 and ending July 2, 1777.
Archival image: 4159580_00561.
May 16, 1818 — Pension Certificate
Hovey’s pension certificate, reproduced in his 1820 court proceedings, identifies him as a former Revolutionary War sergeant and authorizes a pension of eight dollars per month.
Archival image: 4159580_00564.
June 1820 — Property and Income Schedule
Hovey appeared before the Circuit Court of Common Pleas at Salem and submitted an inventory of his property and income. The court recorded his occupation, age, physical infirmity, and financial circumstances.
Archival image: 4159580_00564.
July 17, 1820 — Property Certification
Court clerk Ichabod Tucker certified the oath and property schedule, recording a total declared estate of sixty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents.
Archival image: 4159580_00565.
February 25, 1896 — Pension Bureau Military Summary
The Pension Bureau summarized Hovey’s reported enlistments under Captain William Pearley and Captain John Robinson, identifying Colonels James Frye and John Durkee.
Archival image: 4159580_00566.
Later Inquiry — Lexington Alarm Service
A correspondent requested information about Hovey of Boxford, stating that his name appeared on a pay and muster roll of men who marched during the Lexington alarm. The transcribed inquiry does not itself reproduce that muster roll.
Archival images: 4159580_00570–00571.
Pension File Identification
An administrative file wrapper identifies Hovey’s pension claim as S.32842 and records his Revolutionary War service as a sergeant.
Archival images: 4159580_00556 and 4159580_00572.
Revolutionary War Pension
The Pension Application of 1818
On April 11, 1818, Ivory Hovey appeared before a Massachusetts judicial officer in connection with his application for a Revolutionary War pension.
The application was made under the federal Act of March 18, 1818, which provided pensions for qualifying veterans who had served in the Continental military establishment and were in reduced circumstances.
The legislation was particularly important for aging Revolutionary War veterans whose military service had ended decades earlier and who could no longer reliably support themselves through labor.
The judicial certification accompanying Hovey’s application stated that he had served more than nine months on the Continental establishment against the common enemy.
It identified service beginning in January 1776 and continuing until July 2, 1777.
The certification was issued at Salem on April 13, 1818.
Approval of His Pension
Hovey’s claim was approved, and he was placed on the Massachusetts pension roll.
His certificate identified him as a former sergeant in the Revolutionary Army and established a pension of eight dollars per month.
The allowance began April 15, 1818.
Secretary of War John C. Calhoun’s name appears on the certificate issued May 16, 1818.
The pension amounted to ninety-six dollars annually, a significant source of support for an elderly laborer with limited property.
The Property Declaration of 1820
In 1820, Congress required pensioners receiving benefits under the 1818 law to provide more detailed information concerning their property and financial circumstances.
Hovey appeared before the Circuit Court of Common Pleas at Salem during its June term.
He identified himself as a resident of Boxford in Essex County and presented his pension certificate.
He then submitted a schedule describing his property and income, excluding necessary clothing and bedding.
The declaration stated that he owned no real estate.
His possessions consisted largely of worn household furniture, farm equipment, animals, utensils, and books.
The $69.68 Property Inventory
The court’s transcription preserves the following categories of property. Some individual line items contain uncertain handwriting, but the certified total is clearly stated.
| Property | Description | Recorded Value |
|---|---|---|
| Livestock | Twenty-five-year-old horse and two yearling calves | $17.00 |
| Wagon and equipment | Old ox wagon and an additional item with uncertain transcription | $15.00 |
| Farm implements | Iron bar, draft chain or similarly described item, and harrow teeth | $5.25 |
| Tools and pewter | Hoes, rakes, shovel, pewter dishes and plates | $1.60 |
| Tableware | Knives, forks, earthen plates, iron spoons | $1.28 |
| Furniture | Sixteen old chairs, maple and pine tables, desk | $5.75 |
| Household storage and cooking | Drawers, chest, kettles, pot, tea kettle | $7.95 |
| Additional household items | Tea cups, glassware, bottles, shovel and tongs | $6.20 |
| Containers and hay forks | Hogshead, barrels, hay forks | $1.40 |
| Books | Bible, dictionary, constitutions, and another item of uncertain transcription | $7.65 |
| Miscellaneous | Old pamphlets, wash tub and pails | $0.60 |
| Court-certified total | $69.68 | |
The inventory is remarkable for the ordinary details it preserves. Hovey’s horse was twenty-five years old, and his ox wagon had been in his possession for fourteen years.
