John Hosley Revolution and Family Tree

His Story

On April 11, 1818, John Hosley appeared before Chief Justice Samuel Dana in Massachusetts and described a Revolutionary War experience that had carried him far beyond the New England coastline. Nearly thirty-five years earlier, he had enlisted as a marine aboard the Continental frigate Deane, sailed into the Atlantic under the command of American naval officers, witnessed the capture of five enemy prizes, and endured a British blockade before reaching Martinique, where the ship’s company learned that peace had been made.

Hosley’s military service differed from that of the thousands of American soldiers who fought in the Continental Army or state militia. He belonged to the naval forces that challenged British maritime power during the closing years of the Revolution. His duties were performed aboard a warship rather than in a land-based regiment.

In June or July 1782, Hosley enlisted under Lieutenant Jeremiah Read aboard the frigate Deane, then lying in Boston Harbor. The vessel was commanded by Captain Samuel Nicholson, an experienced American naval officer. During the summer, Nicholson was replaced by Captain John Manly, and the frigate’s name was changed to Hague.

In September, the frigate sailed from Boston. According to Hosley’s later sworn declaration, the ship captured five prizes during its cruise. Prize-taking was a central part of naval warfare in the eighteenth century, allowing warships to seize enemy vessels and their cargoes while disrupting the opponent’s commerce.

The voyage was not without danger. Hosley recalled that the frigate was driven into a river and blockaded by a British squadron. The American vessel remained under threat until the blockade was lifted, after which it resumed its voyage.

The Hague eventually reached Martinique, a French island in the Caribbean. There, the crew received news that peace had been made between Great Britain and the United States. The ship returned to Boston, where Hosley received his discharge on May 10, 1783.

His account places him among the men who served through the final months of active naval operations in the American Revolution. Although the war’s most famous land battles had already occurred, American and British vessels continued operating at sea while negotiations proceeded toward a final peace settlement.

Decades later, Hosley’s life had changed considerably. He had worked as a husbandman, or farmer, but by 1818 he described himself as lame and reduced in circumstances. His physical condition and advancing age made it increasingly difficult to support himself through labor.

He applied for a pension under the federal act of March 18, 1818, and was awarded eight dollars per month. His certificate was issued on June 30, 1818.

Two years later, federal pension requirements forced Hosley to submit a detailed account of his property and income. The inventory recorded modest household furniture, an old chaise and harness, books, a promissory note, and a financial arrangement intended to support him and his wife.

His wife, Elizabeth, was forty-six years old in 1820 and described as having a feeble constitution that prevented her from working. Hosley himself was sixty-five and unable to labor because of a lame leg and the infirmities of age.

His pension file continued to generate administrative correspondence during the 1820s. Many years after his death, Elizabeth successfully pursued a widow’s pension, receiving an annual allowance of thirty-six dollars under legislation enacted in 1853.

John Hosley’s surviving records offer an unusually detailed account of both Revolutionary naval service and the economic circumstances of an aging veteran. They preserve the experiences of a marine who sailed aboard one of the Continental Navy’s frigates and later depended upon federal recognition of that service.

Early Life

Birth and Early Years

John Hosley was born approximately 1754 or 1755. His age is derived from his pension declarations, in which he described himself as sixty-three years old in April 1818 and sixty-five in June 1820.

These statements establish an approximate birth period rather than a verified birth date. His exact birthplace and the names of his parents have not been established from the pension transcriptions examined for this biography.

By the time he applied for his Revolutionary War pension, Hosley was living in Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The surviving records do not establish whether he had been born there or had moved to the community later in life.

Pepperell was a rural Massachusetts town situated near the New Hampshire border. During the eighteenth century, agriculture formed an important part of the local economy, while roads and waterways connected its residents with neighboring towns and regional markets.

Hosley’s later description of himself as a husbandman indicates that farming became his civilian occupation. The available pension testimony does not establish whether he had been engaged in agricultural work before entering the Continental Navy.

New England and the Revolutionary War

Hosley came of age during a period of increasing conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies. Massachusetts was at the center of the political disputes that preceded the Revolution, including opposition to parliamentary taxation and British efforts to enforce imperial authority.

When fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Hosley was approximately twenty years old. The surviving pension documents, however, do not establish that he served during the opening years of the war.

His documented military account begins in 1782, when he enlisted as a marine aboard a Continental Navy frigate in Boston Harbor.

By that time, the American Revolution had become an international conflict involving Britain, France, Spain, and the United States. Naval operations across the Atlantic and Caribbean were an important part of the broader war.

Revolutionary War Service

Enlistment Aboard the Frigate Deane — 1782

John Hosley enlisted as a marine aboard the Continental frigate Deane in June or July 1782. The vessel was then lying in Boston Harbor under the command of Captain Samuel Nicholson.

Hosley identified Lieutenant Jeremiah Read as the officer under whom he enlisted. His declaration does not supply a precise enlistment date, preserving the uncertainty between June and July.

Marines aboard eighteenth-century warships performed military duties that differed from those of ordinary seamen. They could serve as armed guards, support shipboard security, and participate in combat when naval vessels engaged enemy ships or boarding actions.

The exact day-to-day duties assigned to Hosley are not described in his pension declaration. His service as a marine is established by his own testimony and the subsequent pension records.

Captain Samuel Nicholson and the Change of Command

When Hosley entered service, the frigate Deane was commanded by Captain Samuel Nicholson. Nicholson was among the officers who had served in the American naval establishment during the Revolutionary War.

Hosley recalled that Nicholson was removed from command during the summer of 1782. Captain John Manly subsequently assumed command of the vessel.

At approximately the same time, the frigate’s name was changed from Deane to Hague.

This change is important when examining the ship’s history. Records referring to the Deane and Hague during this period may concern the same vessel under different names.

Hosley’s pension testimony specifically connects him to the ship both before and after the change of command and name.

The Hague Goes to Sea

In September 1782, the Hague departed on a cruise that would take the ship beyond the Massachusetts coastline.

Hosley recalled that the frigate captured five prizes during the voyage. In naval warfare, a prize was a vessel seized from an enemy or otherwise captured under the applicable rules of maritime war.

Captured vessels could provide valuable cargoes, supplies, and financial returns. Their seizure also weakened enemy commerce and forced Britain to devote naval resources to protecting maritime trade.

Hosley’s declaration does not identify the five captured vessels by name, nor does it describe his personal actions during the captures.

His statement nevertheless provides direct testimony that he served aboard the frigate during a cruise involving multiple prize captures.

The British Blockade

During the voyage, the Hague encountered a serious threat from British naval forces.

Hosley stated that the frigate was driven into a river and blockaded by a British squadron.

A blockade could trap a vessel in harbor or confined waters, preventing it from reaching the open sea without risking capture or destruction. British naval superiority made such operations particularly dangerous for American warships.

The pension declaration does not name the river or identify the British vessels involved.

Hosley recalled that the blockade was eventually lifted, allowing the Hague to depart and continue its voyage.

Martinique and the News of Peace

After escaping the blockade, the Hague sailed to Martinique, a French Caribbean possession.

France had entered the American war in 1778 and maintained important naval and military facilities in the Caribbean. French ports provided American vessels with opportunities for communication, supplies, and access to allied maritime networks.

At Martinique, according to Hosley’s declaration, the crew learned that peace had been made.

Preliminary peace articles between Great Britain and the United States had been signed in November 1782, while the formal Treaty of Paris would not be signed until September 3, 1783.

Hosley’s recollection therefore reflects the news of peace reaching the ship during the transition from active hostilities toward the final diplomatic settlement.

Discharge at Boston — May 10, 1783

Following its arrival at Martinique and the news of peace, the Hague returned to Boston.

Hosley stated that he received his discharge on May 10, 1783, having served more than nine months.

His discharge occurred near the conclusion of active American naval operations, although the formal peace treaty had not yet been signed.

Unlike some Revolutionary War pension applicants whose recollections involved numerous short militia expeditions, Hosley’s documented claim centers on one extended period of service aboard a Continental frigate.

Battles and Campaigns

The Continental Navy in the Closing Years of the Revolution — 1782

By 1782, the American Revolution had entered its final military phase. The surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781 had severely weakened Britain’s prospects of restoring control over the thirteen former colonies, but fighting and naval operations continued.

