Pension Application

Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Seth Rowley

S 42216
State of New York
Otsego County
Seth Rowley aged 60 years, being duly sworn, saith that he is a resident of the town of New Lisbon in the County aforesaid, and has served as a private soldier in the War of the Revolution against the common enemy, for the term of nine months and longer, at a certain period of the war herein after mentioned, on the Continental Establishment, and is yet a resident citizen of the United States; and by reason of his reduced circumstances in life, he is in need of assistance from his country for support.
And this deponent further saith, that he never has received any pension from the United States, and doth hereby relinquish his claim to every pension that may have been heretofore allowed him by the laws of the United States, excepting and reserving to himself the right of claiming, and he doth hereby claim a pension under and act entitled ”An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and navel service of the United States in the Revolutionary War”, passed 18th March, 1818.
And this deponent doth further declare under oath, that the time he entered the army of the United States in the War of the Revolution aforesaid, on the Continental Establishment, the officers under whom he served, and the line to which he belonged, together with the time and manner of leaving the service, are all correctly set forth, according to the best of his knowledge and recollection, in the following manner; that is to say, he the said Seth Rowley did at Richmond in the State of Massachusetts, which instrument was for three years. Served said three years in said regiment and was discharged at ??? Kills in the State of New York in 1779 by Lieut. Col. John Williams.
This deponent again entered at Stephentown in the State of New York in the month of May 1780 under one Captain Stephen White in Colonel Marinus Willett’s regiment belonging to the New York Line which enlistment was for one year. Served about ten months and was discharged in the winter of 1781 at Fort Plain by Captain Gross. This deponent was in the Battle at Saratoga on the taking of Gen’l Burgoyne and the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey. This deponent further saith that he had lost the discharges he received and has it not in his power to offer other evidence of his services. (Signed) Seth Rowley

District of New York
Otsego County
            On this 13 day of February in the year of our Lord 1824, personally appeared in open court being a court of records by the laws of the State of New York for the County aforesaid, Seth Rowley aged sixty five years, resident in the Town of New Lisbon in the County of Otsego in the said district who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath declare:
            That he served in the Revolutionary War in Captain Stone’s Company, Colonel Brown’s Regiment belonging to the Massachusetts Line and the date of his original declaration was on the 30th day of April 1818.
            And I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the 19th day of March 1919, and that I have not since that time by gift or sale or in any manner disposed of my property or any part thereof so to diminish it as to bring myself under the provisions of an act of Congress entitled an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the revolutionary War, passed on the 18th day of March 1818 and that I have not nor has any person interest for me, any property or securities contract or debts due to me not have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule herein annexed and by me subscribed.
Schedule of my property:
Eight sheep worth $10.00
Three Shoats? $4.50
One Table $2.00
Four Chariz (not a typo) $3.00
One woolen wheel $2.00
One Linen wheel $2.50
One kettle $2.00
One pot $1.23
One tea Kettle $1.00
Total $28.25

State of New York
Chenango County
18 March 1836
Seth Rowley a pensioner and Revolutionary soldier deposeth that he was placed on the pension roll and drew a pension of 8 dollars a month from the 30th of April 1818 for two years. That his pension was then discontinued in consequence of his having a piece of land on which there was a mortgage that the land was sold on the mortgage and taken from this deponent. That on the above facts being known to the War Department this deponent was reinstated and has drawn his pension from the 14th of August 1828 thus having his pension upwards of eight years, that himself and wife reside with his son Seth Rowley Jr. who is poor and unable to assist them that this deponent is aged 75 years and his wife is 65. That they are both inform and unable to labor. This deponent is decrepit from one hand being contructed and perished and the other useless from a broken arm which was never property reduced. That the sum of 96 per year is wholly inadequate for their support and that they actually need further assistance for their present necessities. This deponent therefore requests that his pension which was discontinued may be paid to him or at least some part thereof. (Signed) Seth Rowley

State of New York
Otsego County
Seth Rowley Junior being duly sworn saith that in the year 1823 he purchased of Set Rowley the father of his deponent his real estate situate in New Lisbon in the county aforesaid containing about fifty acrez. That at the time of the purchase the said land was encumbered by a mortgage given to Messrs Hand and Peck for about three hundred and fifty dollars which had them live on interest for several years, this deponent never at any time paid his father or any other person anything towards the said land and being poor was unable to pay the said mortgage to Hand and Peck and in the month of September of 1824 reconveyed the said premises to his father for the original consideration money which he agreed to pay for the same, and this deponent saith that the conveyance to him of the said farm by his father in 1823 was made in good faith and that he should have kept the farm and paid for it according to his contract if he had been able and that he was compelled to abandon said contract by reason of not having the money to pay the mortgage on said farm and further saith not. (Signed) Seth Rowley Junr.
Sworn and subscribed this seventh day of April 1828 before me, Otis Starkey, Commissioner.

I have the use of a cow that is given me for the farm, my occupation is that of a farmer but I can not work but very little on account of my right hand having perished. I have a wife aged 57 years, she is weakly and able to do but little. One daughter aged 21 years who is weakly and one daughter aged 15 years who is not engaged.
Immediately after the act of Congress of the first of May 1820, I intended to have forwarded my papers to the War Department for the continuation of my pension but was dissuaded by John Reesel Esq. who assured me that there was no probability that I would be ??? a pensioner while I owned 50 acres of land. Since that time I have under the necessity of disposing of my land in the following manner in the first place, I mortgaged it to Hand and Peck in the month of August 1820 to secure the payment of three hundred and forty two dollars monies due to said Peck in the Month of February 1822. I was indebted to Seth Rowley, Junr. One hundred and eighty dollars and at that time I sold my fifty acres of land (being all the land I owned) to Seth Rowley who undertook to pay the monies due on the mortgage to Peck and discharge me from the $180 debt I owed to him. In this measure the whole proceeds of my land has been disposed of to pay those two debts. (Signed) Seth Rowley
Sworn this 13 day of February 1824, in open court. William Nicholas, Clerk