Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Benjamin Nichols

R.7650
Declaration. In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.

State of New York
Ontario County SS.
            On this eighth day of June 1843 personally appeared before Peter Mitchell Esquire one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for said County of Ontario and State of New York—Benjamin Nichols, a resident of the Town of Farmington in the County of Ontario, in said State aged Eighty Eight year on the Eighteenth day of August last past, who being first duly affirmed according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by an act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.—
            That during the war of the Revolution, to wit, on the 28 th day of July 1776, he enlisted into the service of the United States & into the company commanded by Captain William Bleim, whereof Thomas Sears was the 1 st Lieutenant and David Rogers 2 d Lieutenant of the Regiment of colonel Isaac Nicols—which said company & Regiment belonged to the State of New York & County of Orange. That immediately after his said enlistment he proceeded with said company first to Fort Montgomery, thence to Tappan Bay, thence to Kings Bridge, where said Company joined said Regiment—From Kings Bridge they marched to White Plains, and even entrenched to the East of the battle ground with General Clinton's Brigade, to which they belonged—That afterwards, to wit, on the last of December 1776 he was regularly discharged, having served the period of his enlistment, to wit, a period of five months—That his discharge had since been lost—That in the month of January 1777, the Declarant again enlisted at Newtown New Jersey under Captain James Broderick, Obediah Seward 1 st Lieutenant for a term of three months, and serviced during said term of three months as guard to General Maxwell and in guarding commissary stores, at Westfield New Jersey—That at the expiration of said term of three months declarant was duly discharged at Westfield aforesaid and that he did not preserve his discharge—and Declarant further saith, that in addition to these tow terms of service, he served upon a number of occasions with the Militia of the county of Orange N. York & the Militia of the State of New Jersey—to wit, one month in the summer at Fishkill under Captain David McCamly of Colonel John Hathorns Regiment but cannot state the year with certainty and one month at West Point in the Summer after Fort Montgomery was taken in a company retreat one Webb was Lieutenant, Capt. Name not remembered.
            That he also served near Hackensack New Jersey under Lieutenant Hopkins in Colonel Frelinghuysen's Regiment for a term of one month in the month of May & June can not state the year—That he also served at Red Bank Fort at the time Mud Island was taken by the British thinks in October 1777 for the term of one month under Captain William Arnet in Colonel John Seward's Regiment.—
            The Declarant also further saith that he enlisted into the United States wagon service for the term of five months under Captain [?] Davis and was employed in transporting forage, clothing and provisions for the army bateau Newburgh in the County of Orange State of New York and Morristown in the State of New Jersey in the year 1779 & 80—That he served in the capacity of Lieutenant during said five months and secured the [?] of a Lieutenant, but never had any compensation—That at the expiration of the said five months he was duly discharged at Newtown in the County of Sussex in the state of New Jersey—And Declarant further saith that so long as he could live comfortably without, he was unwilling to receive a pension; but that recent losses and misfortunes have rendered him from comfortable circumstances to [?] and compel him to urge his claims upon the Government—that he is now wholly dependant upon his grand children for support, whose circumstances are very moderate—
            That there is not to his knowledge any person now living who served in company with him during said war, to his knowledge, or who can testify to his services—That during said war he resided in the town of Warwick Orange County N.Y. That he was in a town called Cresson? Pond in the County of Westchester N.Y. That when young he removed from the county of Westchester to Kinderhook then in the County of Albany, were he learned the trade of a Shoemaker.
            That he has a record of his age—that he was born at Cresson Pond in the County of Westchester in the State of New York on the Eighteenth day of August 1754—That he has resided in Farmington Eleven years last November and which is his present place of residence, and that previous thereto he resided in the Town of Piscataway in in [sic] the County of Middlesex in the State of New Jersey—He hereby relinquishes all claim to pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any state. (Signed) Benjamin Nichols Sen.
            Subscribed & affirmed this day & year aforesaid before me—and I hereby certify that after putting to the said declarant the questions prescribed by the War Department I am fully satisfied that he was a revolutionary Solider & served as he states—and further that he cannot attend court by reason of extreme old age & bodily infirmity. Pete Mitchell, a Judge of Ontario County Courts.