Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for John Armstrong

S.44,553
State of New York
Cayuga County SS.
            On this 30th day of March 1819 before me the Subscriber one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for said county personally appeared John Armstrong aged 59 years resident in the County of Onondaga in the town of Camilus and State aforesaid who being by me duly sworn according to Law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the provision made by the late 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.”
            That he the said John Armstrong enlisted in the Town of Rome at old Fort Stanwicks in the State of New York and was first mustered in Captain Parsons(1) Compy in Col. VanSchaick Regiment in the 1st New York Regiment.  That he entered for and during the war & continued in said service until the end of the war & was discharged out of Captain Leonard Bleeker’s Company at Newbergh & That he was at the taking of Cornwallis (2) and at the battle of fort Stanwicks (3) that he has lost his discharge & has no other evidence of his said service now in his power & that he is in very reduced circumstances & stands in need of assistance of his country for his support & further saith not.  (Signed with his mark)  John Armstrong
            Sworn before me.  John Groven, Judge of Cayuga Com.  Pleas
State of New York
Cayuga County SS.
            On this 9th day of October 1820, personally appeared in open court, being a court of record for the said county, on the October Term of Common Pleas John Armstrong aged 62 years, resident in The Town of Aurelius in said county, who, being first duly sworn, according to law, doth, on his oath, declare that he served in the revolutionary war was follows:
            That he entered for during the war in the New York Troops in the company commanded by Leonard Bleeker in Col. Van Schaik Regt (name not recollected) served till the end of the war & was discharged at Newbergh N. York.  That he was at the taking of Corn Wallis That the date of his original declaration was to the best of his recollection the 28th day of November 1818.  Certificate No. 10, 151.
            And I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States, on the 18th day of March, 1818, and that I have not, since that time, by gift, sale, or in any manner, disposed of my property, or any part thereof, with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within 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 in trust for me, any property, or securities, contracts or debts, due to me; nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule hereto annexed, and by me subscribed.
            That my usual occupation is farming & that by reason of a rupture in the groin and other infirmities I am rendered unable to do any kind of labour that my family consists of my wife Mary aged 58 she is very infirm and that I have no house or any real estate.  (Signed with his mark) John Armstrong
1 Axe 1.50
1 hoe 0.50
1 small kettle 0.75
1 tea kettle 0.50
3 tea cup & saucers 0.12 ½
[?] Brd. Axe 3.38
3 spoons 0.19 Total $3.59  (Signed with his mark)  John Armstrong
            Sworn to, and declared , on the 9th day of October 1820, before me in open court.  John Grover Judge of Cayuga Com. Pleas.

Detroit Nov 23d, 1875
Hon H. M. Atkinson
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C.
            I return herewith your note of Oct 29 in order to facilitate an understanding of the matter in question.
            The John Armstrong about whom I made enquiry in a former letter was a member or private in Cono’l VanDyke’s Regiment of N.Y. state Volunteers in which the said John Armstrong served during the entire Revolutionary War of 1776 and the said John Armstrong claims that for his services he was entitled to 300 acres of land That a warrant was issued for him for that amount soon after the close of the war or about 1785 and that he never received the said warrant from the department whereas it was issued his heirs now want that warrant now; so as the above is a proper subject of enquiry I respectfully ask to know if such warrant was ever issued or if the heirs of the said John Armstrong are still entitled to any such or any other amount of bounty land.
            As to your note of Oct 29 the widow who survived John Armstrong her mane was Mary Armstrong & not Jane and the warrant we are enquiring after was due the said Armstrong at the close of the war of 1776 & not by act of 1855.  Respectfully, E. J. McKendree

End Notes—John Armstrong –S44553

1. John served in place of Sergeant David Brown or in that time period “exchanged” places.  John is shown as a private on 31 March 1779 in Major Benjamin Ledyard’s company (Late Company Six) in Colonel Goose Van Schaick’s First New York Continental Regiment.  John was to serve out Sergeant Brown’s enlistment of three years who had entered on 15 December 1776.  John re-enlisted for “During War” and in 1781 was a private in Captain Leonard Bleecker’s Company of Light Infantry in Colonel Van Schaick’s New York Regiment.  (Revolutionary War Rolls 1775-1783, Series M-246, Roll 66, National Archives, Washington D.C.
2. The Yorktown Campaign was from September 28, 1781 to October 19, 1781.
3. The Siege of Fort Stanwix (Fort Schuyler) was from August 3 to August 24, 1777.  John does not appear on the roster of the Third New York Continental Regiment.  There had been a Jonathan Armstrong in the regiment but he is listed as a deserter on March 25, 1777.  (Revolutionary War Rolls 1775-1783, Series M-246 Roll 78, National Archives, Washington, D.C.)  There was an Archibald Armstrong who served as a private in Captain Michael Ittig’s (Edick) Company in Colonel Peter Bellinger’s Regiment of Tryon County Militia (Fourth Regiment).  Archibald and his wife Elizabeth had a son named Johannes born on January 11, 1761 and baptized January 23, 1761.  Reformed Dutch Church records, Stone Arabia, Page 24.  This could be the pensioner as there were some Tryon County Militia living near Fort Schuyler and some of them took refuge in the fort.  John states that he enlisted at the fort and would have been old enough to serve in the militia in 1777 as he would be 16 years of age.

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