Pension Application

R.137
State of New York
County of Sullivan SS.
            On this first day of February one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Sullivan aforesaid (being a Court of Record) Reuben Allen a resident of the town of Thompson in the said County of Sullivan and State of New York aged seventy seven 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 the seventh one thousand eight hundred & thirty two.
            That he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer in the army of the Revolution in the month of October 1780 under Captain Reuben Scofield in Colonel Webb’s Regiment in General Waterbury’s Brigade and left the same in the month of August 1781. That the Lieutenant’s name was James Weed and the Ensign’s name was Aaron Comstock. That he resided at that time in the town of Norwalk Fairfield Co. and State of Connecticut; that he marched from Norwalk to Middlesex in said County of Fairfield from thence to Stamford, Horseneck, Greenwich, Roten River and Sawgatuck Bridge, as occasion required. That he frequently during the time of his service under Captain Scofield saw General Putnam, Colonel Webb, Colonel Joseph Hoyt and General Waterbury. That there occasioned during that time of service several skirmishes, one of which occurred in Stamford Harbour in which the deponent was wounded in the foot by a musket ball, by a party of British or Tories who were attempting to land in whale boats, for the purpose of getting provisions from a mill in that neighborhood. That another of said skirmishes took place at Crumper? Hill in said County of Fairfield, whilst this deponent was under said Captain Scofield between a party of about three hundred Americans and a large Body of British and Tories in which the deponent was wounded in the hand & thigh, which would disabled two of his fingers of his left hand and they have continued disabled ever since; but the precise date of said skirmishes from the lapse of time he cannot now recollect. The he received his discharges regularly from Captain Scofield—but did not preserve them as he supposed them of no value and he cannot now find them. That the reason of his not applying sooner for a pension is this, that he did not know till lately that he could obtain any proof of his services when he discovered that Daniel Nichols with whom he served under Captain Scofield was yet living & resided in Ulster County State of New York. That he has frequently endeavored to discover persons who was with him in the war, but they were all dead or moved from the place where they formerly resided, so that he could discover none until he discovered said Nicholas.
            That he was born on the first day of August in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty nine near Mill River in the said County of Fairfield and State of Connecticut but has no record of his age except the bible in which his father put it down, which is now worne [worn] out. That his character for truth & veracity is known to many in his neighborhood and amongst others. The Rev’d Edward K. Fowler and John Holley, that the said deponent lived after the war in the Town of Norwalk said County of Fairfield & State of Connecticut, and has lived for the last thirty five or forty years in the said Town of Thompson, Sullivan County, and he hereby relinquishes every claim to any pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any other state. (Signed) Reuben Allen

State of New York
Sullivan County SS
            Be it known, that before me the undersigned one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, in and for said County aforesaid, personally appeared Reuben Allen, a resident of the Town of Thompson, in said County and State aforesaid, aged eighty one years on the first day of August next, who being duly sworn according [to] law, doth on his oath make the following supplemental declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June seventh 1832. That in the year 1776 he resided in the State of Connecticut, he then entered the Service of his country under Capt. Dan for the term of five months and received a bounty of ten dollars, he continued in said service about two months, his father, mother, and younger brothers were taken sick, --the deponent was compelled to hire a man to take his place, for which he paid him eleven dollars, and returned home,--At the time of the battle at the White Plains, the Malitia was ordered out and this deponent turned out, and marched to the White Plains and was there at the time of the engagement with General McDoughell, and the British Army, this deponents fathers family removed from the State of Connecticut, in a short distance into the State of New York in Westchester County, but this deponent is unable to say what year, but the lines was then drawn from the north river to the east river, a party of torys between three and four hundred, under the Command of Delancy, harbored on an Island in the East river called Morrisenea, frequently came out across the lines in Westchester County, and in the State of Connecticut, to plunder horses, cattles, and poltrey, [sic] there was frequent alarms, and a constant guard kept up patrolling along the lines, to protect the inhabitants against the invasion of this band of British and torys, but on account of old age and loss of memory he cannot now recollect the dates and lenth [length] of each tour of service, nor does he wish nor intend to state anything but what he feals [sic] clear and safe in, that he feals confident that he served as a private soldier at least two months under Capt. Dan at the White Plains, and a long the lines in the County of Westchester, and State of Connecticut he served at least two months under Capt. Sacket and two month[s] under Capt. Moseman, and one month under Capt. Delavan and ten months under Capt. Scofield, four months under Capt. Lee and ten months under Capt. Webb and also a short tour under Capt. Weed at the time the British burnt Danbury, but this depanant cannot now recollect the len[g]th of this service, he well recollects some of the field officers, col. Thomas, Col. Drake, Col. St. John, and General Waterbury, who were out with the troops on different locations and some times was stationed a long the lines under the command of non commissioned officers, this deponant during his services had several engagement[s] with this band of Torry’s and with British the time Danbury was burnt, and received three slight flesh wounds, this deponent on account of the loss of memory, cannot give the date of each separate tour of service, but feals confident, that he has served as herein stated, for which he claims a pension.
            He further declares that General Street drew his former declaration, and directed this deponent not to put in any service, that was not in his power to prove, this was the general opinion of the agents doing such business, that it would not avail the applicants anything, bot known that any records existed or ever would be found. (Signed) Reuben Allen
            Sworn to and subscribed this 13 day of May 1840 before me, P. Pelton, Judge of Co. Courts of Sullivan Col. NY

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