Kaminkow, Marion and Jack. Mariners of the American Revolution, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1967.)
Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina during the American Revolution, (Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1999.)
Pension Application of Samuel Rice 39833
Several individuals, from diverse locales and backgrounds, have had their lives examined in the course of this overall blog on the patriot frigate South Carolina. Many of them have had extensive amounts of information recorded concerning their experiences during the American Revolution in general and on board the frigate South Carolina in particular. Some have had not so much information recorded on their lives, primarily due to a lack of written documentation concerning them. Some of these "lesser known individuals" ultimately end up having longer posts composed concerning them than the writer of this blog had originally thought possible. But, with this specific individual - Samuel Rice of Salem, Massachusetts - there is truly little recorded information on this man's life, both before his services on board the patriot frigate and afterwards. Yet, his life deserves to be also examined and have what we can glean from history recorded and preserved concerning this man - Samuel Rice of Salem, Massachusetts.
It appears that discrepancies surface in the life of Samuel Rice concerning crucial pieces of personal information. The passage of so much time has only further obscured what was once known as truth in the life of Samuel Rice. The combination of these two historical forces - scant, historical documentation pertaining to the life of Samuel Rice and the passage of an enormous amount of time - has successfully "hidden" these facts of the life of Samuel Rice from our understanding and made it almost impossible to discern truth from fiction.
Not only is nothing recorded concerning the early life of Samuel Rice but, even the locale of his birth or origin is in dispute. According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 205 note 13, indicates that he was from Salem, Massachusetts. But, this citation also does not indicate how this fact was deduced or from what source it originated. Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution does not indicate a place of origin for Samuel Rice which are clearly stated in the cases of many of the entries contained within this work. As far as the "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833" is concerned, only a place of then-current residence is indicated as being "...East Greenwich in the County of Kent and the State of Rhode Island...". yet, there is no indication as to whether or not Samuel Rice was originally from this location in Rhode Island or if he may have relocated there at some point after the conclusion of the American Revolution. A supporting statement of the "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833", made by John Trevett, Captain of Marines on board the frigate South Carolina, indicates that Samuel Rice was from "...East Greenwich in the County of Kent and State of Rhode Island...". Yet, this statement was solemnly sworn before a Justice of the Peace, Jonathan Almy, in Newport, Rhode Island on August 11, 1818. Once again, Samuel Rice had ample time to relocate to East Greenwich, RI between the end of the American Revolution and the time this statement was made before Justice of the Peace Jonathan Almy.
(Note: Frequently, pension applications will carry a clear statement of the birthplace of the applicant. Many of the pension applications investigated in the course of this overall blog have done so. But, there are also those that do not bear any indication of where or when the applicant was born. Samuel Rice's pension application is one of the latter.)
(Note: for the full story of Captain of Marines John Trevett's service on board the frigate South Carolina, see the four posts entitled "...To Sail the Deep, Blue Sea, in Defiance of the British Crown...": John Trevett, Captain of Marines, on board the Frigate South Carolina: A Revolutionary Life Lived Well and Widely, With a Few Questions Remaining, Pts. I, II, III, and IV -", and posted on "10/05/2017", "11/24/2017", "12/20/2017", and "01/01/2018". There is actually a reference to Samuel Rice provided in the final post by this specific title and contained within the list of individuals he found on board the frigate South Carolina by Captain of Marines John Trevett when he entered her service in March 1781.)
There is also discrepancy concerning the actual "position" occupied by Samuel Rice on board the frigate South Carolina. In his pension application, "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833", there appears the passage, "-- My occupation is that of a Seaman but by reason of my age, I have no longer the ability to pursue it.". This was written on July 7, 1820 and presented in the County of Kent Special Court of Common Pleas. In this notation, Samuel Rice is cited as being "...aged sixty-two years and six months..." old at the time of his appearance in the court of common pleas and as "...residing in the town of East Greenwich in said County of Kent...". The present tense verb used in this sentence seems to indicate that the last, or most current, profession pursued by Samuel Rice was that of a sailor. In the pension application, he then explains why it is that he no longer follows in this profession - he is too old and no longer has the ability to work in this field of endeavor. This may have been his chosen pursuit in later life but, it also may have stemmed from his earlier pursuits during the American Revolution and might have even predated that event. But, an added footnote indicates that he was "...pensioned at the rate of $8 per month...for service as a Seaman on board the Ship South Carolina.".
