Incentive to lie on Application for Benefits?
Dear List:
I'm writing to inquire if anyone knows of a reason why a widow, son, and best friend would lie about a death date on an application to obtain widow's benefits?
My ancestor, Ebenezer Metcalf (or Medcalf) of Mansfield, CT, served in the Lexington Alarm.On 1 Sept 1828, he made his will, witnessed by his friend and neighbour, Seth Dunham, leaving everything he owned to his wife, Silence.The executor was Ebenezer's son, William.
A little more than a year later, Ebenezer had apparently died, for on 7 Dec 1829, Seth appeared in court to affirm that he had indeed witnessed the will and that Ebenezer had been of sound mind.
Several weeks later, on 28 Dec 1829, William appeared in court as executor and the will was approved by the court.
What completely confuses me is that 10 years later,in August of 1839, William, Seth and Silence all filed declarations, under penalty of perjury, stating that Ebenezer had died on 5 November 1831.These declarations were all filed in support of Silence's application for Revolutionary War pension benefits as Ebenezer's widow.
Is there some reason I'm missing for them to claim that Ebenezer died approximately 2 years later than he did?Would Silence have been ineligible for benefits if his true date of death had been stated?
If anyone has an answer to this conunundrum -- I'd love to hear it!
Many thanks, Roger