Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Adam Garlock
R.3917
State of New York
Wayne County
On this
25th day of August 1853, personally appeared in Open Court, before the Wayne
County Court being a court of record having a seal, now sitting Adam Garlock
a resident of the Town of Palmyra in this county [illegible] and state, aforesaid
aged eighty six years, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on
his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the
Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832.
That he entered
the service of the United States under the following named officers and served
as herein stated viz: He entered the service under Col. Marinus Willett as he
servant (1) and was not during the first year under the command of a captain
as a regular soldier, but constantly under Col. Willett’s general orders,
with his command & frequently dispatched by him as a courier from one military
post to an other with his orders. This was in the year 1779 (2) and early
in 1780, was in the Valley of the Mohawk on the Indian frontier, New York & the
service was defending the frontier from the depredations, [illegible] & murders
of the Indians, Tories & British. We were stationed most of the time
that year at a small fort called Fort Diffendorff. The fort consisted of
palisades or posts driven in the ground from a foot to two feet through sharpened
at the top with heavy doors; it enclosed an area containing one frame house,
a large log building used as barracks & two other small frame buildings all
the buildings were loopholed for muskets.
There were
at this fort several small cannon, one brass piece called a six pounder. Capt.
Jacob Defindorff (3) was captain at this place. The Indians and Tories
one night were seen approaching the fort; the guard fired, the alarm was given & the
whole force of the fort at once under arms for action. When the enemy found
they were discovered the fled. This fort was built at the expense of the
people; of the frontier & so dangerous were the attacks of the Indians & Tories
that for a long time the surrounding inhabitants used to lodge in the fort nights & always
with arms by them during the day. Col. Willett was at this fort most of
the time that season but his duties were active all along the frontier & I
had to be with him.
This declarant
further says that the second year of his service, the year 1780 (4) he served
in the Indian frontier service of the Mohawk Valley as a volunteer in the militia,
was regularly armed and did full service, stood guard, was constantly engaged
in all the service of the frontier, frequently out on scouting parties. Our
head quarters that year was at Indian Castle on the south side of the river some
twenty five-thirty miles west of Albany. This fort was made the same as
the other, only there was a regular block house and several small houses all
of which were looped for musketry. There was at this place, that year,
about fifty volunteer soldiers of which I was one, during the year and there
was a quite a number of Oneida Indians. Our captain was George House, (5)
appointed by the militia of that region. We had two cannon. On one
side of the fort was a wilderness and on the other side it commanded a full view
of its approach for a long distance. We were frequently that year ordered
out to traverse this wilderness for 10-15 and something miles around in pursuit
of Indians and Tories and we frequently performed that duty.
My father
(6) was taken prisoner in one of these scouting parties and was not returned
or exchanged till after the close of the war. Col. Willett was at Indian
Castle a part of the time that year.
This was the
region of the bloody operations of Brant, the Butlers and their savage allies. There
were regular soldiers several times at this post [fort?] during that year staying
but a short time and I do not remember the names of any of the officers or men. I
continued in service all that year. The third year of my service was in
1781. (7) I served all the year in the same service and at the same
fort. This was a very active year the [illegible] of the Indians and Tories
being frequent and of the most hideous character; this year he was ordered into
the service and was not a volunteer and he was on duty constantly at the fort
and in the country on scouting parties to the end of the year. We were
that year under the command of Captain House, though Col. Willett used to frequently
detail me to ride express from fort to fort which service I performed many times
during that year as I in fact did till the close of the war. I was also
engaged in the same service in 1782 (8) and under the same officers, during that
year I was out with a scouting party when we were attacked by a party of Indians
and Tories; there were twelve of us and two of our men were killed. One
was an Oneida Indian, he name was Philip, he was a large man and was called big
Philip. The other was a white man, I can’t remember his name, he
was a Mohawk Dutchman.
And this declarant
further says, he never had any discharge, there never was any given to those
engaged in the above service to his knowledge or belief, that he also served
in the same service till after the close of the war in the fall of 1783, the
forts in the Mohawk Valley being kept up for the service after peace was declared
on account of fear of the Indians. I have made diligent inquiries but
can now find no one who was with me in the service above related, or in any part
of it. I suppose they are all dead. I can find no one who has any
personal knowledge of my service. I have no sword or paper that prove or
afford any evidence of said service or any part of it and never had any, there
is no written evidence of my service to my knowledge and belief or of any part
of it. There was a man by the name of Jacob Forbes who lived for many years
in Lenox, Madison County, New York who was acquainted with my service as above
related but he died a year ago this fall. I took his affidavit several
years ago to apply to Congress for relief and I suppose it is not in Washington. The
following is a copy of his affidavit then taken.
State of New York
Madison County
I, Jacob
Forbes of Lenox in said county deposeth and saith that he has been acquainted
with Adam Garlock now of Lenox in said county while he the said Adam Garlock
served, was at the Indian Castle in the now County of Herkimer then Montgomery
in said state in the capacity of waiter to Col. Willett in the years 1781 and
1782, and since that time, and further knows that his leg was broken at the
aforesaid Indian Castle and I saw him while he lay with his leg broken and
I know that he remained lame with the same leg, and I further know that he
the said Adam served as waiter some times as sentinel at the said Indian Castle,
so called, and further this deponent says not.