According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, section entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", page 163, the following citation for Samuel Rice appears:
Name: Position:
Samuel Rice (Rise) Sailor, volunteer
(Note: The readership of this blog will notice that even the proper spelling of Samuel Rice's last name is in dispute in this specific citation. But, a corroboration of various different sources seems to indicate the proper spelling is "Rice".)
Yet, the entire scene concerning Samuel Rice is further confused by yet a third citation. According to Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 160, Samuel Rice is cited as a "Prize Master's Mate", having initially sailed on board the ship Satisfaction.
The writer of this blog thinks that he may have recreated the possible actual progression of the occupations of Samuel Rice as these are related to the frigate South Carolina. This stems from the fact that Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, is a compendium of sailors and marines who were captured by the Royal Navy and spent time in one of the several British prisons located in the British Isles. More than likely, Samuel Rice was already working closely with the sea when the American Revolution began. He continued to follow his civilian occupation and became a privateersman. At some point, he signed on board the ship (possibly a New England "ship") Satisfaction and went to sea, seeking Crown prizes to take back into friendly harbors. But, Fate had different plans for this New England Yankee crew and their ship. According to Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 234, the Satisfaction was captured by elements of the Royal Navy in July 1778 and the crew and marines were committed to Forton Prison, near Portsmouth, England, on July 27, 1778. Again, according to the same work, page 160, he was pardoned for exchange - like so many of the other crew and marines of the frigate South Carolina - on December 11, 1779. Whether or not the prisoner cartel bearing Samuel Rice departed England on that specific date is unknown but, at some point after this date, he would have arrived in France, a free man once again. But, he needed an additional vessel bound for America to get home to New England. Somehow, he must have heard of the frigate South Carolina fitting out in Amsterdam, Holland's harbor. He traveled there and signed on board the patriot frigate. According to his own testimony - given on March 21, 1818 - in his pension application, "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833", Samuel Rice states:
"...That on the 28th day of October A.D. 1780 he [Samuel Rice] enlisted as a Seaman on board the Frigate South Carolina, then being in Amsterdam, under the command of Commodore Alexander Gillon -- And that he served as a Seaman on board said Frigate...".
The readership of this blog can see that Samuel Rice never refers to himself as a "volunteer" or as a "prize master's mate". This does not mean that he might never have functioned in one of these other "positions". But, he must have seen himself as, first and foremost, a sailor/seaman on board the frigate South Carolina for her maiden cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to American waters.
(Note: For the discussion of the place and function of a "volunteer" on board the frigate South Carolina, see the post entitled "Of Their Own, Free Will": "Volunteers" on board the Frigate South Carolina -" and posted on "03/06/2015".)
As far as an account of the duties and service of Samuel Rice while on board the frigate South Carolina, we only have his personal account as registered in his pension application, "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833". This personal account is related in the third person and is as follows:
"...That on the 28th day of October A.D. 1780 he enlisted as a Seaman on board the Frigate South Carolina, then being at Amsterdam, under the command of Commodore Alexander Gillon -- And that he served as a Seaman on board said Frigate in cruising against the Common Enemy for the time aforesaid until the 26th day of February A.D. 1782, when the period of his enlistment having expired, he was honorably discharged by Commodore Gillon at Havana --".
There follows an account of the same length but, of a slightly different nature in that it gives additional information as concerns Samuel Rice's time on board the frigate South Carolina. It appears in the same pension application and seems to immediately follow the account given above. It is as follows:
"That on the 28th day of October A.D. 1780, he entered as a mariner on board the Frigate South Carolina, Alexander Gillon Esquire commander, and John Joiner [Joyner] Esquire Captain -- then lying at Amsterdam; We sailed from Holland the 26th day of August A.D. 1781 on a cruise towards America. On the first day of January 1782, we fell in with 5 sail of English vessels: these Ships and two Briggs, which we took: and carried into Havana where on the 28th day of February 1782 I was discharged by Commodore Gillon.".
