Pension Application

S.13348
Granted pension of $80.00 per annum
State of New York
Alleghany County SS.
            On this twenty eighth day of September in the year of our Lord 1832 personally appeared before me Azel Fitch Esquire one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the said County of Alleghany John G. Helmer, a resident of the Town of Pike in the said County of Allegany in the State of New York Seventy four years on the fifteenth day of February last 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 officers herein after named and served as herein Stated—That he entered the service in the latter part of the Month of January 1777 as a Militia Man—the company to which he belonged being divided into classes by Lot and going into the Service, in turn as they were called. He went under the command of Captain William Fox, who was attached to Colonel Cox’s Regiment from the Town of Canajoharie in the (then) County of Tryon, now Montgomery County, in the State of New York where he then resided and in which county he was born, to Ticonderoga, and was employed in the Service against the British and Indians until the 17th of March when he returned home—In July of the same year he went to Unadilla with the Militia of the same Company under the Command of Captain Peter Bowman, In Col. Cox’s Regiment—The forces employed there at that time were under the command of General Herkimer who in conjunction with Colonel Cox agreed on a treaty of peace with Brandt the Indian Chief—the agreement was violated immediately by the Indians—he was absent from home at this time about two weeks—Soon after his return he was again called into the service under the same Captain, under the command of Colonel Herkimer and marched to Oriskany where they had a severe engagement with the Indians on the 6th day of August, in which the American forces gained the victory though with a severe loss. A brother of the applicant was killed in the engagement and also Captain Bowman who was the brother in law of his the said John G. Helmer—and also Lieutenant Campbell of the same Company.—That after assisting to remove the wounded to Herkimer, he returned to Oriskany to bury the dead—That soon after his return home, he was ordered out with others to Saratoga County, and was absent on that service about three weeks under Captain John Bowman brother of Capt. Peter Bowman who was killed as above mentioned—That he was afterwards in the same year called out on sudden alarms in the neighborhood in which he was engaged in some skirmishes with the Indians—That in the latter part of May or early in June of the year 1775, he went into the service in a company of Rangers drafted from the Militia of the County, that he entered as a Corporal and was engaged as a substitute from Andrew Gray, Captain John Backbread commanded the company which was attached to a Regiment commanded by Col. Peter Bellinger that he was with the company when mustered at Cherry Valley and they marched thence to German Flatts, which was the Station occupied by the company and where the Rations of the Soldiers were drawn through the season—That they were employed in Scouting parties against the Indians—that in such service he went several times to Unadilla and he once went as one of the Guard, for a number of Cattle forwarded to the Soldiers on the Continental Establishment at Fort Stanwix, where Colonel Van Schaick and Colo. Gansvoort were then Stationed—That he was regularly discharged when the company was disbanded at German Flatts on the first day of January 1779, given by Col. Peter Bellinger, he lost his discharge however many years ago—On his way home he again enlisted, on the 6th day of January 1779 in the Batteau Service under Captain Samuel Gray for the term of one year—he proceeded to Schenectady where the company was mustered—That in the month of April they set out in an Expedition up the Mohawk and proceeded to Fort Stanwix—The Boats were then unloaded and transported to Wood Creek—from whence they proceeded with the Boats to Oneida Lake—That he drew his arms and accoutrements and ammunition at Fort Herkimer, while on his way up the Mohawk and after serving at the Outlet of the Oneida Lake he was sent with a Detachment of Soldiers to Onondaga, where they had an engagement with a party of Indians whom they defeated taking a number of prisoners—and burning the village,--That he then returned to Oneida Lake, thence to Fort Stanwix and proceeded down the Mohawk to Schenectady—He was employed in transporting provisions on the Mohawk till July when he was sent with others to Otsego Lake and thence down the Susquehanna to Tioga Point and to New town—That he then together with the Company to which he belonged which was attached to Col. Van Schaicks, Regiment marched through the Wilderness to Geneva, and thence westerly to the Genesse River—That between Geneva and Canandaigua they had an Engagement with the Indians, many of whom they killed—That after this service was performed he returned to Fort Stanwix and thence to Schenectady where he was discharged between the 25th of December 1779 and the 1st of January 1780. That in 1780 he was called out with others of the Militia and marched to Sharon near Cherry Valley under Capt. McKee [Robert McKean], in Col. Clyde’s Regiment where they had an engagement with the Indians in which Captain McKee received a wound of which he died the next day, He returned home in about ten days—Soon afterwards he was again called into the service under Capt. Lipe, in Col. Willetts Regiment—That they had an engagement with the British and Indians at Johnstown and they marched thence to West Canada Creek where they had a successful skirmish with the British and Indians—He was engaged in the service about three weeks—In the month of August 1781. He was in the Militia Service and in and engagement with the Tories and Indians near Fort Plain—Captain Lipe commanded the Company under Col. Willett.—And in October of the same year he was under the command of the same Captain engaged in a battle with the British and Indians at Canajoharie near the present Town of Palatine—General Van Rensselaer commanded the American forces of that place and he thence proceeded to Germantown after which he returned home—He has no documentary evidence of the service he performed at any period of the war. That he was born at Palatine, now in Montgomery, then in Albany County February 16th, 1758—That he resided in Montgomery County [blot] September 1827 since which he has resided in Peke Allegany County New York—That he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who is acquainted with his services except Robert Flint, whose testimony he has procured—That he was frequently called out on Sudden Alarms during the Revolutionary War for short periods, varying from two to 5 or 6 days.—That he cannot accurately estimate the amount of time he was engaged in the Service, but he believes it would amount to more than three years.—That he was placed on the Pension Roll of the New York Agency under the Act of 18th march 1818—That he then resided at Canajoharie. That he received his pension at the Rate of Eight Dollars per month that he was struck from the Roll but has lost the letter which informed him of the reason assigned—and does not recollect the cause assigned, though he thinks it was because he was not on the Continental Establishment—That the number of his Pension Certificate was 4810—
            Her hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of Nay State except as above stated.—On the Roll for the New York agency which has been discontinued—And the said Applicant further states that he is acquainted with Daniel L. Gilman, and Samuel Flint and who reside in the said town of Peke and in his neighobourhood and who will testify as to his character for veracity and as to their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution—the said Applicant has a record of his age contained in his family Bible which was copied from the family record of his Father’s family and which he believes to be correct. (Signed) Johany G. Helmer
            Sworn to and subscribed this day and year aforesaid before me. Azel Fitch.

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