(Signed
with his mark) Jacob Forbes
Subscribed
and sworn before me this 7th day of March 1846. Samuel Gliddon, Justice of
the Peace.
And
this declarant further says that there is attached to said affidavit of
said Jacob Forbes the certificate of Timothy Jenkins late member of Congress
from the district where said Forbes lived of which the following is a copy.
I am personally
acquainted with the above named Jacob Forbes and haven been so acquainted with
him for twenty years. He is a man of good character and is entitled to
full credit as a witness.
(Signed)
Timothy Jenkins
Washington 3rd Feb. 1853.
And
there is also attached to the petition of this deponent to Congress a certificate
by his neighbors of which the following is a copy.
The subscribers,
residents of the counties of Madison and Oneida in the State of New York are
acquainted with Adam Garlock named in the annexed petition and papers and have
been acquainted with him for some time past and that he ahs the character of
an honest man.
Dated March
1846.
I entered
the service in July 1779, and continued therein till the November after the
close of the war. I cannot tell the day I entered the service or the
day I left it. On the 7th day of November 1782 I was [repeat] I was
sent by Col. Willett on a courier to Fort Plain from Indian Castle about 10
or 11 miles on horse back when I was returning my horse fell with me and I
broke my leg between the knee and ankle joint and put my ankle out of joint. I
have been lame of this injury all my life. I remember Gen. Herkimer I
was present when his leg was cut off. I think the surgeons name was Petrie
a doctor Wright was also there. My father’s family at that time
lived near Gen. Herkimer. My father was a farmer. I am a farmer. Was
born about three miles from Fort Plain, in Montgomery County, NY. I lived
with Gen. Herkimer for a while before he died. After the war I went
out to the Town of Manheim in Montgomery County and lived there till sixteen
years ago, then I moved to Lenox, Madison County where I lived two years and
then I moved to where I now live where I have lived fourteen years. I
am of German origin, commonly known as a Dutchman. The reason I have not before
applied for a pension is I did not know for many years after the Act of 7th
of June 1832 that those who served in the militia on the Indian frontier were
entitled to a pension and was advised by those in whom I had confidence. Some
eight or ten years ago I heard relief was sometimes granted by Congress and
I then applied to Congress for relief and in the 31st Congress a bill was passed
one house for my relief but was not reached in the Senate. I have now
been advised that my case is one of a class that pensions are [illegible] by
the pension department this is the reason I have so long delayed my claim for
justice at the hands of my government. I was a [illegible] soldier. I
mention the names of several of the men who were in the service with me but
they are all dead, Jacob Forbes, Henry Pickart, Nicholas Bouse and George Smith
were among them.
The service
was of such a character and the men and officers so constantly changed that
I do not remember the names of more of the officers than I have stated.
I have relinquished
my claim to a pension or any annuity except the present and I hereby declare
that my name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.
(Signed
with his mark) Adam Garlock
Subscribed
and sworn to before me in open court this 25th day of August A.D. 1853. Leander
S. Ketchum, County Judge.
We William
R. Webb and Porter McKinstry clergymen residing in the Town of Palmyra hereby
certify that we are well acquainted with Adam Garlock who has subscribed and
sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be eighty-six years of
age, that he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides
to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
(Signed)
Wm. R. Webb. Porter McKinstry
Sworn and
subscribed the day and year subscribed viz: August 25, 1853. Jas. Peddle
Justice of the Peace, Wayne Co. NY.
And the
said [illegible] do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of
the matter and after putting the investigations prescribed by the War Department
that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served (no more
on petition)
Adam Garlock NY
R3917
End Notes.
(1) A servant or waiter is not always in military service. By
military law one would have to be 16 years of age to enlist in the service
as a private unless he was a musician [fifer or drummer]. Usually the
musicians ranged in age from 8 years and until they were 16 when they were
made privates and given muskets to fight with.
(2) Adam is mistaken about the year when he was hired. Lt. Col.
Commandant Marinus Willet was not in the Mohawk Valley until about May of
1781. Willett returned with a regiment of Levies raised from the New
York Militia Regiments to protect the Mohawk Valley.
(3) Jacob Dieffendorf was the Captain of the Fifth Company in the First Regiment
of Tryon County Militia.
(4) The year should be 1782.
(5) Jost [Joseph] House, Captain of the Sixth Company of the First Regiment.
(6) His father is probably Adam Garlock, Age 52, taken prisoner on
11 July 1782. Also taken on that date was Conrad Fritcher and Peter
Geotner, age 56. Fritcher and Garlock served in Captain John Ruff’s
[Roof] Company. This appears to be an Exempt Company. Men from
age 51 to 60 would serve in this company. The company did service in
the First Regiment and Second Regiment of Tryon County Militia at various
times. This adds to the fact he was mistaken in the years.
(7) This should be the year 1783.
(8) This is probably the right year.