Both accounts give his entry date for the frigate South Carolina as being October 28, 1780. But, these separate accounts slightly differ in the use of terminology regarding his "position" on board the patriot frigate. The first account states that he entered as a "...Seaman..." while the second account uses the term "...mariner...". These terms are used interchangeably here but, it makes the writer of this blog wonder why Samuel Rice would use these two terms so closely together in his pension application.
The first account states that the patriot frigate was "...under the command of Commodore Alexander Gillon..." while the second account states that Alexander Gillon was the commander of the frigate while John Joyner was the specific captain of this ship-of-war. Commodore Alexander Gillon was the ranking officer on board the frigate South Carolina. While John Joyner was the actual captain of the frigate, the presence of the ranking officer of the Navy of South Carolina on board his ship-of-war created a slightly unusual command situation on board the frigate. It is more than likely that the daily tasks of commanding the ship were given over to John Joyner while Commodore Alexander Gillon remained firmly in control of the larger, overarching command of the vessel and its cruise across the Atlantic Ocean towards American shores.
Both accounts state that the ship was at Amsterdam. But, the second account gives the date of departure from Holland for the frigate South Carolina - "...the 27th of August A.D. 1781...". The second account gives a bit more descriptive information concerning the trans-Atlantic voyage of the patriot frigate. Samuel Rice;s latter account relates the incident of the capture of the five Jamaica merchant ships bound from Jamaica for Europe. Samuel Rice confines his description to a brief recitation of the capture and escorting of these ships into Havana harbor but, the actual incident is recounted a greater length in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, pages 51-52.
(Note: According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 52, the text clearly states that after their capture by the frigate South Carolina, the prize vessels were manned "...with marines, prize master's, and mates, the South Carolina continued her voyage for Havana.". It is possible that Samuel Rice could have been one of those prize master's mates on board one of those prize vessels being brought into Havana harbor. This could possibly account for the citation in Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 160, for Samuel Rice as being a "Prize Master's Mate".)
The final, slight discrepancy of the two accounts given in Samuel Rice's pension application concerns the dates of his discharge from the services of the frigate South Carolina. The first account gives the date of discharge as being February 26, 1782 while the second account gives the date as being February 28, 1782. Yet, both accounts agree that Samuel Rice was discharged by Commodore Alexander Gillon and that this event took place in Havana, Cuba.
These two brief statements contained within the "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833" are all that we have at the moment concerning the life and services of Samuel Rice on board the frigate South Carolina. We do not know how he managed to return home from Havana, Cuba nor why he chose to leave the service of the patriot frigate and Commodore Alexander Gillon. All we know for sure is that he did indeed leave his previous service and "position" on board the frigate and that he eventually returned to the mainland of America, settling at some point in East Greenwich, RI.
As stated in the third paragraph of this post, most of the crucial information concerning the early life of Samuel Rice is missing or unknown. But, sometimes pension applications provide scant pieces of this "missing" information rather obliquely. The piece of personal information in question here is the age of Samuel Rice at the time that he filed his pension application and thus the year of his birth by association. When Samuel Rice appeared in the Special Court of Common Pleas in Kent County, State of Rhode Island, his age is recorded as being "...62 years and 6 months...". The date given for this appearance in court is July 7, 1820. Computing the year of birth of Samuel Rice gives us an approximate time frame of the birth of Samuel Rice as being in January-February 1758. Yet, once again, we do not know the precise location of the birthplace of Samuel Rice. Most probably it was in one of two places spoken about earlier in this specific post - Salem, MA or East Greenwich, RI. But, he could have been born in yet a third, undisclosed location which, for some unknown reason, is just never referenced in the few official documents concerning the life of Samuel Rice.
Samuel Rice's pension application is very clear as to the reason for him filing the application. According to his pension application, "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833", he was already advanced in age when he filed it, expressly to receive assistance from the government he had fought for decades prior to see established. His pension application ends with the following statement:
"United States of America
Rhode-Island District
County of Kent Special Court of common Pleas July 7th A.D. 1820
On this 7th day of July 1820, personally appeared in open Court, being a Court of record within and for the said County Samuel Rice aged 62 years and 6 months residing in the town of East Greenwich in said County of Kent who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath declare, that he served in the revolutionary war as follows:"
(Note: there must be some text concerning the services of Samuel Rice on board the frigate South Carolina made and recorded here but, this text does not appear on this copy of his pension application. The text moves directly to a statement of his previous efforts to obtain a pension.)
