Jehu Grant ( 1752 – December 28, 1840) was born a

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

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. He was living in Narragansett in 1777 when he ran away from his enslaver Elihu Champlen and served in various capacities in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

for eight months during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

as a waggoner and servant to John Skidmore Wagon master. His situation was discovered, and he was returned to Champlen, who later sold him to a man named Grant. With the assistance of Joshua Swann, his freedom was purchased from that enslaver, and in return, he agreed to work for Swann for a certain time. Joshua Swann took up residence in

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, and brought along Jehu Grant. After the agreed term had expired, Jehu Grant continued to live in Saratoga County. He married and had several children: he is listed in the 1820 Federal Census of the Town of Milton with a household consisting of two males under 14, one male 14 to 26 and one over 45, and with a female 14 to 26 and one over 45. In 1832, the

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enacted the first comprehensive Pension Act, which granted an annual stipend to any veteran of the Revolutionary War who could prove his service. Jehu Grant was one of several dozen black veterans and one of thousands who applied for the fund. The only proof many of these veterans had that they had been part of the fight was their recollections. To receive the funds, ex-soldiers had to tell their stories to a local court reporter, who sent the records to

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for disposition. At the time of his pension application, Grant was 80 years old and blind. He appealed with the assistance of a neighbor. The following is an excerpt from the letter he sent to J. L. Edward, the then Commissioner of Pensions: Grant's application was denied, as was a subsequent plea. Because he was employed as a waggoner and waiter and not a proper soldier, the U.S. government in 1832 would not recognize his claim.

External links

Jehu Grant on the Saratoga County NYGenWeb Page

The Official record of his rejection was because he served only as a Waiter and A Wagon-master
1750s births 1840 deaths People from Narragansett, Rhode Island People from Milton, Saratoga County, New York African Americans in the American Revolution 18th-century American slaves People of Rhode Island in the American Revolution {{US-army-bio-stub