Pension Application

W.18534 (Widow: Lucretia. Married Ephraim October 1781 in Salem, Washington County. He died 15 October 1847 in the Town or Rushford, County of Allegany.)
B.L.Wt.26254-160-55
State of New York
Cayuga County SS.
            David King of the Town of Geneva in said County, being duly sworn, deposes and says, that on the 16th day of August in the year 1798 he married Rachael Morrison, the daughter of Ephriam and Lucretia Morrison; that for many years previous to his marriage with the said Rachael Morrison he was well acquainted with her parents; that during the whole period of his acquaintance with them, they lived together as husband and wife, and as this deponent believes, were lawfully married; and this deponent further says, that, as he believes, his wife the said Rachael Morrison is now sixty-four years of age. (Signed) David King
            Sworn and subscribed this 22d day of Feb. 1848 before me. Walter G. Bradley, Justice of the Peace.
State of New York
Ontario County SS.
            Samuel Marrow of the Village of Geneva County and state aforesaid being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath depose and say, that he is seventy three years of age and upwards, that in the year 1780 (1) he resided at Salem in Washington New York, then Albany County (2), that he was well acquainted with Ephraim Morrison who resided at the same place, knows that said Morrison enlisted in the spring of that year thinks it was in April in the Company of Captain Levi Stockwell, Lieutenant Thomas Boggs, for the nine months service, saw him frequently in the service at Skeenesboro during the summer and fall, that he returned home in the winter following. That Captain Stockwell told this deponent that he had discharged all his men and that Morrison was among the number—this was he thinks in January, that the year following 1781 said Morrison was absent from home and it was then said and believed in the neighbourhood that he was at Fort Ann and in the three months service. That the following years deponent and said Morrison were frequently out together on short tours of duty from five days to three weeks at a time, making in the whole from two to three months, and further this deponent saith not. (Signed) Samuel Marrow (3)
            Sworn and subscribed this 19th day of September 1832 before the subscriber a notary public in and for the County and State aforesaid. Witness my hand and seal of office. R.M. Bayly, J.P.
State of New York
Allegany County SS.
            On this 30th day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two personally appeared in open court before John Griffin, Isaiah Utter and Asa A. Allen the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting Ephraim Morrison a resident of the town of Rushford in the County of Allegany and State of New York aged sixty nine years 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 following named officers and served as herein stated viz. That in the month of April or May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty at Salem in the county of Washington in the State of New York he enlisted into a company commanded by Captain Levi Stockwell that Thomas Bogs was lieutenant in the said company that they marched from Salem aforesaid to report in said County and from thence to Granville and to Skeenesborough now Whitehall and was there stationed in a stone house for the space of nine months at which time he was discharged and returned home that he received his pay and a written discharge which discharge was burnt in the house of father about three years thereafter—that while he was so stationed at the Stone house aforesaid he was several times sent on scouts and with scouting parties into the narrow of Lake Champlain & sometimes as far as Ticonderoga and to East bay & south bay that it was in the winter & thinks in January when he was discharged as aforesaid—That in the spring of the year and deponent thinks in April 1781 he again enlisted under Captain Dial Sherwood (4) Ezekiel Roberts was first lieutenant and the second lieutenants name was Baldwin at Salem aforesaid and marched to Scotch Patent and to Fort Edward in the said County and remained there about two weeks then marched through Kingsbury Queensbury to Fort Ann and in said county help build the said Fort and remained there till the Fort was taken sometime in the month of September 1781. (5)
            That this deponent then went to Salem aforesaid and gave the alarm and the militia turned out and started with this deponent for Fort George that before they got there and between Fort George and a place then called bloody pond were surrounded by a party of the enemy & Indians said to have been between four & five hundred and only about forty with this deponent that a skirmish took place when all of the party with this deponent except himself and a man by the name of Thomas Lyon (6) were killed—that they made their escape by running through the ranks of the enemy that soon after and this deponent thinks in about two weeks thereafter which time this deponent was in the woods & at Fort George he returned to Salem aforesaid—that he enlisted for six months and that the time had then expired that the reason he did not obtain his discharge was because that Capt. Sherwood was taken prisoner and carried into Canada and that he did not receive any pay of the said six months service.
            That in the course of the same fall & deponent thinks in the month of October 1781 he again enlisted under Captain John Armstrong (7) for three months at Salem in the County of Washington & State of New York and was attached to Colonel Webster’s Regiment and marched to Skenesborough & remained there about two weeks that he was then attached to a party and marched to Fort Ann where the army was then expected that he remained there three or four weeks and then returned to Skenesborough where he remained till he was discharged his time having expired that he did not receive a written discharge nor his pay—that he has no documentary evidence—that Samuel Marrow of Geneva in the County of Ontario has testified to the service of this deponent.
            And this deponent further says that he was born in Salem in the County of Washington & State of New York in the year 1763 the tenth day of September that his father kept a record of the ages of his children in a bible which was burnt when his father’s house was burnt—that he has not kept a record of his age since that time except by memory—that he always volunteered his service that he lived at Salem Washington County aforesaid till after war closed when he removed to Ovid in the County of Seneca & State of new York where he lived till about twelve years ago when he removed to Rushford in the County of Allegany & State of New York, that Abraham J. Lyon and the Rev. James Going live in the neighborhood of this deponent and am well acquainted with him and can testify as to his character for truth & veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. (Signed with his mark) Ephraim Morrison (8)
            Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid. Witness Ransom Lloyd as to Signature J. W. Sherman, Clk.

The correct year is 1779. Captain Levi Stockwell was in Colonel Henry K. VanRensselaer’s Regiment of New York State Levies. Captain Stockwell was in Colonel John Harper’s Regiment of New York State Levies in 1780.
Salem was in Charlotte County not Albany County. It was Changed to Washington County in1784.
Samuel Marrow, so far no enlistment has been found for him the Charlotte County Militia.
Captain Adiel Sherwood’s Company was in Colonel Morris Graham’s Regiment of New York State Levies in 1780. The lieutenants were Ezekiel Robarts (Robards) and Cornelius Baldwin. There is no Ephraim Morrison listed in Sherwood’s Company. There is a Hugh and a John. Most likely John is Ephraim because he was discharged on October 15, 1780. Ephraim is perhaps his middle name. Revolutionary War Rolls 1775-1783, Series -246, Roll 72, Folder 75. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Fort Ann was surrendered on October 10, 1780, by Captain Sherwood to the British forces commander Major Christopher Carleton of the 29th Regiment of Foot.
Thomas Lyon was a private in Captain Edward Long’s Company in Colonel Alexander Webster’s Regiment of Charlotte County Militia (First Regiment). He also had served in Captain Alexander McNitt’s Company in the same regiment.
Ephraim was only found serving as a private in Captain Long’s Company in Colonel Webster’s Regiment.
On April 19, 1848, Lucretia Morrison, Town of Ruchford, Allegany County NY, aged 85 years applied for the widow’s benefit. She states she was married to Ephraim in October 1781 at Salem, Charlotte County (now Washington County) by Moses Martin, Justice of the Peace. She also states that Ephriam died on October 15, 1847, in the Town of Rushford.

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