Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Bartholomew Forbush

Herkimer County

W.16994 (Catharine)

On the fifth day of February In the year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and thirty nine personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the court of Common Pleas of said County now sitting Catharine Forbush widow of Bartholomew Forbush a resident of the town of Newport In the County of Herkimer and State of New York and is now in the seventy fifth year of her age, who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of this section of the Act of Congress passed July the 4th 1836: saith that she was the daughter of Rudolph Furrey, that she was born In the month of October In the year 1764- that her father resided at the time she was born at a place called Stone Arabia in the County of Montgomery and State of New York, that not many years thereafter, and previous to the breaking out of the Revolutionary War her father removed to the west side of the East Canada Creek in the now town of Salisbury in the County of Herkimer aforesaid and resided at the place last aforesaid at the commencement of the war of the Revolution and until her father and family were driven from their home aforesaid during said war by the enemies of their country as hereinafter stated and set forth -

And this deponent further saith that she was lawfully and legally married to one Bartholomew Forbush by the Reverend Johann Daniel Gros of Port Plain in the County of Montgomery aforesaid, in the year 1779, that she was then in the 15th year of her age when she was so married as aforesaid.

And this deponent further saith that at the time she was married to the said Bartholomew Forbush he was then and has been previous thereto two years or thereabouts a private soldier in the service of the United States, in the Revolutionary War; that when they were married he was regularly inlisted as such soldier for and during the war aforesaid under one Andrew Fink who was then a Captain in the Army of the United States as this deponent was informed and believes true and that the said Bartholomew Forbush was a soldier and had served In the army as such soldier the length of time aforesaid previous to their marriage.

And this deponent further saith that her said husband aforesaid was born in the County of Montgomery aforesaid and was over 7 years older than this deponent.

And the deponent further saith that she was married to the said Bartholomew Forbush in the house of the Rev. Johann Daniel Gros a regular instituted clergyman and preacher of the Gospel and was then the pastor of the Dutch Reformed Society of Fort Plain in the County of Montgomery and state aforesaid, that it was about 15 miles from her fathers house where she lived to the house of Jan Gros at Fort Plain aforesaid,. That John Van Slyke, Laney Forbush, Catherine Pitosi, John Cosselman and George Rappold were the persons who went with them and were present as witnesses at the time said marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr. Gros as aforesaid that the enemy aforesaid has burnt her fathers house with all its contents thereof goods furniture, etc. they also destroyed all her fathers personal property except his horses and cattle which they took away with them as deponent was informed and believes true and this deponent says that she and the other members of the family with the exception of her father who was at the time of said burning absent from home escaped from being made prisoners and fled for safety to Port Plain and this deponent says that her fathers family resided near Port Plain for about one year after the house was burned by the enemy as aforesaid, that she continued to reside with them.

And this deponent further saith that her father in about one year after his house was burnt as aforesaid was also made prisoner and taken by the enemy aforesaid to Canada, that the deponent with her mother and other members of her fathers family then removed to the City of Albany for safety where they continued to reside until after the war was over –

And this deponent further saith that her said husband made his escape from Canada in company with one Jacob Klock who was also a prisoner in Canada taken by the enemy afore said from the County of Montgomery aforesaid as this deponent was informed and believes true and that her husband arrived at Fort Plain the day that the news of the peace with England was received and made public there and that her husband was ignorant of her place of residence until he arrived at Fort Plain aforesaid, that her husband then came on to Albany where she resided in about three days afterwards, after being absent for about three years a prisoner as aforesaid and this deponent says that her husband and fathers family continued to reside in Albany for about three years after her husband returned from Canada as aforesaid, they then returned to the County of Montgomery aforesaid town of Manheim not far from their former place or residence and continued to reside there until within about two years previous to her husbands death that her husband then sold his farm and returned to the City of Albany to reside when he soon after departed this life - and this deponent says that soon after her husbands death aforesaid, she with her Children returned to the County of Montgomery aforesaid to her former place of residence and has continued to reside in the Counties of Montgomery and Herkimer ever since, and this deponent says that her husband departed this life about 51 years age in Albany aforesaid that she has not since married and is now the widow of Bartholomew Forbush aforesaid her first and only husband.

And this deponent further saith that her father aforesaid remarried as this deponent was informed and believes true that said information was received from her father and also from her husband prisoners In Canada until after the news of peace with England had reached them that he was then discharged and returned home to his family who were then In Albany aforesaid.

And this deponent further saith that her husband was in one battle before he was taken prisoner as aforesaid as she was informed by him and___ ___ ___ and ___ believes it to be true that said battle was fought at or not far from Saratoga.

And this deponent further saith that her father kept____ and family Record containing the births, deaths and marriages of his family that this deponents marriage with Bartholomew Forbush was entered in said record, that said record was kept in the family bible of her fathers that said record and bible were burned with the other things of her fathers at the time his house was destroyed by the enemy by fire as aforesaid and this deponent saith that no record of her marriage Is now present or in existance to her knowledge and from her best Information she is confident there Is none.

And this deponent further saith that she has no recollection of her husbands having a discharge as a soldier in the Army as aforesaid and this deponent is of the. opinion that he never had one, for the reason that the Army was disbanded before or about the time he returned from Canada as aforesaid that his health was then bad not having recovered from his prison confinment aforesaid but If he had one this deponent does not now recollect it, that It must have been lost many years ago. (Signed with her Mark) Catharine Forbush

Sworn and Subscribed in open Court the day and year above Written. J. Dygut Clerk

And the- said court do hereby declare their opinion, after investigating
of the matter and after putting the interrogations by the War Department that the aforementioned affiant is the widow of Bartholomew Forbush a revolutionary soldier who served in the war aforesaid and that the declaration of said Catharine Forbush aforesaid is true.

State of New York
Herkimer County

I John Dygut Clerk of this Court of Common Pleas of the County of Herkimer do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said court in the matter of the application of Catharine Forbush for a Pension. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this [record ends here]

Source: Affidavit of Catharine Forbush dated 5th February 1839—Bartholomew Forbush, File # W16994, National Archives, Washington, D.C