Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for Thomas Ayres

S.44564
City, County and State of New York SS.
            Thomas Ayres of the said City, Blacksmith, being duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that he, this deponent sometime in or about the month of May in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy six enlisted on the Continental Establishment in the service of the United States as a private in Captain William Jackson’s Company, Colo. Livingston’s Regiment, General James Clinton Brigadier General being of the line of the State of New York, the deponent was at that time of the age of twenty two years or thereabouts, the company was stationed at Fort Constitution and Fort Montgomery in the spring following and at the expiration of the time of service deponent received a regular discharge, that under said enlistment deponent served the United States for the period of twelve months, deponent then attached himself to the artificers department and assisted in building the Chevauxdefrize at New Cornwall, he afterwards entered, being on or about the month of [blank] in the year 1777, in the nine months service in Captain William Falconer’s company, Colonel Paulding Regiment, in General Clinton’s Brigade, was appointed sergeant, in this service was part of the time employed in the armourers department and received a regular discharge when the company was disbanded; that under the last mentioned enlistment deponent served the United States for the period of Nine months being the time of enlistment, he afterwards entered the three months service and was attached to the Armourer’s department at West Point under the direction of William Smith; after this until the end of the war he was in the blacksmith’s department under the direction of Jacob Reeder at Newburgh; deponent further swears that at the three enlistments above mentioned he received regular discharges, deponent doth therefore on his oath declare that he served the United States as a non commissioned officer and private, by virtue of the above enlistments, in the Continental Establishments, during the Revolutionary War, for the period of nine months & upwards and deponent received a commission as a captain in a company of militia in Orange County in the State of New York, dated the fourteenth day of March one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven, which commission is now in his possession.  And this deponent further saith that from his reduced circumstances he needs the assistance of his country for support.—And that at the time of the said services, he, this deponent was and has been ever since a resident citizen of the United States, and further, that the above mentioned discharges are lost.  (Signed) Thomas Ayres.
            Sworn to before me this sixth day of April 1818.  Warren Brackett, [?] and Judge of the court of Common Pleas &c.

New York Mayor’s Court.  In the Court of Common Pleas, called the Mayor’s Court of the City of New York, held at the City Hall, in and for the said City, before the Judges of the same Court, of July term, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty. Present the Honorable Peter A. Jay, Esquire Recording.
            City of New York.  SS.  Be it Remembered, that on the twenty ninth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty personally appeared in the Court of Common Pleas, called the Mayor’s Court of the city of New York, in open court, the said court being a court of record for the city and county of New York, according to the charter of the said city and the laws of the state of New York, Thomas Ayres aged sixty five years, resident in the City of New York who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath declares, that he served in the revolutionary war as follows: That his first enlistment was with Captain William Jackson, Col. Livingston’s Regiment of the New York Line, Continental Establishment under General James Clinton, that in this Corps. he enlisted for one year and served his time out and was regularly discharged, that this first enlistment took place in the year seventy five he thinks and was about a year previous to the declaration of Independence:--that about the time the first enlistment was out, there was a company of Artificers forming in Col. Lamb’s Regiment under the command of Thomas Matchin, who was chief of the Corps. for six months, this was the New York Line on the Continental Establishment, and declarant was also bound to do Artillery duty with the regiment to which he was attached, this Corps was formed principally for the purpose of preventing the enemy from ascending in the North River by means of Cheavauxdefrizes, that declarant served out his time with this Regiment or nearly so when he enlisted anew as a soldier for three months to go with General Malcomb to the westward to relieve General Starks he thinks, that declarant never went on this expedition he being detailed and detained by a general order to continue at West Point, in the Army, where he worked out his enlistment.  That some time afterwards he enlisted as a soldier in Capt. Wm. Faulkner’s Company, Col. Paulding’s Regiment, New York Line Continental Establishment, for nine months and served his time out, and was discharged at Fishkill New York.  Declarant was never in any of the great engagements, he was in service and at West Point when Arnold deserted:--was in service at the point when Andre was executed, and that his original declaration is dated the sixth day of April one thousand eight hundred and eighteen and that his pension certificate is No. [blank] the original pension certificate never came to hand and the duplicated received is numbered 2772 and dated 3d March 1819.
            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 p0rovide 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, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen: 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, to wit:  No real estate whatever, and no personal property excepting his furniture, which consists of one old Beauro, eight or ten chairs, one common carpet half worn, two tables, one bed, only the common cooking utensils, and about three suits of wearing apparel, two of which are nearly worn out.
            This declarant further says that he is by trade a Blacksmith, tho: he has been unable to work at his trade for the last three years owing to his age and debility, and for several years before he quit working at his trade, he got but half wages:--That the only person in his family is his wife, and that her name is Mary, and that she is about sixty three years of age and weakly and unable to do any work by which she can even support herself:- He has but one son who has a family himself to support, and he is a Clerk in a store in this City, that he has but two daughters both of whom are married one to a printer by trade, and the other to a cartmen, and that his sons in law have both families and are unable to support the said deponent.  (Signed) Tho’s. Ayres
            Sworn in Open Court this 29th day of July 1820.  Perry Ferris, Clk.

Return to opening page of Morrison's Pensions

Copyright © 1998, -- 2008. James F. Morrison and Berry Enterprises. All rights reserved. All items on the site are copyrighted. While we welcome you to use the information provided on this web site by copying it, or downloading it; this information is copyrighted and not to be reproduced for distribution, sale, or profit.