Samuel Shackford, the son of Paul and Eunice (Day) Shackford was born on July 24, 1761 in Wells, Maine. He was only 18 on June 6, 1780 when he served for eight months with the men mustered by Nathaniel Wells to defend the eastern part of Massachusetts. After the completion of his enlistment, he returned to Wells where he married Sarah Whittum on March 4, 1784. He later moved to Sanford, Maine where he worked as a farmer. Samuel remained in Sanford where he married Eunice Day on November 15, 1787 and Charity Cousins on November 18, 1805.
In response to the Revolutionary War Act of June 7, 1832, Samuel gave the following testimony documenting his service:
Maine District of
Special District Court of the U States
Kennebunk August 7 1832
On this seventh day of August aforesaid personally appeared
in open Court before the District Judge
Samuel Shackford a resident of Sanford in the
county of York, and state of Maine aged seventy one
years, who being first duly sworn according to law doth
on his oath make the following declaration in order
to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed-
June 7th 1832.
That he served as herein stated.
I enlisted at Wells (now Kennebunk) in the state
Maine, in April 1780 in Capt Daniel Clarks company
for the term of eight months – we marched to Portland
in the same state, where we were principally employed
in erecting works of defense during the full period of
my enlistment or until some time in December of
that year, when we were dismissed and returned home
There were five companies in the corps to which I
belonged and were commanded by Col Prime of York –
Nathan Lord of Berwick, I think was Adjutant, and
Gen Wardsmoth commanded at Portland during said
time. I was born in Wells in the year 1761 and have
resided now about forty years in Sanford, in this state
adjoining to Wells. I enlisted and served voluntarily
as above stated. I have no other record of my age except
that which my father kept in the great Bible I now have.
All my neighbors can state my general character for that
Mr David Day resides near me, and also Mr Samuel Cole
and Mr David Clark, and others who are respectable.
He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity
except the present, and declares that his name is note on the
pension role of the agency of any state Samuel Shackford (signed)
sworn to and subscribed this day and your aforesaid.
Before
Arthur Wise U.S. Judge for the
District of Maine
Know the said Court do hereby declare their opinion that
the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and
served in the states.
Samuel’s testimony did not mention the name of his father but does refer to his father’s Bible which he now has in his possession. We assume it’s the same Bible which was referred to as “Bible per Granville Shackford” (his grandson) in Samuel Burnham Shackford’s Shackford Genealogy manuscript which is the only source we’ve found for Samuel’s parents, Samuel’s birth date, and a list of his children. Hoping the Bible is saved somewhere or at least a transcription of those pages are within the Samuel Collection. (There were boxes and boxes of material and I only had 6 hours to review the materials — hoping to be back someday.)
Samuel is listed in the 1840 census as a pensioner and received his final pension payment in the third quarter of 1844. He died on 9 Sept 1844 and is buried on Mouse Lane in Sanford, Maine. In 2009 I corresponded with a wonderful gentleman who described how to find the gravestone, shared that Samuel’s gravestone was worn and damaged to the point that it was unreadable but he was making sure a flag was placed on Samuel’s grave.
CHILDREN:
Andrew Shackford (1795-1858) – married his cousin Hannah Shackford
Sarah Shackford (1789-????)
Robert Shackford (1793-????)
Eunice Shackford (1806-1822)
Christopher Shackford (1809-1870) – married Mehitable Maddox and Louisa Hill
Susan Shackford (1811-1883) – married John Thompson
Bethia Shackford (1813-1815)
Lusanna Shackford (1821-1870) – married Freeman Goodwin
[Samuel is my first cousin six times removed with a shared relative Joshua Shackford and Elizabeth Barnes]
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SOURCES:
Emery Edwin, William Morell Emery, The History of Sanford, Maine. 1661-1900.(Fall River, Mass: William Morell Emery, 1901), page 83; digital images, Google eBook(http://www.books.google : accessed 21 October 2013.
“Index to Final Pension Payment Vouchers, compiled 1818 – 1864,” digital images, Fold3(https://www.fold3.com : accessed 8 July 2017), Samuel Shackford
Maine Society Sons of the American Revolution MESSAR(http://www.messar.org/patriots.html : accessed 5 January 2014), .
“Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files,” digital images, Fold3(http://www.fold3.com : accessed 2 July 2018), Samuel Shackford.
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. A Compilation From the Archives(Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co, 1906), page 2; digital images, Mocavo(www.mocavo.com : accessed 15 February 2014.
“Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” 13 October 1925; typed manuscript, SG SHA 5; Shackford collection. [manuscript] by Samuel Burnham Shackford, Shackford collection. [manuscript] SG SHA 5; New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
Copyright 2019 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)
SHACKFORD Family History 