"That he made a previous declaration on the 31st day of March 1818, and that he has received a certificate for a pension, being No. 2300 -- And I do solemnly swear that I was a resident Citizen of the United States on the 18th day of March and that I have not since that time by gift, sale or in any manner whatever disposed of my property or any part thereof with the intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provision of an act of Congress entitled "an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the revolutionary war" passed on the 18th day of March 1818, and that I have not nor has any person in trust for me any property, or securities, contracts or debts due me nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed and by me subscribed
(signed) Samuel Rice
A Schedule of Property and Income (necessary clothing and bedding excepted) of Samuel Rice viz. --
1 Desk
6 Chairs
2 small maple tables
2 iron pots & 1 spider
1 ax
6 plates
1 platter
1 tea kettle
1 dish Campbell
2 chests
1 tin tea pot
1 coffee pot
6 knives & forks
6 iron spoons
1 pair of hand irons shovel & tongs all old furniture --
My occupation is that of a Seaman but by reason of age, I have no longer the ability to pursue it, My family consists of myself and Wife who is unable to labor, she being infirm and sickly
(signed) Samuel Rice"
(Note: the signature at the end of his pension statement is a good indication that Samuel Rice was literate. It is possible that he only knew how to legibly sign his name but, more than likely, he also knew the rudiments of reading and writing and thus had received the basics of education.)
All of the worldly possessions of Samuel Rice, "...necessary bedding and clothing excepted...", are recorded above. A quick scan of the listed property indicates that the vast majority of these items are directly or indirectly related to eating and drinking. According to the descriptions provided, all of the furniture pieces are simple and would scarcely fill a tiny room at best. The final set of items cited are a set of fire irons, which Samuel Rice indicates are "...all old furniture...".
At the age of sixty-two and one-half years old, Samuel Rice had filed for his pension application upon hearing of the Act of Congress of March 18, 1818. His statement was written to demonstrate that he had done nothing to "abnormally" bring himself within the conditions needing to be met in order for an applicant to qualify for a state-supported pension. The content of his pension application is poignant and the citation of his paltry belongings confirms the poverty of this veteran of the American Revolution. It gives one pause to consider that many of these veterans had fallen on such hard times and faced such diminished living conditions that they eagerly applied for relief from the state and country for which they had fought.
Not much more information is known concerning the life of Samuel Rice. As far as his marital status was concerned only a single, brief statement was made by him in his final pension application stating that he did have a wife who was still alive when he filed that application on July 7, 1820. He simply stated that "...My family consists of myself and Wife who is unable to labor, she being infirm and sickly.". No reference was ever made concerning any children, living or deceased. If an applicant had children, he would have certainly included mention of them in his pension application due to the fact that he might receive more sympathy and a larger pension in order to support additional family members. Since no children, living or dead, are mentioned, we must assume that there were no offspring born to Samuel Rice and his unnamed wife.
The final entry in the "Pension Application of Samuel Rice S39833" is contained within the title of the document itself. The "S" that precedes the actual numerical designation of the pension application indicates that the individual who actually received the pension was a survivor of the American Revolution. This would indicate that Samuel Rice, a former "seaman" on board the frigate South Carolina, was still alive at the time that the application was filed on July 7, 1820 and, thus, must have died at some point after this date. Unfortunately, the writer of this overall blog has not located even a possible reference to the burial spot of Samuel Rice, either in a cemetery in East Greenwich, RI or anywhere else for that matter.
Finally, the application ends with the following statement:
"Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $8 per month commencing March 31, 1818, for service as a Seaman on board the Ship South Carolina.".
Again, this supports the fact that Samuel Rice was still alive at the beginning of his pension payments and that they were retrograded back to the date the Act of Congress was initially passed - March 18, 1818. But, if he then predeceased his wife, she could have applied to continue to receive his pension for the remainder of her life. A brief citation of this widow's application would be included after the above statement of payments commencing for Samuel Rice. Since this statement does not appear, the readership can assume that Samuel Rice's wife either predeceased him or she chose, for some unknown reason, to not apply to continue to receive his payments, which would seem odd, given her extremely reduced living conditions as previously cited by Samuel Rice in the pension application.