The war extended far beyond the North American mainland. British and French fleets operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean, where control of shipping routes, colonial possessions, and maritime commerce remained strategically important.

The Continental Navy had been established to challenge British maritime power, protect American interests, and disrupt enemy commerce. Although the United States could not match the Royal Navy in the number of warships, American naval vessels conducted cruises intended to capture enemy shipping and support the wider war effort.

The frigate Deane, later renamed Hague, was part of this maritime struggle.

Hosley’s enlistment in 1782 placed him aboard the vessel during a period when naval operations continued despite growing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

The Hague’s Prize-Capturing Cruise — 1782–1783

In September 1782, the Hague proceeded to sea under Captain John Manly. The frigate’s mission took place within the broader American effort to challenge British commerce and maintain an active naval presence during the closing months of the war.

Prize-taking was a major feature of eighteenth-century naval warfare. Warships could intercept merchant vessels, examine their papers and cargoes, and seize ships determined to be lawful prizes under the rules governing maritime conflict.

Captured vessels were valuable for their cargoes and potential proceeds, but their importance extended beyond financial gain. Every successful interception could disrupt an enemy’s commercial networks and increase the cost of maintaining overseas operations.

Hosley stated that the Hague captured five prizes during its cruise.

His declaration does not identify the vessels, their cargoes, the dates of capture, or whether armed resistance occurred during each seizure. It also does not describe any specific boarding action performed by Hosley.

The statement therefore establishes his reported presence aboard a ship engaged in prize-taking without proving that he personally participated in a particular boarding or exchange of gunfire.

The British Blockade of the Hague — 1782–1783

British naval superiority remained a serious threat to American warships throughout the Revolution. The Royal Navy maintained squadrons capable of pursuing enemy vessels, intercepting shipping, and blockading ports or confined waterways.

A frigate forced into a river or harbor could become vulnerable if British warships controlled the exit. Escaping such a position required favorable circumstances, changes in the enemy’s deployment, or the withdrawal of the blockading force.

Hosley recalled that the Hague was driven into a river and blockaded by a British squadron.

The pension declaration does not identify the location of the blockade or the British ships involved. It also does not establish that the Hague fought a formal naval battle while confined there.

Hosley stated that the blockade was eventually lifted. The Hague then resumed its voyage, ultimately proceeding to Martinique.

The episode illustrates the danger faced by American naval vessels operating against a substantially larger British fleet, even during the final stages of the war.

Martinique and the End of the War — 1783

Martinique was an important French possession in the Caribbean and part of the maritime network supporting French military and commercial operations.

By early 1783, peace negotiations had fundamentally changed the military situation. Preliminary articles between the United States and Great Britain had been agreed upon, although formal diplomatic arrangements were still being completed.

News of the approaching end of the conflict traveled through ports, naval stations, and diplomatic channels. Ships at sea did not necessarily receive such information immediately, making arrival at a major allied port an important opportunity to learn of developments.

Hosley stated that the Hague reached Martinique and learned that peace had been made.

The frigate subsequently returned to Boston, where he received his discharge on May 10, 1783.

His account documents the closing phase of a Revolutionary naval cruise rather than participation in a named land battle.

Military Honors and Recognition

John Hosley’s Revolutionary War naval service received federal recognition when he was granted a pension under the Act of March 18, 1818. The Massachusetts pension roll identified him as a marine who served aboard the frigate Hague under Captain John Manly.

His pension certificate was issued on June 30, 1818, with an allowance of eight dollars per month, effective April 11, 1818.

The surviving pension documents do not establish that Hosley received an individual military decoration, formal commendation, promotion, or special award for the prizes captured during the Hague’s cruise. His approved pension documents recognition of his qualifying naval service, not an independently verified battlefield honor.

Original Military Records

Revolutionary War Pension

The Pension Application of 1818

On April 11, 1818, John Hosley appeared before Chief Justice Samuel Dana in Massachusetts and applied for a federal pension under the Act of March 18, 1818.

The legislation provided pensions for qualifying Revolutionary War veterans who had served in the Continental military establishment and required financial assistance.

Hosley identified himself as a former marine who had served aboard the Continental frigate Deane, later renamed Hague, during 1782 and 1783.

