Jacob and Contente

 

FamilySearch. Rev. War Pensions. 1838.

Jacob Truax and Contente Bills married in Monmouth County, New Jersey in August 1784. The couple promptly had a son, Sylvanus, in 1786, along with Margaret (1788), Thomas (1790), Samuel (1792), Jacob Jr (1794) and Hester (1798). 

Jacob served in the Revolutionary War and filed a pension. His widow Contente submitted pension papers, and after her death in 1838, her children received the benefit. Above shows two screenshots from the pension record naming the children. This set of documents is hugely helpful for piecing together the family.

There's more on Jacob's service during the Revolutionary War that deserves a separate post.

FamilySearch. Rev. War Pensions.

FamilySearch. US Bounty Land records.

FamilySearch. Monmouth, NJ deed. 7 Feb 1823.

Contente was born in Monmouth County, New Jersey in 1764, the daughter of Sylvanus Bills and Rachel Lippincott. She was 20 at marriage to Jacob Truax in 1784. She would have been a teen during the years of the American Revolution. The Battle of Monmouth, which occurred in their town on 28 June 1778, is known as one of the longest battles of the war. For more on the Monmouth campaign, see this post from Mount Vernon.

After the war, the Truax family raised their children in Howell Township. The children of Jacob and Contente received the Revolutionary War pension in 1842.

Fold3.