Pension Application

Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for John House

W.25785
State of New York
Oneida County
            On this 21st day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, personally appeared before the honorable Ralph McIntosh Special Surrogate and Justice of a Court of Record in and for the County of Oneida and State of New York aforesaid Mary House aged eighty (80) years, a resident of Oneida in the County of Oneida, who being duly sworn according to law doth upon her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provisions made by the Act of Congress passed 15th May 1828 entitled Pension granted to all the officers who served to the end of the Revolutionary War in the Continental Army, also the act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 entitled an act granting half pay and pension to certain widows and the other act of Congress extending said act.
            That she is the widow of John House deceased who was a private in the Revolutionary War in a company commanded first by Captain Andrew Fink and afterwards and near the latter part of said war by Captain Sytez in the first Military Regiment of the original Five Regiments of the New York Troops in the Continental Line commanded by Colonel Goose Van Schaick, that he enlisted some time in or about the month of January or February in the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and seventy-seven as she was informed by her said husband John House and which she verily believes true for the term of the war and continued in the actual service of said war until the close thereof as she was also informed, when he was honorably discharged.
            That he received as a bounty 600 acres of land which was granted to him by letter Patent sometime in or about the spring or summer of the year 1790, which was located in the Military Tract of the State of New York (she believes) in the Township of Romilus in the County of Onondaga.
            That after he had been in the service about tow years he was taken prisoner off Quebec with others while on board the Man of War which was cruising along the Canada Shore.
            That he was in prison in the fall and winter of said year in consequence of having been deprived of fire, he froze his feet. She further says that she has been informed and which she verily believes true, that her said husband was engaged in the battle at Fort Stanwix at the time General Herkimer was shot and in the Battle at Oriskany and other battles not now remembered by her and that he was regularly and honorably discharged at Rockton in the Town of Manheim in the County of Herkimer in the state aforesaid.
            She further declares that she was married to the said John House on the 20th day of September in the year seventeen hundred and ninety-two that her husband the aforesaid John House died on the 29th day of May in the year 1835 at Oneida in the County of Oneida. That she was not married to him anterior to his having left the service but the marriage took place previous to the first day of January 1786 viz. at the time above stated.
            She further says that she is now a widow and that she never before made application for a pension for the reason that she did not know of the act under which she now claims a pension and arrears of pension, that she was ignorant of any law granting pensions to the widows of the Revolutionary Soldiers excepting such act of Congress as requires that the widows claiming pensions on account of their husband’s services should have been married to their husbands previous to their having left the military service of said war. That she has lately been informed by her son John S. House who has received counsel in the pensions. That said law does not require that the marriage should have been solemnized prior to her husband’s having received his discharge and that she is therefore entitled to arrears of pensions and a pension certificate which she now claims in this declaration.
            She further says that she was married by Rev’d Abraham Rosencrantz a clergyman of the Reformed Dutch Church of Herkimer and recorded in her family Bible by said John House soon after her marriage to him which was as follows, to wit: “1792 Sept 20th John House married to Mary Righter” she also says that she is incapacitated by bodily infirmity in attending open court. (Signed with her mark) Mary House

State of New York
Oneida County
            John A. House aged 67 years and resident of Bennet’s Corners in the Town of Lenox County of Madison and state aforesaid being duly sworn says that he has been acquainted with Mary House from childhood and that he was well acquainted with John House who was a private in the Continental Line of the Revolution; that said John House was an uncle to this deponent and that he said John was married to said Mary House at an early period, that is to say anterior to the year A. D. 1794 as he has been often informed by the said Mary House and others of his connections and which he verily believes it to be true from that fact of his having been at divers times informed that she said Mary was married to his said Uncle John House to wit, on the 20th day of September A. D. 1782 and further that he verily believes that if her marriage had taken place after the first of January A. D. 1794 he should have remembered it for at that period he would have been sufficiently old to remember any event of that kind to wit, in the 10th year of his age this deponent further says; that said John House often told this deponent in his lifetime that he was engaged in the War of the Revolution and that he enlisted about the commencement of said war and served until the close of said war.
            That he belonged to the first regiment of the original five regiments of the New York Troops commanded by Colonel Goose Van Schaick as he has always been informed from his earliest memory and which he verily believes true. And that Captain Fink was his captain, that this deponent further says Adam House was also a private in said war under said Captain Andrew Fink in said Colonel Van Schaick’s Regiment and that he was in the battle of Fort Stanwix at the time General Herkimer was shot and the Battle of Oriskany and he has often heard said John House and this deponent’s father Adam House, deceased, talk about their trials and sufferings while engaged in said war and of the long period which each of them served and the many battles they were engaged in and of their officers and that said John House has often told this deponent that he served in the first regiment of New York Troops during the whole period of the war and that he received a bounty of 600 acres of land all of which this deponent verily believes to be true.
            That he remembers more distinctly that said John House received 600 acres of land bounty from the fact that this deponent was engaged in the last war with Great Britain and what he and the other soldier’s was not entitled to land bounty until the act of September 28th 1850 so as passed by the congress then this deponent received a warrant for 40 acres he has often wondered why his uncle should have received 600 acres while he was not until the last of 28 September was passed and then as entitled to only 40 acres by said act of Sept 28th 1850. This deponent further says that said John House always lived with Mary House from the time of his marriage to the time of his death. That they were always reputed to be husband and wife. That said John House died early in the spring of A. D. 1835 at Lenox in the County of Madison and State of New York.
            That this deponent remembers that it was in the year 1835 from the fact that he became blind in both of his eyes shortly after the death of his uncle. Said John House which ??? came upon him seventeen years ago this last summer which brings it in the year 1835 that that summer he was an Inso? Keeper in the Village of Pine Bush and that he continued to keep an Inso? For several years thereafter to wit, down to the year 1849; that on account of the aforesaid he remembers as that said John House died in the spring of 1835 sometime on or about the month of May and he verily believes it was the 28 day of that month.
            He further says that said Mary House has continued to live a widow ever since the death of her said husband the said John House and that she still is a widow as this knowledge of this deponent. This deponent further says that he is in no way interested in the application of Mary House for a pension and arrears of pension; or that he is in anyway to be benefited by her application, and further deponent saith not. (Signed with his mark) John A. House