He described his enlistment under Lieutenant Jeremiah Read, the change of command from Samuel Nicholson to John Manly, and the frigate’s voyage into the Atlantic.

He recalled five captured prizes, a British blockade, a stop at Martinique, and his discharge at Boston on May 10, 1783.

Hosley stated that he was sixty-three years old, lame, and experiencing reduced financial circumstances. He explained that he required assistance from the government for his support.

The Approved Pension

The War Department approved Hosley’s pension and entered his name on the Massachusetts roll at a rate of eight dollars per month.

The allowance began on April 11, 1818, the date of his declaration. His certificate was issued on June 30, 1818, and sent to Samuel Dana at Groton, Massachusetts.

The pension roll recorded $38.40 in arrears through September 4, 1818.

The approved pension recognized more than nine months of naval service aboard the Hague during the Revolutionary War.

The Property Declaration of 1820

Federal legislation enacted in 1820 required many pensioners receiving benefits under the 1818 law to provide additional evidence of their financial circumstances.

In June 1820, Hosley appeared before the Middlesex County Court of Common Pleas and submitted a sworn schedule of his property and income.

He declared that he owned no real estate. His personal property consisted principally of household furniture, an old chaise and harness, books, and a promissory note.

The inventory included the following items and values:

The individual amounts in the transcribed inventory total $213.35. However, the schedule itself contains a total written as $213.25, while the subsequent court certification states $213.35. The discrepancy should be checked against the original manuscript before treating either written total as definitive.

The declared property schedule excluded necessary clothing and bedding, as permitted by the applicable reporting requirements. It therefore should not be interpreted as a complete inventory of every possession Hosley owned.

The Support Agreement with Frederic A. Walton

In addition to his listed property, Hosley reported a bond from Frederic A. Walton.

The agreement required Walton to support Hosley and his wife during their lives and to pay Hosley sixty dollars annually during his lifetime.

The pension papers do not explain the circumstances under which this agreement was created or establish Walton’s relationship to the family.

The bond nevertheless demonstrates that Hosley’s financial circumstances included an arrangement for continuing support rather than relying exclusively upon the pension.

Disability and Inability to Work

Hosley identified his civilian occupation as husbandman, meaning a man engaged in farming or agricultural work.

By 1820, he was sixty-five years old and stated that a lame leg and the infirmities of age prevented him from working.

His wife Elizabeth was forty-six and described as having a feeble constitution that also prevented her from laboring.

Hosley stated that he had no family except his wife, a statement concerning his household and support circumstances in 1820. It should not be treated as conclusive proof that he had never had children or other relatives.

The Pension Review and Later Correspondence

The pension file contains administrative notations concerning the review and possible restoration of Hosley’s pension during the 1820s.

A notation refers to a notification sent to Abraham Biglow on September 22, 1820, concerning an application for restoration. Another reference mentions correspondence dated September 7, 1826, addressed to Hosley.

These entries establish that the pension continued to receive administrative attention. The transcriptions examined do not provide enough information to reconstruct the complete sequence of suspension, restoration, or payment decisions.

Elizabeth Hosley’s Widow’s Pension

After John Hosley’s death, his widow Elizabeth pursued federal benefits based upon his Revolutionary War service.

A surviving pension certificate identifies her as the widow of John Hosley, who had served as a marine during the Revolution.

Elizabeth was entered on the Massachusetts pension roll at an annual allowance of thirty-six dollars, effective February 3, 1853, under the federal pension legislation of that date.

Her certificate was issued on June 10, 1856, and sent to the Reverend Charles Babbidge at Pepperell, Massachusetts.

Additional administrative notations from 1857 identify her as Elizabeth B. Hosley and refer to a bounty-land warrant claim.

The widow’s pension establishes that the federal government continued recognizing John Hosley’s naval service long after his own pension application.

From His Account

John Hosley’s pension declarations provide direct testimony concerning his Revolutionary War naval service and later financial circumstances. The following excerpts are drawn from the supplied archival transcriptions rather than independently verified manuscript images.

This statement establishes Hosley’s reported enlistment as a marine aboard the Continental frigate, which his declaration spells Dean. The vessel is generally identified in historical accounts as the Deane.

