Bolton, Abijah T.

Farmer, War of 1812 Veteran

Birth: 1787, Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut
Death: 1872, Beaver, Crawford County, Pennsylvania (see notice below)
Burial: ?

Western Reserve Chronicle, November 27, 1872.

Military Service: Bolton served in Captain Henry Atkins' [sic Atkinson's] Company, 3rd Infantry Regiment.

We know little about Abijah T. Bolton. According to late-nineteenth-century histories of Trumbull and Mahoning counties, Abijah T. Bolton served in the War of 1812 (1812-1814).[1]

Based on his military service in that war, Bolton submitted to the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Invalid Pensions a number of petitions, the first dated April 11, 1846, for "private relief"--in this case, a pension based on his invalidism and his military service. This initial petition apparently failed, for Bolton submitted the same petition to the Committee on April 11, 1846, February 13, 1849, February 07, 1850, and July 28, 1852.[2] It appears that at least by 1849 Bolton was living in Pennsylvania, because the 1849 petition was submitted by Pennsylvania Congressman John W. Howe.

Bolton's name is listed in an 1873 review of the United States House of Representatives' actions on citizens' private claims. It appears that the House took no action on the claim.[3]

On August 4, 1816, he married Peggy Gates in Trumbull County.

Updated 11/11/2020

[1] See Historical Collections of the Mahoning Valley: Containing an Account of the Two Pioneer Reunions: Together with a Selection of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, Etc., Relating to the Sale and Settlement of the Lands Belonging to the Connecticut Land Company, and History and Reminiscences, Both General and Local (Youngstown: Mahoning Valley Historical Society, 1876), Volume 1, p. 467, andHistory of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches (Cleveland, Ohio: H. Z. Williams & Bros., 1882), Volume 2, p. 451.
[2] Dates in this sentence are linked to digitized primary sources in the Congressional Series Set--United States House of Representatives Journals.
[3] Digested Summary and Alphabetical List of Private Claims Which Have Been Presented to the House of Representatives From the Thirty-Second to the Forty-First Congress, Inclusive; Exhibiting the Action of Congress on Each Claim, with References to the Journals, Reports, Bills, Etc., Elucidating Its Progress (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1873), p. 12.