Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Jacob Christman, Corporal
S.12461
State of New York
County of Oswego
On this twentieth
day of February Anno Domini, One Thousand eight hundred and thirty three in open
court before the judges of the Court of Common Pleas of said county now sitting
Jacob Christman a resident of the Town of Amboy in the County of Oswego and state
aforesaid aged sixty–nine years and seven months 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 7th 1832.
That on the
first day of April 1781 as this deponent believes he enlisted into the army of
the United States in a company commanded by Henry Vanderwarker, Capt., Col. Van
Rensselaer’s (1) Regiment, Lieutenant French Putnam (2) afterwards
promoted to Captain. Other officers unknown or at this time not in the
recollection of this deponent, that he entered the service on the day he enlisted
and was discharged there form on the first day of January thereafter at Fort
Plain. That he was born at a place called Stone Arabia, Minden, (3) Montgomery
County, New York and there enlisted and entered the service against the Indians,
British and Tories. That he was in the battle fought at or near Johnstown
against the Indians when Butler was killed the latter part of July or August.
(4) That his duty and scout was about Fort Plain and Johnstown and about the
Mohawk during the whole of the time of his enlistment that besides Capt. Vanderwarker’s
company, there were parts largely attached to the service into which this deponent
was engaged, Capt. Putman’s Company, (5) Capt. Snell’s Company, (6)
Capt. Van Rensselaer’s Company, (7) Capt Coopman’s Company (8)
and others this deponent cannot name.
Colonel’s
Willett, Brown (9) and Van Rensselaer. Brown either was or acted as general
that this deponent served as Corporal during the whole of his enlistment, that
during the battle he received three wounds in his let by musket balls. That
he has no documentary testimony in his possession of his service or his discharge. And
that he now knows of no person by whom he can prove his services. That
he moved from Stone Arabia to Snell’s Bush, from Snell’s Bush
to Danube and from Danube to Williamstown, now Amboy, county of Oswego where
he was residing.
And that
he hereby relinquishes every claim 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 in the Union.
Sworn to and
subscribed the day and year aforesaid. D. McPherson, Dep. Clk
(Signed) Jacob Christman (10)
Letter included in the pension file for Jacob Christman
December 10, 1933
Mr. Roger F. Williams
2 Rock Street
Alexandria Bay, New York
Dear Sir:
Reference
is made to your letter relative to Jacob Christman, a soldier of the Revolutionary
War.
The data
contained herein were obtained from the papers on file in the Revolutionary
War claim for pension, S.12461, based upon the military service of Jacob Christman
in that war.
Jacob Christman
was born in Stone Arabia or Minden, Montgomery County, New York [Minden is
south of the Mohawk River, Stone Arabia is north of the Mohawk River and to
the east of Minden] date not given and no reference is made to his parents.
While a resident
of Stone Arabia, or Minden, New York, he enlisted April 1, 1781, served nine
months as corporal in Captain Henry Vanderwarker’s Company, Colonel Van
Rensseleer’s New York Regiment and was in the battle of Johnstown where
he received three wounds in his leg by musket balls.
He moved
from Stone Arabia, New York, to Snellsbush, thence to Danube, thence to Williamstown
later Amboy) New York.
He was allowed
pension on his application executed February 20, 1833, at which time he was
aged sixty-nine years and seven months and a resident of Amboy, Oswego County,
New York.
There are
no family data.
In order
to obtain the date of last payment of pension, the name of person paid and
possibly the date of death of soldier, you should apply to the Comptroller
General, General Accounting Office, Records Division, Washington, D. C., and
cite the following:
“Jacob Christman, Certificate No. 20907, issued October 21, 1833, rate
$33.33 per annum, commenced March 4, 1831, Act of June 7, 1832, New York
Agency.”
Very truly
yours,
A.D. Hiller
Executive
Assistant to the Administrator
End Notes for Jacob Christman S312461
By James F. Morrison
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There is no record of a Henry Vanderwerker serving in any capacity as an officer. I found only one Henry Vanderwerker serving as a private in Captain Jellis Fonda’s Company of Exempts in Colonel Frederick Visscher’s Regiment of Tryon County Militia [Third Regiment]
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I also did not find a Lieutenant French Putman [Putnam].
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Minden is on the south side of the Mohawk River and stone Arabia in on the north side of the river.
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The battle of Johnstown was fought on the 25th October 1781.
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Probably Captain Garret Putman of colonel Marinus Willett’s Regiment of New York State Levies.
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There is not Captain Snell. Perhaps he meant Jacob Small of Colonel Peter Bellinger’s Regiment of Tryon county Militia [Fourth Regiment].
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Captain Peter Van Rensselaer’s Company in Colonel Willett’s Regiment.
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Captain Abraham Copaman in Colonel Samuel Campbell’s Regiment of Tryon county Militia [First Regiment]. He was promoted to Major on 19 October 1779.
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Colonel John Brown who was killed on 19 October 1780 in the Battle of Stone Arabia. Brown was not a general; Robert Van Rensselaer was the General.
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Jacob would have been old enough to enlist at least by 1780. He is probably the one listed as a private in Captain Henry Miller’s Company in Colonel Jacob Klock’s Regiment of Tryon County Militia [Second Regiment]. Stone Arabia would be part of his company beat [enlistment area]. A.J. Nicholas Christman served as a private in Captain Joseph Harrison’s Company in Colonel Willett’s Regiment in 1781. I cannot say with certainty if it is him.
Letter included in pension application file.