Hosley’s recollection connects the two vessel names and identifies the change of command during the summer of 1782.

The statement provides the principal evidence in Hosley’s pension file for the frigate’s prize-taking cruise and subsequent blockade. It does not identify the captured vessels or the location of the blockade.

Hosley’s account connects the end of his naval service with the arrival of peace news in the Caribbean and the frigate’s return to Massachusetts.

This declaration documents his occupation and physical condition at the time of the 1820 pension review. It does not establish when or how the injury to his leg occurred.

The statement identifies Elizabeth as Hosley’s wife and provides her approximate age in 1820. It also describes the couple’s circumstances during the pension review.

Military Service Record

The service chronology is based principally on Hosley’s sworn pension declaration of April 11, 1818. His testimony establishes the reported sequence of naval operations, although the names of the captured prizes, the location of the blockade, and the precise date of his initial enlistment require further verification.

Later Life and Burial

Life in Pepperell, Massachusetts

Following his discharge from the Continental Navy in May 1783, John Hosley returned to civilian life.

By 1818, he was living in Pepperell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. His pension papers identify him as a husbandman, an occupational term commonly used for a farmer.

The surviving documents do not establish the location of his farm, the extent of any land he previously owned, or the date when he settled in Pepperell.

His later statement that he owned no real estate in 1820 should not be taken as proof that he had never owned property. In his 1818 declaration, he acknowledged that he had possessed some property earlier in life.

Disability and Financial Hardship

By April 1818, Hosley was approximately sixty-three years old and described himself as lame and reduced in circumstances.

Two years later, he stated that a lame leg and advancing age prevented him from working as a husbandman.

His 1820 property schedule recorded modest household furnishings, an old chaise and harness, a promissory note, and an agreement providing financial support from Frederic A. Walton.

The documents show that Hosley faced significant limitations in his ability to support himself through labor. They do not establish that he had lived in poverty throughout the decades following his naval discharge.

His Wife Elizabeth

Hosley’s wife Elizabeth was forty-six years old in June 1820. Her husband described her as having a feeble constitution that prevented her from working.

The couple’s financial arrangement with Frederic A. Walton provided for their support during their lives and an annual payment of sixty dollars to Hosley.

Elizabeth survived her husband and later received a widow’s pension based upon his Revolutionary War service.

Death and Burial

John Hosley died before Elizabeth’s widow’s pension entitlement began in February 1853. His exact date and place of death have not been established from the transcriptions examined.

No verified cemetery or burial location has been identified for this biography.

Additional research in Pepperell vital records, church registers, probate files, and cemetery records may establish the circumstances of his death and burial.

Original Sources

The following records form the documentary foundation for this biography. The principal source is John Hosley’s Revolutionary War pension application file preserved by the National Archives.

National Archives Pension File

1. National Archives and Records Administration. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, John Hosley and widow Elizabeth B. Hosley. National Archives Identifier 54927284. View archival record.
2. John Hosley. Original pension declaration, April 11, 1818, before Chief Justice Samuel Dana, Massachusetts. Image 4159574_00177.
3. War Department. Massachusetts pension roll, certificate issued June 30, 1818, recording eight dollars per month for naval service aboard the Hague. Image 4159574_00169.
4. John Hosley. Property and income schedule, June 1820, Middlesex County Court of Common Pleas. Images 4159574_00173–00174.
5. John Hosley. Sworn property declaration and court certification, July 20, 1820. Image 4159574_00175.
6. Pension Office. Administrative references concerning the original pension and later review. Image 4159574_00169.
7. Pension Office. Elizabeth Hosley’s widow’s pension certificate, issued June 10, 1856, effective February 3, 1853. Image 4159574_00171.
8. Pension Office. Widow’s pension and bounty-land warrant notations identifying Elizabeth B. Hosley and John Hosley’s naval service. Images 4159574_00167 and 4159574_00170.

Transcription Collection

The Yost Post research collection, RevWar-Transcriptions-Final.xlsx, records associated with National Archives Identifier 54927284.

The archival transcriptions provide the basis for the biographical details and quotations reproduced here. The original manuscript images should be consulted for final verification of uncertain names, dates, monetary amounts, and military details.

Historical Research Note