Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for Jost Dygert

W.26546 (Widow: Marillis Torkey, former widow)
State of New York
Herkimer county SS.
            On this seventh day of October in the term of October one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven of the Court of Common Pleas of said county held at the Court House at Herkimer Village in aforesaid county before the Hon. Abijah Osborn, John B. Dygert and Richard Herrender, Esquires, Judges of said court appeared personally in open court Marillus Torkey who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain a pension under the act of Congress passed July 1836 and the act supplemental or amendatory thereof.
            That she is seventy four years of age on the fifth day of May 1837 and is the widow of Jost Dygert deceased and now resides in the town of Little Falls in said county, that the said Jost Dygert was at the time of his marriage an officer in the militia of the State of New York and served as such in the Revolutionary War—That as declarant was then informed & afterwards & as she believes true the said Jost first held the commission of Lieutenant & afterwards that of Captain and served as such in said War.  That declarant was married to said Jost Dygert on the 12th day of April 1777 at her father’s house in the now town of Manheim in the County of Herkimer and that he was then called Lieutenant.  That in the summer of 1777 and shortly after their marriage, the said Jost was such officer, as declarant was then informed & as she then & ever has believed true, was ordered out with his company under the command of General Herkimer and that he the said first was in August (of that year with his company) in the battle of Oriskany and that June was to that battle deponent saith said Jost was absent from home & as deponent was then informed and as she then & ever since has believed to be true and with his company was engaged in cutting a road from some point on the Mohawk River in the now town of Schuyler in the County of Herkimer to what is called Whitestown in the County of Oneida and also in cutting trees & timbers into wood creek west of what is now called Rome and that said fort was absent from home and as deponent was then informed & ever since has believed true, engaged as said officer in the public service from sometime in May of the year 1777 till after the battle of Oriskany in August of that year—after this battle said Dygert returned home & remained a few weeks, after which he was again ordered out & went & was absent several weeks and saith that during this fall & the winter following her said husband repeatedly was ordered out on duty & that he was absent sometimes one or two & sometimes three weeks at a time and as deponent then was informed and she then & ever has believed engaged in the public service.
            This deponent said that said Dygert her said husband & deponent resided on Fall Hill in the now town of Little Falls in the County of Herkimer and resided there till in the month of April 1778 when her said husband was ordered to Fort Plain in the now county of Montgomery and deponent saith she went there with her said husband and remained there for about two years and that her said husband was stationed at said fort during said term & that he performed duties as such officer there during said term except when he was ordered & went out on duty, and saith she recollects of his going out with four soldiers frequently during said time and recollects that he was out on duty the time that the enemy overran Stone Arabia under Sir Johnson and also was out in what was called VanRensselaer’s battle on the Mohawk river [Battle of Klock’s Field] and in what was called the battle of Durloch [Turlock, New Dorlach] and declarant verily believes that her said husband was ruing the time they lived at said Fort more than one year in the whole time and while he was not out on duty he was engaged in duties as such officers in & at the Fort during said two years.
            This deponent saith she also recollects that her said husband was engaged in the battle of Closebergh in the now town of Minden, county of Montgomery and thinks this battle was in 177[8?].
            This deponent saith her said husband was out at this time several weeks and further saith that when the Timmermans were murdered by the enemy which deponent thinks was in 1779, her said husband was ordered out with his men to scout that region of country being what is now called St. Johnsville or Oppenheim in said County of Montgomery and that he was about on this duty from four to six weeks.
            This deponent further said that in the Fall of 1780 news came that a party of the enemy had murdered the father of her said husband who had continued to reside at Fall Hill aforesaid and that she & her said husband then resided there and remained there till the following spring and in the spring of 1781 her said husband was ordered back again to said Fort Plain & deponent went there with him after arriving there he said husband engaged a plan for deponent reside in the family of Mr. Rawer living on the north side of the Mohawk river nearly [?] said fort.
            This deponent saith she recollects & states that when news came that the enemy had murdered Jacobus Mabie’s family which deponent believes was in 1780 or 81 her said husband was ordered out with his company to scout that region of country being what is called the Royal Grant north of the Mohawk & protect the inhabitants & that he was absent on this occasion several weeks.
            This deponent saith she made it her home at said Rawer’s till the end of said Revolutionary War and saith that her said husband was engaged in the public service until the close of the war as she then believed & was informed & believed and saith that besides the time she has stated, she recollects of frequently having seen her said husband out purchasing provisions for the fort & that during the time deponent resided at said Rawer’s, that he said husband spent but a small portion of his time & that only occasionally with deponent after she resided at the said Rawer’s until after the close of the war and that during that time deponent was then informed & believes that he was employed in the public service as such officer either at said fort of out with his men on duty.
            This deponent saith that the said Dygert her said husband died the third day of February 1813 and that she married to John Torkey of the said Town of Manheim on the 12th day of April 1824 and that he died the 27th day of September 1832 and that since then she has & still does remain a widow.  (Signed with her mark) Marillis Torkey
            Sworn & Subscribed in Open Court this seventh day of October 1827.  J. Dygert Clerk.
Reply to letter of inquiry dated February 27, 1926
            I have to advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim W.26546 it appears that Jost Dygert, while a resident on Fall Hill, Tryon County (Which was later Little Falls in Herkimer County), [Town of Danube on the south side of the Mohawk River--trranscriber's note] New York in 1776 was a Lieutenant in the New York Militia and served as such whenever called upon in frequent short tours, was at the battle of Oriskany and Minden; he served under Colonels Willett and Samuel Campbell and March 4, 1780 was commissioned Captain in Colonel Samuel Campbell’s New York Regiment, and was also at the battles of Dorlach and Stone Arabia and another battle on the Mohawk River and in many skirmishes and served to the close of the Revolution.
            Soldier married April 12, 1777, Marillis Meyer born May 5, 1766.  They were married at the home of her father Johannes Meyer in Manheim, Herkimer County, New York.  Soldier died February 3, 1813 in Little Falls, New York.  His age is not given.
            His widow Marillis married April 12, 1824, John Tockey (oor Torkey?) of Manheim, New York, who died September 27, 1832.  She was allowed pension, on account of the services of said Jost Dygert, on her application executed October 7, 1837 while a resident of Little Falls, New York.
            Soldier’s son John Dygert was living in Herkimer, New York in 1835.
            Soldier’s father, whose name is not given, was killed by the enemy in 1780, at which time he was a resident of Fall Hill, Tryon County, New York.

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