His furniture included sixteen old chairs, several tables, a desk, drawers, and a chest.
The household also contained a Bible, a dictionary, constitutions, and pamphlets, demonstrating that printed materials formed part of his possessions despite his limited financial resources.
The listed values total sixty-nine dollars and sixty-eight cents. The inventory excluded necessary clothing and bedding, so this figure should be understood as the value of the property reported under the pension law rather than a comprehensive valuation of everything he possessed.
Old Age and Rheumatism
Hovey described himself as seventy years old and employed as a laborer.
The declaration also described him as infirm with rheumatism.
Rheumatism was a broad historical term used for painful conditions affecting joints and muscles. The surviving statement does not establish a specific modern medical diagnosis.
His age and physical limitations would have affected his ability to continue earning income through manual labor.
He identified his wife as the only member of his family in the household statement.
The declaration provides a snapshot of Hovey’s circumstances in 1820. It does not establish that he had lived in poverty throughout the decades following the Revolution.
Certification of the Property Schedule
Hovey swore that he had not transferred or disposed of property in order to qualify for pension benefits.
He also declared that he had no property, securities, debts owed to him, or income beyond what appeared in the submitted schedule.
Court clerk Ichabod Tucker certified the proceedings and the property valuation on July 17, 1820.
The pension file thus preserves both the federal government’s recognition of Hovey’s military service and the financial scrutiny applied to pensioners receiving benefits under the 1818 law.
From His Account
Hovey’s surviving pension documents include a sworn financial declaration, a contemporary military appointment, and later administrative summaries of his military service. The following short excerpts are drawn from the supplied archival transcriptions. Original manuscript images should be consulted to verify uncertain spelling and handwriting.
His Appointment as Sergeant
“I Do hereby appoint You the said Hovey to be the [ ] Serjeant”
Source: Colonel John Durkee’s appointment of Ivory Hovey, September 4, 1776. Image 4159580_00574.
The appointment provides contemporary evidence of Hovey’s noncommissioned rank. The exact sergeant designation remains uncertain in the transcription.
His Military Responsibilities
“carefully and faithfully to discharge the Duty of Serjeant”
Source: Colonel John Durkee’s appointment, September 4, 1776. Image 4159580_00574.
This language reflects the formal obligations imposed upon a noncommissioned officer in the Continental Army.
His Pension Certificate
“Ivory Hovey late a sergeant”
Source: Pension certificate reproduced in the June 1820 court proceedings. Image 4159580_00564.
The pension certificate recognized his former military rank and authorized federal payments for qualifying Revolutionary War service.
His Property Declaration
“nor have I any income, other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed”
Source: Ivory Hovey’s sworn property declaration, June 1820. Image 4159580_00565.
Hovey’s sworn statement formed part of the government’s examination of his eligibility to continue receiving pension benefits.
The Value of His Estate
“sixty nine dollars sixty eight cents”
Source: Certification of Clerk Ichabod Tucker, July 17, 1820. Image 4159580_00565.
The court-certified valuation provides an unusually precise measure of the property Hovey reported at approximately seventy years of age.
