Consider White
Consider White was a private in the revolution as shown in the muster rolls and payrolls of various Connecticut units in Continental service:
In Lt Col Jonathan Johnson's Company of Col Phillip Bradley's 5th Connecticut Regiment, Consider is shown as having enlisted 2 April 1780 for a term of 1 year, 8 months. He appears on the rolls for July, September, October, and December; other months in the period are missing. A pay roll for July shows him being paid $6.60 for 3 months, 2 days of service through 2 August 1780. He is shown in an accounting of that regiment having enlisted 2 Apr 1780, being paid £17-8-2 in wages for 8 months, 23 days, and reimbursement for blanket, less the value of cloth supplied.
The Connecticut Line was reorganized in early 1781, reducing the number of units, but generally retaining the same strength. This could easily explain some of the missing paperwork for this period. Consider is next found on the muster rolls for Capt John St. John's Company (succeeded by Capt David Strong) of Col Heman Swift's 2nd Connecticut Regiment for March through July 1781, with the same enlistment date and term of service. Connecticut records show his term commenced 1 Jan 1781 and ended 7 Dec, for 11 months, 7 days, and was paid £22-9-11 for his services, with adjustments made for rations and blankets.
A portion of this company under Capt St. John (succeeded by Capt Elijah Chapman) formed one of eight "light infantry" companies that went to Yorktown under Lafayette, but Consider is not on that list.
In Capt David Strong's 8th Company, 2nd Connecticut Regiment, he appears on the Roll and Muster reports for April through August 1782 which show he enlisted 1 April 1782 for a one year term. In September and October he is shown on the roll as "transporting wood to West Point." In November he had returned to post with 4 months remaining on his term and as having last mustered in September. He appears in the December (combined with January) through March reports with the last noting he was discharged 1 April 1783. Published Connecticut records reflect the same enlistment and noted his residence as Sharon.
In Pierce's Register of payment certificates there are two entries for Consider White: Certificate #51945 for $60.00 and #42041 for $19.32. Per the general index to the register, the first is in a series for an unidentified regiment paid to 1 Jan 1783; the second is in a series made out for a Regiment, supposed to be Connecticut, paid to 4 Nov 1783.
In sum, the records show total service of 2 years, 8 months with a four month break between December 1781 and April 1782.
His pension application includes this deposition:
State of New York
Washington County…Consider White of Greenwich in said County being duly affirmed saith that he made application for a pension under the act May 15th 1828 and that he then made a declaration agreeably to the said act that his declaration bore date agreeably to the best of his recollection on the twenty first day of January 1831 and this deponent further saith that the only evidence he has of his service is his own personal oath and that his said declaration was duly qualified by his own affirmation and contained the truth which declaration this affirmant caused to be forwarded to the City of Washington by mail and received an answer from the Secretary of the Treasury that his claim was disallowed because it appeared by the record that this affirmant enlisted for Twelve months and this affirmant further saith that his said declaration was not returned to his knowledge and he supposes that it is still in the department which letter bore date the 17th February 1831—And this affirmant further saith that although his enlistment appears to have been for but one year yet he did serve as set forth in his said declaration until the close of the war and this affirmant further saith that when he entered the service Colonel Swift had the command of the first Regiment in the Brigade and this deponent served in said Regiment until after Swift was promoted to the office of Brigadier General, and until the close of the war.—and received an honorable discharge on West Point which discharge is lost. And this affirmant further saith that at the time of making his application under the act 15th of May 1828 he resided in the Town of Greenwich in the County of Washington and State of New York and still resides at the same place.
Sworn the 17th day of July 1832.
One further note to his military service record: An 1868 article in the Register reports a Consider White in Rounsville's militia from Freetown, Bristol, Massachusetts that marched on the Alarm of April 1775. The record was transcribed in 1868 by the historian of the town of Freetown but on the original document, the line is on a crease in the paper and is difficult to read. The author, General Ebenezer Pierce determined the name was Consider, but as early as 1832 the Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State was reporting this service as belonging to Simpson White as shown in his pension file. Simpson White is also on later muster rolls of Rounsville's company during the seige of Boston and his service at the Lexington Alarm was credited to Simpson White in Massachusettes Soldiers & Sailors
It's unlikely the Massachusetts office erred in reading the document, but it is tempting to consider the possibility. John White and Consider Crapo were sergeants in this company. John and Consider Crapo were probably neighbors and had trained together in the Minute company. Could John have named his son Consider after his friend Consider Crapo, and taken his son with him as part of the militia company? Probably not. In 1775 he would have been not quite 12 years old which is really stretching the bounds of credibility, presuming his birth date is accurate. Consider White is not recorded in Massachusettes Soldiers & Sailors for any service and this service is not mentioned in his pension file. There is a family story that he was a drummer but this may have been during his first enlistment, when he was not yet 17