1. Numerous Revolutionary War records (roll & payroll), and pension records detail Richard’s service in the Vermont Militia, as well as his father’s. Both served in the Battle of Bennington. [117]

2. Military service 1 May 1778, Vermont. [117]

3. Richard Biddlecome operated a sawmill in NY state and Vermont with his father, Daniel, and also had a commercial loom, from which cloth was produced and sold. They also had a lumbering business in both states which was later operated by Richard and his half brother, Daniel, Jr. Richard is the only Biddlecome to have been awarded a pension from the federal govt. as a Revolutionery War vet. Though there were other Biddlecome's who served (including another Richard), it wasn't easy to qualify for a pension. After Richard's death, his widow (Ruth) received the pension for the rest of her life. It's easy to follow Richard's travels as a pioneer just by seeing where his children were born and married. He bought and sold land, making out well, and passed on all his skill learned from his father as well as his own experience to his children. It seems that though his children became geographically separated, there was an intense family unity and loyalty. It's hard to put in a short narrative a description of Richard's life. Documentation is pretty ample and a little imagination would make this pioneer's life seem like a movie (similar to Nathaniel "Natty" Bumpo, the Deerslayer). We could call our Richard the "Panther Killer" as related in a story published in a Beaman [family] genealogical publication I stumbled across, as told below...

Following is a story from Richard's youth:
The town of Bennington was then comparatively new and thinly settled. Wild cat, lynx, bear, and catamount roamed her forests and frequently made their raids from their forest home upon the flocks and herds of the scattered settlers. One of which I will relate as it happened on Joseph's [Beaman] farm situated at the foot of Bennington Mountain. One day, he (Joseph) being away from home, his two oldest boys, Joseph, 14 years old, and Jedediah, 12 years old, started with their little dog to get up the cows for the night. The cow pasture was near the mountain and to reach it they had to go through a strip of girdling where the bushes had grown very thick on each side of the path. Just before they got into the pasture they heard their little dog bark furiously but a few rods from their path in the thick bushes. They crawled along through the thick bushes until they got within 15 or 20 feet of the noise where they saw a panther sitting on the ground with a dead dog before him his hair all on end, snarling and growling and lashing his tail and making ready for a spring at them. As soon as they saw it, Jedediah hallooed "Joe it is the devil" and caught a dead limb and said, "He has killed our dog and I'll kill him." But Joseph told him to stop, it is a panther and to run backed out of the bushes keeping his eyes on the panther until they got into the path that led into the pasture. They ran and jumped on the old horse and without saddle or bridle up for home for the gun to shoot the animal. When they got home it was nearly sundown. Their mother told them they should not go back for they would certainly get killed. But they got the gun and loaded it as quickly as they could and ran back as fast as they could to where they had left the panther. Their mother ran to their neighbor, Biddlecome, who had to boys at home, three or four years older than hers and rallied them to go to their assistance.

When Joseph and Jedediah got back they saw the panther just across the path opposite where they saw him first. Joseph drew up and fired at him and put the ball right through its side. The animal made a tremendous scream and ran as well as he could off into the bushes. Joseph loaded the gun again as quickly as he could and soon the Biddlecome boys with their gun came on and they all started in pursuit of the wounded panther. It had got to be almost dark. Pretty soon they saw it crouched down beside an old long log. Joseph and the young Biddlecome boys crept up as near as they dared and both fired together at him. The panther gave a horrible scream, bounded up and down tremendously for awhile and then died. Then the boys hallooed and shouted and hurrahed and flung their hats in the air and made the woods and hills echo with the shout. "We've killed the panther, hurrah, we've killed the panther." Then they slung him across a pole and carried him triumphantly to the house. In the mean time many of the neighbors had run to the house to learn the cause of the noise and hurrahing. When the boys got home with their splendid trophy, then they were cheered in turn rousingly with three times three and a tiger. The neighbors escorted the boys with their panther down to the tavern in the village. The news of their exploit had spread so that by 8 or 9 o'clock at night nearly half the men in town had come together to congratulate the boys on their heroic adventure and the reception of their $25 bounty and to have a first rate time generally on account of the destruction of one of their most dangerous enemies, the ravenous and destructive panther. The boys were treated to the best the landlord could procure and altogether they kept them waiting on them and the people till broad daylight. Then the people skinned the panther as nearly whole as they could and stuffed it with straw and stood it up on the signpost of the tavern where it remained for a number of years as a memorial of the courage and resolution of the boys, Joseph and Jedediah Beeman and Richard Biddlecome. At the session of the U. S. Court in the fall of 1832 at Rutland, the writer of this [article] heard the incident of the killing of the panther at the request of some gentlemen from Bennington who said they were knowing to the facts at the time and that they were as he has said. [248]

4. Richard Biddlecome was involved in a court case about Lawsuit against tenant in Jan 1800, in Chttenden County, Vermont. Richard sued to evict a tenant who was claiming his land. His attorney was very sharp and won the case for Richard. [248]