Military Service Record
| Period | Unit or Commander | Reported Service |
|---|---|---|
| April 1775 | Boxford-area Massachusetts militia; exact company requires verification | Later inquiry associates Hovey with men who marched during the Lexington alarm. Original muster roll not independently examined. |
| April–December 1775 | Captain William Pearley; Colonel James Frye | Private in a Massachusetts regiment, as summarized from his pension declaration. |
| January 1776 | Captain John Robinson; Colonel John Durkee | Entered Connecticut Continental service. |
| September 4, 1776 | Captain John Robinson; Colonel John Durkee | Contemporary appointment as sergeant. |
| 1777 | Captain John Robinson; Colonel John Durkee | Continued service into 1777; judicial certification gives July 2 as the ending date, while a later summary contains an ambiguous February date. |
The military chronology is based upon Hovey’s pension proceedings, a surviving sergeant’s appointment, and a later Pension Bureau summary. The precise end date of his Connecticut service and his participation in specific military engagements require additional verification.
Later Life and Burial
Returning to Civilian Life
Following his Revolutionary War service, Ivory Hovey returned to civilian life in Massachusetts.
The surviving pension records do not provide a continuous account of his employment, residences, or family circumstances between the end of his military service and his pension application in 1818.
By 1820, he was living in Boxford, Essex County.
A Laborer in Old Age
Hovey’s 1820 declaration identifies his occupation as laborer.
At approximately seventy years old, he was suffering from rheumatism and described as infirm.
His declared property consisted of modest household possessions, aging farm equipment, and a small number of animals.
The absence of real estate from his inventory suggests that he did not own land at the time of the declaration. It does not establish whether he had owned land earlier in life.
His pension of eight dollars per month represented an important source of income in these circumstances.
Death and Burial
The exact date and location of Ivory Hovey’s death have not been established from the pension transcriptions examined.
He was living in June 1820, when he appeared in the court proceedings concerning his property and pension.
No verified cemetery or burial location has been identified for this biography.
Additional research in Boxford church registers, Essex County probate records, cemetery inscriptions, and Massachusetts vital records may help establish his death and burial.
Family History
Ivory Hovey’s pension records establish that he was married and living in Boxford, Massachusetts, in 1820. The surviving transcriptions do not identify his wife by name or establish his parents, children, or siblings.
Hovey — Surname Origins and Heritage
Hovey Surname
Hovey is an English surname associated with families who settled in colonial New England. The surname appears in early Massachusetts records, particularly in Essex County and neighboring communities.
The presence of other Hovey families in the region provides a useful starting point for genealogical investigation but does not establish Ivory Hovey’s specific ancestry.
His connection to any particular colonial Hovey family must be demonstrated through contemporary records rather than assumed from surname and geographic proximity.
His Parents
His Marriage
His Children
Genealogical research note: The pension file establishes a wife living in 1820 but does not supply sufficient evidence to identify her. A separate pension file belonging to another Hovey family should not be merged with Ivory Hovey’s record without proof of identity. Research in Boxford marriage, church, probate, and land records may clarify his family relationships.
Original Sources
The following records form the documentary foundation for this biography. The principal source is Ivory Hovey’s Revolutionary War pension file preserved by the National Archives.
National Archives Pension File
- National Archives and Records Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, Ivory Hovey, pension S.32842. National Archives Identifier 54933420. View archival record.
- Pension Office. Service file wrapper identifying Ivory Hovey, Connecticut and Massachusetts service, pension S.32842. Image 4159580_00556.
- Massachusetts Pension Roll. Administrative roll entry for Ivory Hovey, certificate number 560. Image 4159580_00558.
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Certification of Ivory Hovey’s Revolutionary War service, April 1818. Image 4159580_00561.
- United States War Department. Pension certificate issued May 16, 1818, reproduced in the June 1820 court record. Image 4159580_00564.
- Essex County Circuit Court of Common Pleas. Property and income schedule of Ivory Hovey, June 1820. Image 4159580_00564.
- Ivory Hovey. Sworn declaration concerning property and income, June 1820. Image 4159580_00565.
- Ichabod Tucker. Court certification of Hovey’s property schedule and valuation, July 17, 1820. Image 4159580_00565.
- United States Bureau of Pensions. Military service summary of Ivory Hovey, February 25, 1896. Image 4159580_00566.
