Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for Immanuel Deake or Doke

S.16105
State of New York
St. Lawrence County SS.
            On this fifteenth day of October 1832, personally appeared before the honourable John Fine first Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in & for the County of St. Lawrence in the State of New York, Immanuel Doke of Hammond in the County of St. Lawrence & state aforesaid, aged seventy four years the third day of April next, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832; That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the year 1779 or 1780 at Ballston in the County of Saratoga in the state of New York, where he resided with his parents, in a company commanded by Captain Job Wright of Stillwater in said county, & in a regiment commanded by Col. Willett.  At the time that Declarant enlisted one Jesse Hubbell was a Lieutenant & one Thornton was also a Lieutenant.  Declarant enlisted as first Sargeant & served as such during three years for which time this declarant enlisted.
            Declarant joined the Regiment, at or several companies of it at Johnstown.  From Johnstown this declarant went with his company to Fort Nellis, now in the Town of Manheim in the County of Herkimer.  Declarant remained one summer & part  if not all of the spring & autumn of said Fort Nilles [sic]—from fort Nellis Declarant went to Fort Herkimer & from thence to Fort Stanwix, (Now Rome) & remained there sometime—while Declarant was on the Island then & the water of the river rose so high as to compel the soldiers to leave there & go ashore—when they got ashore they build a blockhouse & from thence Declarant went to fort Herkimer—Declarant was during this enlistment at fort Plain & at a small place called fort Schuyler.  Declarant cannot state at which of the last named places he was at first—Declarant well recollects that when he was one time at fort Herkimer, a reinforcement saw whose been a part of a Rhode Island regiment, joined the part of Col. Willet’s Regiment to which declarant belonged & went from thence to fort Stanwix & there arranged to go to Oswego. Declarant believes there were five companys of Col. Willett’s regiment that started for Oswego he cannot recollect how many there were of the Rhode Island reinforcements.  Declarant well recollects that this was in the dead of winter.  There were Indian guides employed—one he thinks was called Capt. John.  They traveled several days through the snow as they supposed, towards Oswego.  A great number, said those been five hundred, persons went ahead on snow shoes—That instead of leading the army to Oswego, the guide led us into a swamp about nine miles, it was afterward ascertained, from Oswego.  After it was found out that we were misled, fires were built to warm us, when it was ascertained that a great number were frozen considerably—a great many died & one company, mostly [colored?] persons, mostly all died—when we started on our return to fort Stanwix our provisions were mostly all exhausted & the last five days before we arrived at Fort Stanwix we had no provisions except dead horse flesh or something of that kind!
            A great number of persons died on this expedition—At Oswego there lay some British forces under command of Maj. Ross. Two of the Indian guides were supposed those punished.  When on our return near Oneida Lake Declarant was ordered to see to sitting & taking care of the guard.  After sitting the guard declarant saw some more on top of the Hill, but as we were exposed no noise was made, but the enemy should discover us in our reduced situation for it they had done so we could have been easily taken.  Declarant afterwards learned that the British Sergeant of the guard saw us but hid himself behind an elm tree & did not communicate to his friends what he had seen & that soon after he & a fifer deserted & joined us at fort Herkimer this declarant further says that the British sent [?] of three then & him to get these two deserters, but Col. Willet would not give them up.  After leaving Oneida Lake, we went to fort Stanwix & from thence to fort Herkimer where we staid there till near fall—the last work we did there was to build a block house—After it was completed we dug up the body of Capt. McKean who had been killed by the Indians & buried his body at the step of the door & then called the building fort McKean.  The timber which composed this building was got out & drawed principally under the direction of Declarant Veeder & Smith were contractors to supply our regiment with provisions & their partner one Skinner acted as commissary.  While at Fort Herkimer Skinner got hurt by the falling off a building & the then requested to declarant go into the store house & act as commissary & declarant did so until said Skinner got able to attend to the duty himself.  Declarant went as pilot for Genl. Washington from Fort Herkimer to Rome night [?].
            Declarant went with the regiment at the close of the war to Schenectady & assisted in collecting the arms, when the companies were disbanded.  Declarant then assisted in taking the arms over from Schenectady to Albany where they were put into a store house & deponent thinks they were put into the government war store house.
            Declarant returned to Schenectady & was finally discharged by Maj. Tierce who then had command of the companies that were marched to Schenectady—Declarant thinks that at this time Col. Willett had gone south to Albany or New York.  He was not with the regiment much of the time after the return of the army from Oswego. During this Service one Phiny Moore was Adjutant. This disbandment of our regiment was after peace was proclaimed & we had only about three months more time to serve when peace was proclaimed.
            Declarant cannot state in connected order the places where he was during this service any further than he has done.
            Declarant was born in Charlestown in the State of Rhode Island in the year 1757 & he has a record of his age in his family bible at his own residence & he has no other record--& that he resided with his parents at Ballston in the State of New York when he enlisted & he resided there after his return from the army & then declarant went to Charlton in the same state to reside.  At Charlton declarant married – Declarant’s father was a clergyman first at Balltson & then at Charlton.  From Charlton Declarant went to New Hartford & from thence about 1802 declarant went into Canada & continued there until about the month of June 1832.  Declarant did make arrangements about four years since to come to Hammond & reside & did actually purchased a farm to remove on to, but in consequence of sickness declarant gave up his farm—chose & was not able to become over—Declarant intended to have moved to his present residence in Hammond last year, but he was again taken down ill & did not have his house until this summer & he is now so ill that he believes he will not be able to attend a court of Record in this County to make application in open court for a pension under the law of Congress of 1832.
            Declarant received, he believes, a written discharge from Major Tierce which discharge was destroyed by fire with his house & effects in Charlton within a few years after he was discharged.
            Deponent knows Luther Lamphere & Orin Brown of Hammond who can attest to the character & reputation of declarant.  Declarant has no proof of his services, except the affidavit of Solomon Uker hereunto annexed, further than he stated, that he is now aware of.
            He herby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.  (Signed) Immanuel Deake
            Sworn to & subscribed before me this 15th day of October 1832.  John Fine, First Judge of St. Law. Co.

September 6, 1928, letter replying to a request for information.
            I advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S.16105, it appears that Immanuel Deake (pensioned as Dake) was born April 3, 1759 at Charlestown, Rhode Island.
            While residing with his parents, whose names are not given, at Ballston, Saratoga County, New York, he enlisted in 1779 or 1780 and served about three years as first0sergeant, sergeant-major, quartermaster-sergeant, and Assistant commissary in Captain Job Wright’s Company, Colonel Willett’s New York Regiment.
            He was allowed pension on his application executed October 15, 1832, at which time he was living at Hammond, St. Lawrence County, New York.
            He married after the war, at Charlton, New York; the name of his wife is not given, and there are no details as to marriage.  He stated that his father was a clergyman at Ballston and also at Charlton.  No further family data.
            Immanuel Dake, certificate number 24744, issued February 20, 1834, rate $120.00 per annum, commenced March 4, 1831, Act of June 7, 1832, New York Agency.

            Later in the file, the name of his wife is given by a person requesting information.  He married Temperance Green.

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