Pension Application

Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for William Lull

R.6519
B.L.Wt.40937-160-55
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
State of New York
Otsego County
            On this 16th day of October 1832 personally appeared before the Court of Com. Pleas of the County of Otsego and state aforesaid, William Lull, a resident of the Town of Lauren in said County & state aforesaid aged 70 years who first being 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 7th 1832.
            That he enlisted in the Continental Line of the New York State Troops (1) in the month of October 1779, the same year that Cherry Valley was burnt. (2) That his captain’s name was Teabout, his Col. name was Peter Gansevoort, 1st Lieut. McClenney (3), Major Coffin, Gen’l Starks, Sgt. Hutchinson.(4) That he was taken sick and confined in the hospital about one week and that in the month of February 1780. His father came and took him home on our sleigh in consequence of sickness.
            That sometime in the month of June after his father hired a substitute to supply his place in the army for which he paid one hundred pounds.
            That he was born in the Town of Middlefield Otsego County State of New York in the year 1762. That he has a record of his age on his Bible. That he lived in the Town of Butternutts, Otsego County NY that about the month of October 1779 (5) was taken prisoner by the Indians and taken to Stanwix that they were for America and went out under pretense of taking Tory prisoner, that they took some Tories and some Whig that he being a Whig enlisted as before stated and marched down the river Mohawk to Schenectada and Albany and had the small pox at Schenectada, our winter quarters were at Schenectada and Albany.
            That he never received any written discharge but received a written furlough from Captain Teabout which got lost with his fathers writings. Has no documentary evidence, knows of no person who can testify as to his service except his brother Nathan Lull.(6)
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. (Signed) William Lull
            Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. Horace Lathrop, Clerk

State of New York
County of Otsego
On this 4th day of June A.D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty five personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace within and for the county and state aforesaid Charlotte Lull aged eighty one years a resident of New Lisbon in the State of New York who being duly sworn according to law declares that she is the widow of William Lull deceased who was a soldier in the War of the Revolution.
That her husband enlisted to the best of her knowledge and belief at Cherry Valley in the State of New York and served three months for the evidence of each service the Commissioner of Pensions is respectfully referred to the declaration made by the same William Lull in 1832 for a pension which was suspended by Department because said Lull had served less than six months.
She further declares that she was married to the said William Lull in Butternutts County and state aforesaid the first of March A.D. seventeen hundred ninety five that her name before her marriage was Charlotte More. That she was married by Ichabod Palmer a Justice of the Peace. And that her said husband died in Laurens County and state above named on the 14th day of November 1837. That there is no record of her marriage or the death of her husband and that she is now a widow.
She makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land to which she may be entitled under the act approved March 3rd 1835. That she has never received bounty lands under any act of Congress. (Signed with her mark) Charlotte Lull
In Presence of Harman Barnett [?] Alexis Lull.

The following letter is part of the pension application folder.
            I have to advise you that it appears from the Revolutionary War records of this Bureau that William Lull was born in 1762 in Middlefield, Otsego County, New York.
            While living in Butternuts, Otsego County, New York, he enlisted in October 1778, in Captain Tiebout’s Company in Colonel Peter Gansevoort’s New York Regiment and served until sometime in February 1779.
            He married in Butternuts, New York, March 1, 1795, Charlotte More.
            He died in Laurens, Otsego County, New York, November 14, 1837.
            On account of the service of William Lull in the Revolution his widow, Charlotte was allowed bounty land in full satisfaction on her application executed June 4, 1855, at which time she was eighty-one years of age and was living in New Lisbon, Otsego County, New York.
            William Lull referred to his brother, Nathan Lull of Butternuts, New York, but there is no claim for pension or bounty land on file on account of the Revolutionary War service of said Nathan Lull nor is there any reference to his having served in the Revolution.
End Notes—William Lull R.6519

William is shown as a private in October 1778 in Captain Henry Tiebout’s Company in Colonel Peter Gansevoort’s Third New York Continental Regiment. The substitute or exchanged soldier was Elbert Eckert. The date of exchange was March 5, 1779.
Cherry Valley was destroyed on November 11, 1778 by Captains Walter Butler and Joseph Brant.
First Lieutenant Thomas McClellan (McKlelland, etc.) in Captain Tiebout’s Company.
General John Stark, Major Coffin and Sergeant Hutchinson are unknown.
William was taken prisoner on September 19, 1778 at the Butternuts with Caleb and Benjamin Lull. The Oneidas also attacked Unadilla on the same date. The prisoners were taken to Fort Schuyler and handed over to the American garrison under the command of Major Robert Cochran of the Third New York on September 25, 1778. According Major Cochran, William had been adopted by the Oneida Chief Grass Hopper to live with his family. The only way to keep from being kept by the Oneidas was to enlist in the Third New York. There is a deposition of Robert McGinnes who was released by the Oneidas because of his age with a report on pp 113-116 Vol. 4, The Public Papers of George Clinton. McGinnes of Unadilla had two sons, Richard and John who had been taken prisoners on the 19th. Major Cochran’s report is on pp 130-133, Vol 4. The Public Papers of George Clinton. The raid and more are covered in a “Loyalist Journal” (Richard McGinnes) in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 105, No. 4, Oct 1874, pp 193-202; Vol. 106, No. 1, Jan. 1975, pp 14-18; Vol. 106, No 2, April 1975, pp 120; Vol. 106, July 1975, pp 144-146.

There is an affidavit by Nathan in the file. Nathan served in 1780 in Colonel Morris Graham’s Regiment of New York State Levies in Captain Jeremiah Muller’s Company.