- Unidentified correspondent. Inquiry concerning Ivory Hovey and the Boxford men who marched during the Lexington alarm. Images 4159580_00570–00571.
- Pension Office. Administrative file wrapper and correspondence notations concerning Ivory Hovey, S.32842. Image 4159580_00572.
- Colonel John Durkee. Military appointment of Ivory Hovey as sergeant in Captain John Robinson’s company, September 4, 1776. Image 4159580_00574.
Transcription Collection
The Yost Post research collection, RevWar-Transcriptions-Final.xlsx, records associated with National Archives Identifier 54933420.
The transcriptions provide the basis for the biographical details, military chronology, pension information, and quotations reproduced here. Original manuscript images should be consulted for final verification of uncertain dates, names, spellings, and military designations.
Historical Research Note
Identity: This biography concerns Ivory Hovey of Boxford, Essex County, Massachusetts, who received a federal Revolutionary War pension under claim S.32842. His pension file is preserved under National Archives Identifier 54933420.
Birth: Hovey stated that he was seventy years old in June 1820, suggesting a birth around 1749–1750. His exact birth date and birthplace have not been established.
Massachusetts service: A Pension Bureau summary dated February 25, 1896, records Hovey’s reported service as a private under Captain William Pearley and Colonel James Frye from April through late December 1775. The summary is a later administrative record based on his pension file.
Connecticut service: Hovey entered Captain John Robinson’s company of Colonel John Durkee’s Connecticut regiment in January 1776. A contemporary appointment dated September 4, 1776, confirms his position as sergeant.
Discharge date: The April 1818 judicial certification records service through July 2, 1777. The 1896 administrative summary contains an ambiguous date transcribed as February 2. The original manuscript should be examined before resolving the discrepancy.
Military appointment: The September 4, 1776, appointment provides direct contemporary evidence of Hovey’s rank. The precise sergeant designation and part of the regimental number are unclear in the supplied transcription.
Lexington alarm: A later inquiry states that Hovey’s name appeared on a Boxford pay and muster roll of men who marched on April 19, 1775. The original roll has not been independently examined for this biography. Personal combat at Lexington or Concord remains unverified.
Siege of Boston: Hovey’s reported Massachusetts service overlaps the Siege of Boston. His individual station and participation in particular engagements have not been established from the surviving transcriptions.
Other battles: The records examined do not establish personal combat at Bunker Hill, Long Island, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, or any other named engagement. Military service in a regiment associated with a campaign is not proof of an individual’s presence at a specific battle.
Pension: Hovey’s pension was approved under the Act of March 18, 1818, at eight dollars monthly, beginning April 15, 1818. His certificate was issued May 16, 1818.
Property valuation: The 1820 court certified the value of Hovey’s declared estate at $69.68. Necessary clothing and bedding were excluded. Several individual property descriptions are uncertain in the transcription, and the original inventory should be checked before relying on the precise identification of every item.
Physical condition: Hovey was described as an infirm seventy-year-old laborer suffering from rheumatism in 1820. This statement documents his condition at that time and does not establish a specific modern diagnosis or lifelong disability.
Family history: The 1820 declaration identifies a wife but does not establish her name. Hovey’s parents, children, and siblings remain unresolved. Individuals with the Hovey surname in other pension files should not be assigned to his family without independent evidence.
Death and burial: No exact death date or verified cemetery has been established from the pension transcriptions examined. His presence in the June 1820 court proceedings establishes that he was living at that time.
Illustration: The portrait accompanying this biography is a modern artistic reconstruction used by The Yost Post. It is not an authenticated eighteenth-century likeness of Ivory Hovey and does not establish his actual appearance, clothing, uniform, or military equipment.
Research status: This biography is based principally on the supplied transcriptions of Hovey’s National Archives pension file. Quotations have not been independently checked against every original manuscript image. Additional research in Massachusetts militia rolls, Connecticut Continental Army records, Boxford town histories, Essex County probate records, and contemporary muster rolls may clarify his battlefield service, family relationships, and final years.