Pension Application

W.20573 (Widow: Lydia)
b. July 20, 1761 in New Marlborough, Berkshire Col. Mass. Res. during Rev. Lenox, Berkshire Col. Mass & Manchester Bennington Co. Vt. In 1833, res. Geneseo, Livingston Co., NY & there died July 24, 1843.
State of New York
Livingston County SS.
            On this first day of October 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting in and for said county, Aaron Adams, a resident of Geneseo in the County of Livingston, and State of New York aforesaid, aged seventy two years, and upwards who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
            That on the eighth day of August, according to the recollection of this declarant in the year 1779, the said declarant being then a resident of the Town of Lenox in the County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts he entered the army of the United States as a substitute for a man by the name of Hall, but whose Christian name this declarant does not recollect. That his captain’s name was Samuel Goodrich of the same town of Lenox and whose company was attached to the Regiment under command of Colonel John Collar of New Marlborough and county of Berkshire aforesaid, that the Regiment to which this declarant was embodied was marched shortly after his enlistment as aforesaid to New Haven in Connecticut for the purpose of guarding that place from the invasion of the British and this declarant thinks it was about two weeks subsequent to the time New Haven was taken and plundered by the enemy.
            That while yet in New Haven the month for which this declarant was a substitute expired and he was dismissed without any written discharge and returned to the town of Lenox aforesaid.
            That subsequent to his time to wit the 15th of August 1780 as near as this declarant recollects this declarant again entered the service of the United States as a volunteer under command of one Captain Ford the Regiment being commanded by Colonel Brown of Pittsfield in the County of Berkshire aforesaid—that at the time he volunteered this declarant understood his destination to be West Point in the State of New York, that after reaching Claverack near what is now the City of Hudson in said State of New York the place of rendezvous the Regiment to which this declarant was attached received orders to march up the Mohawk River and accordingly this declarant went with them as was stationed at a fort in the town of Stone Arabia commonly called Stone Robbie where the said Declarant remained until his regiment was ordered out tow what was called Sprakers Ferry where they were commanded by General Van Rensselaer to assist a regiment to cross the river under the command of Col. Dubois but that Dubois’s Regiment did not come as expected and Col. Brown’s Regiment to which this declarant belonged was ordered to return to the fort. That they had not proceeded over a mile on their return when they were ambushed by a party of Indians and Tories supposed to be about 800 in number. Col. Brown was killed in the early part of the engagement and the command devolved upon Major Root who ordered the regiment to make the best escape they could. This declarant effected a return to the fort after encountering many perils. About one hundred of the regiment were killed.
            After this engagement the declarant returned to Lenox aforesaid having before he left however served out the period of his enlistment it being for three months.
            Soon after his return to Lenox this declarant removed to Manchester in the County of Bennington and State of Vermont where he this declarant resided when he entered the service of the United States the third time which was on or about the fifteenth day of July 1781. He this declarant enlisted under command of one Theodore Blanchard a Lieutenant, but that the Captains name this declarant does not recollect as immediately after arriving at the place of Rendezvous to wit, near what is now called White Hall in Washington County and State of New York but was then called Skenesborough, this declarant was selected as a waiter for the commanding officer whose name was Walbridge, from the town of Bennington in the State of Vermont. That the regiment under command of Col. Walbridge aforesaid built a picket fort about three miles from Skenesborough where they were stationed until the three months for which this declarant enlisted expired, that nothing important occurred during their stay at this fort except that he went as waiter with Ira Allen, and Isaac Fehmor? In the interval on board the enemy’s fleet for the purpose as this deponent understood of making arrangements for the exchange of Prisoners this declarant further saith, that the whole time he was in the service of the United States as a Revolutionary soldier amounts to seven months as above stated. That he has no documentary evidence of his service and that he knows of no person living who can testify to his service except the facts and circumstances testified to by James Cruttenden who has been in intimate who had been an intimate acquaintance of this declarant from his earliest recollection. That shortly after the British abandoned the city of New York this declarant resided there about a year after that he removed to Saratoga in the state of New York where he married and resided some six or seven years then he removed to Montgomery County in the State of New York where he remained some six years thence he removed to Cayuga County in the same state where he remained eight years, and from thence he came to the county where he now resides and has since remained there.
            And in answer to the Interrogatories put to him by the said court this declarant says that he was born in the town of New Marlborough in the County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts on the 20th day of July 1761. That he presumes there is a record of his birth in the Town of New Marlborough aforesaid but whether the same is kept by the town clerk or what officer he cannot say. That he resided in said Town of New Marlborough until he was about ten years of age, then he removed to the town of Lenox in the County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts aforesaid where he lived when he this declarant first entered the service of the United States as a soldier in the war of the Revolution that service the war of the Revolution, he has resided about one year in the city of New York from thence he removed to Saratoga County and Town of Milton where he remained six or seven years, from thence he removed to Palatine in Montgomery County & State of New York aforesaid where he resided six years from thence he removed to Seipio in Cayuga County and state of New York aforesaid where he remained about eight years, from thence he went to since I the present county of Livingston where he remained a year and thence to Geneseo in the same county where he now resides and has so resided for the last thirteen years.
            That he entered the said service as a volunteer substitute by the name of Hall for the term of one month the first time.
            The second time he entered the said service as a volunteer for the term of three months. And the third time he entered the said service as an enlisted soldier for the term of three months, that the whole of his service was performed in the militia.
            That he cannot give any more particular description of the names of the officers who were with him or with the troops where he served of the Regiments Continental and Militia or the general circumstances of his service than as he has before related. That he never received any written discharge.
            That Major William H. Spencer, Hon. William Finly & Charles H. Carroll and Calvin H. Bryan Esquire and many other persons in Geneseo can testify to his veracity and character in General and also of their belief of his having served in the war of the Revolution.
            That there is no clergy man in Geneseo who has resided there for any considerable time consequently this declarant can [not] procure the testimony of a clergyman without much expense, and delay as those with whom this deponent has been long acquainted have removed to a great distance the town of Geneseo aforesaid.
            That this declarant never received any commission or any discharge in writing from his revolutionary service as aforesaid and this declarant hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. (Signed) Aaron Adams.
            Sworn and subscribed in open court the day & year aforesaid. S. G. Haven Dep. Clerk.
Letter in reply to an inquiry dated August 11, 1924.
            I have to advise you that from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, W.20573, it appears that Aaron Adams was born July 20, 1761 at New Marlborough, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
            While residing at Lenox, Massachusetts, he enlisted August 8, 1779 and served one month as a private in Captain Samuel Goodrich’s Company, Colonel John Collar’s Massachusetts Regiment.
            He enlisted August 15, 1780 and served three months as a private in Captain William Foord’s Company, Colonel John Brown’s Massachusetts Regiment and was in the battle of Stone Arabia.
            While residing at Manchester, Vermont, he enlisted July 15, 1781 and served as a private three months under Lieutenant Theodore Blanchard, Colonel Walbridge’s Vermont Regiment.
            He was allowed pension on his application executed October 1, 1833, while a resident of Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, and he died there July 24, 1843.
            Soldier married in Milton, Saratoga County, New York, June 24, 1790, Lydia Washburn, she was allowed pension on her application executed May 28, 1846, while living in Geneseo, New York, Aged seventy five years.
            There is no further data on file as to his family.

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