Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Marks Casler
R.1785
Declaration
in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress Passed June 7, 1832.
State of New York
Herkimer County
On the eleventh
day of October, personally appeared in open court before Michael Hoffman, John
Mahony & Augustus Beardslee, Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting,
Marks Casler,(1) a resident of Little Falls in the County of Herkimer and State
of New York aged sixty-six 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 7, 1832. That he entered the service
of the United States under the following named officers, time as herein stated.
Deponent has
always been informed & he believes true that he was born in the now Town
of Little Falls in said county on the twenty sixth day of April in the year 1766 & has
always resided & does still reside in the said town of Little Falls that
there is a record of his age in said town that was made by the minister of the
Dutch Reformed Church who baptized deponent when an infant as he has been informed
and believes true. Said record is now in the keeping of George Rosecrantz
a son of said minister.
In the spring
of the year 1779 a house about three miles west of Fort Herkimer in now Town
of Little Falls, & was ordered by Col. Peter Bellinger (2) as deponent believes
to taken possession of as the militia and converted into a fort & picketed
for defence which was done and then garrisoned by fourteen or fifteen men besides. Several
families that moved into it for protection & safety from the Indians and
Tories; deponent had been living with the daughter of Col. Bellinger whose husband
was killed in the Battle at Oriskany and was ordered to & did go & help
guard said fort then with twelve men appointed to take turns in standing sentry
the fort was commanded by Lieutenant Jacob Petrie & Ensign Patrick Campbell.
(3) The guard each night consisted of six men, this deponent stood sentry
every other night from the time the fort was garrisoned till the fall of
the following year in November which was about eighteen months.
That deponent
during that time had to & did take his turn standing sentry & keeping
guard in the day time till November of the year 1780 deponent was sent with Joseph
Bellinger (4) to the grist mill for flour deponent about one mile east of the
fort & was on their return home when they were fired upon by a party of Indians & their
horse killed deponent & said Bellinger were taken prisoners, the Indians
started immediately for Canada. They were eight days in the woods before
they came to Ogdensburg. Deponent & said Bellinger had but very little
to eat & suffered very much from cold & fatigue. They had to lie
on hemlock boughs at night & wade through streams of water in many places
up to their chins in this march & the snow most of the way was up to their
knees. At Ogdensburg deponent & said Bellinger were sold to one Capt.
Robinson (5) & taken down the river to Montreal. Deponent & said
Bellinger was kept prisoners at Montreal about two years & were then sent
to Quebeck. They stayed about three weeks at Quebeck & then were put
on board a transport to be sent to New York, but the weather being very cold
they were obliged to go to Boston the vessel arrived about the first of December
and deponent and six others started for home where they arrived there a few days
before Christmas. Said Bellinger who was taken prisoner with deponent
has been dead rising of twenty years & deponent is there fore deprived
of his testimony.
That he was
born in the Town of Little Falls (then Town of German Flatts) in the County of
Herkimer, & State of New York in the year 1766.
That he has
a record of his age in this family Bible made by himself on the information of
his parents, which he believes to be correct. That he resided in the now
Town of Little Falls when he entered the service & since the revolutionary
war he has continued to reside in the same place & now resides there.
That he
was called into the service as stated in his previous statement, being commanded
by Col. Peter Bellinger to go on duty with a company of which mention has
been herein before made.
That some
of the general officers who were with the troops in the section of county
where he served are Colonel Peter Peter Bellinger, General Nicholas Herkimer,
Major Clapsaddle, Colonel Frederick Bellinger. (6)
That he
never received any written discharge from the service.
That he is
known to Peter Bellinger & George H. Feeter, residing in his present neighborhood & who
can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of my services
as a soldier of the Revolution.
That he cannot
produce any witness in court who knows of his service except Peter P. Bellinger & that
the affidavit of Catharine Bellinger hereunto attached is presented because she
could not be produced in court by reason of her age & ill health and as
she resides at the distance of seven miles from the courthouse and that there
is no clergyman with whom he is acquainted & who resides in his neighborhood,
who can testify to his character and services.
He 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.
(his mark) Marks Casler
Sworn to & subscribed
the day & year aforesaid, in open court Oct. 11th 1832.
Julius C. Nelson Clerk
We, Peter
Peter Bellinger and George H. Feeter the first of the Town of Danube and
the last of the Town of Little Falls in Herkimer County.
Do hereby
certify that we are well acquainted with Marks Casler who has subscribed & sworn
to the above declaration, that we believe him to be sixty six years of age; that
he is reputed & believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have
been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn & subscribed
the day & year aforesaid.
(signed) George H. Feeter and Peter P. Bellinger
State
of New York
Herkimer County
Personally
appeared before me John Dygert a Justice of the Peace in & for said county,
Marks Casler who made the declaration to which this is attached & of which
this forms a part, & being duly sworn saith that Peter P. Bellinger, a witness
whose affidavit is attached to this declaration has since the same was made removed
with all his family out of this county to a place called Black Lake & deponent
cannot procure an amendment of his affidavit for that reason & deponent has
no way to communicate with him on that subject & has not heard from him
since he left the county, that he has stated in his former declaration, the manner & length
of his services as far forth & as particularity as he is able to do. That
the witness Catharine Bellinger, whose affidavit is also attached cannot state
the dates of any of deponents service, nor the time & manner of his service
with any more particularity than she has already done as she informs deponent & which
he believes true that deponents memory has so failed within a few years that
he is now unable to state precise dates with any certainty. Deponent saith
that he entered the service first as a private soldier, early in the spring of
the year 1779, but he verily believes that it was in the month of May 1779 & that
he continued to so serve as in his previous declaration mentioned continually
until the month of November in the year 1780 when he was taken prisoner in the
manner before stated & he was in service as a soldier when so taken having
only been off of actual service for the ??? of going to mill that he went off
of guard to go to mill when he was taken and deponent claims to be allowed for
one year & six months actual service in which he was not engaged in any civil
employment, before he was taken prisoner and for two years as for actual service,
while he was a prisoner which was from November 1780 until December 1782 in which
time he endured & suffered more hardship & privation, that while
in the actual service as a soldier, deponent cannot find any witness who
can testify more definitely to the length of his imprisonment than he has
already done, as the man Joseph Bellinger who was taken with deponent has
been long dead.
(Signed with his mark) Marks Casler
Sworn to
before me this 2d day of July 1833. John Dygert, Just. Peace
End Notes