Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for David VanDerheyden or VanDerhyden
W.6373
State of New York
County of Schenectady
On this seventeenth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two, personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for said county now sitting David Van Derhyden a resident of the City of Schenectady in said county and state aged upwards of seventy-four 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 7th, 1832.
He was born in the City of Albany in the County of Albany in the then Colony of New York on the 26th day of February 1753. He has no record of his age other than that contained in the Record of Baptisms of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in said City of Albany.
When he was called into the service of the United States in the Army of the Revolution he was living in said city of Albany and since the Revolutionary War he has lived in the then town ship in City of Schenectady and he now lives in the City of Schenectady aforesaid.
He entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. In the spring of the year 1776 he enlisted for the term of six months in Captain Henry Marselus (1) Company in Colonel Van Schaick’s regiment. He believes one Van Antwerp was Lieutenant of said company. He served out said six months at Skenesborough, Fort George and Fort Ann.
In the month of March 1777, he enlisted and served for the term of nine months in Captain Teunis Fisher’s (2) company of State Troops under command of Lt. Colonel Christopher C. Yates.
In this service he aided in the transportation of public stores and did military duty with the Continental Army for the most part of the time at Fort George. He also was on duty at Crown Point and at Ticonderoga and at the landing a few miles distant from the last named fortress. During the evacuation of this fortress in July 1777 he was on duty with said army and proceeded with it to Skenesborough and from thence with General Schuyler to Saratoga and served with the troops under General Schuyler during the whole of his retreat and until the final surrender of Burgoyne and his army.
In the beginning of the year 1778, he enlisted and served for the term of nine months in Captain William Peters’ company of state troops employed in the transportation of military stores for the use of the army and performed only in said company on the Mohawk River from Schenectady to Fort Stanwix.
In the year 1779 he enlisted and served for this term of nine months and was in the company of artifices the name of his captain (3) not recollected and served at Saratoga under the Superintendence of Col. Christopher C. Yates for the term of four months in said engagement and he marched with General Sullivan’s army on his expedition against the Indians in the summer and fall of 1779. In this expedition he marched to Wyoming, Lake Otsego, Tioga, etc.
In the year 1781 he enlisted and served for the term of four months in Captain Daniel Hales (4) Company of State troops in Colonel Marinus Willett’s regiment. His other company officers were George Passage 1st Lieutenant and Joseph Van Ingen 2nd Lieutenant or Ensign. He served in this engagement at the middle fort in Schoharie, Captain Dubois commandant. A party of about forty Indians of the Mohawk Tribe lead on by a Tory named Adam Chrisler (5) made an attack upon the upper fort in Schoharie. The claimant volunteered his services & joined the detachment which had an engagement with Chrisler’s party.
In the year 1780 his family being removed to Schenectady, he was enrolled in the Militia Company in his beat Viz, the company commanded by Captain Thomas B. Banker (6) and served in said company when not under the enlistment aforesaid and until the end of the war.
He marched with a detachment of militia under command of said Captain Banker in Ballston (7) in the fall of the year 1780 and joined in pursuit of the enemy who had then laid waste to the country in that quarter. In this expedition he was absent about one month.
In the spring of the year last named he marched with a detachment of militia from Schenectady against the enemy who had at that time destroyed the Mohawk Settlements. (8)
He has performed garrison duty at Fort Plank more than one month under the immediate command of Captain Philip Van Vorst. (9) He thinks in the fall of the year.
He has served with a great many scouting and reconnoitering parties in pursuit of Tories and their savage associates to beaverdam, Clifton Park and other places where they rendezvoused. In short the country in the quarter where he resided being in a State of Continual alarm, the services of the militia were in constant requisition and the claimant declares that the period of his actual service in the garrison and field during service exceeds four years.
He never received any written discharge from the service.
He has no documentary evidence but can produce the testimony of several persons who can testify to his services as aforesaid.
(Then he lists some people who can testify to his character and veracity. He relinquishes claim to any other pension or annuity, etc.) (Signed with his mark) David Vn D Derheyden (10)
Subscribed & Sworn this 31st Augt 1833 before me Harm. Peek, Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Schenectady
State of New York
County of Schenectady
David Van Derheyden of the City of Schenectady in said county and state, being duly sworn and examined in relation to a certain portion of his services in the War of the Revolution not particularly set forth in the papers mow on file in the War Department in the matter of his application for a pension under the act of Congress of 7th June 1832, doth depose and says.
That in the spring of the year 1779 this deponent enlisted for the term of nine months, if this deponent’s memory serves him right as an artificer (he being a cooper by trade) at Schenectady aforesaid by the procuration and under the direction of Col. Yates aforesaid this deponent believes in the Commisary’s Department. Some time after his enlistment as aforesaid a regiment from the state of Pennsylvania one from Massachusetts and two if not more regiments from the State of New York under command of Colonels Dubois and Gansevoort and Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett passed through said city the town of Schenectady on their way to join the forces under General Sullivan in his contemplated expedition against the Indians.
This deponent was then attached to one of the New York Regiments he thinks the one under command of Colonel Gansevoort and in the company commanded by Captain Aaron Austin (11) though this deponent was occasionally commanded by other officers than said Captain Austin. This deponent thereupon marched with said Regiments to Canajoharie where the said Regiments encamped and there this deponent part of the time performed garrison duty and apart of the time as his services were required attended by virtue of his enlistment in the commissary’s department to the preparation of preservation of the military stores. From thence he marched with said regiments, he thinks in the latter part of the month of June 1779 to Otsego Lake where they again encamped while here the deponent was detailed with parties of soldiers and erected a dam across the outlet of said lake, to enable the troops to proceeded in boats down the Susquehannah river to Tioga whence they were to proceed into the Indian country. This deponent after said dam had been built proceeded with said troops (or a part of them for some went by land) to Tioga point aforesaid. Here this deponent mounted guard about a fortnight & s was then ordered with a party detailed for that purpose to Wyoming there to procure and to bring from thence stores for the army.
This deponent accordingly engaged in this expedition and on his return to Tioga Point he remained there pursuant to the commands of his superior officers while the main army proceeded into the Indian country. While here he was employed in ministering to the sick of the army who were left at said Tioga Point to be taken care of, this deponent also performed his quota of duty in mounting guard and was also employed in the different duties connected with the commissary’s department.
On the return of the troops from the Indians country as aforesaid, he proceeded with them to Wyoming aforesaid where they encamped for some time. From thence this deponent in company with Colonel Dubois aforesaid, two commissaries by the name of Pratt and a party of soldiers proceeded through the woods to New Windsor and from thence this deponent, being now dismissed from this expedition proceeded to Albany & from thence to Schenectady.
This deponent upon reflection thinks the time of his enlistment was in the month of March in the year 1779 and previous to the arrival of the army at Schenectady as aforesaid her thinks he was employed under Henry Glen a ccommissary Residing at Schenectady and under his directions assisted in preparing the stores to have them in readiness against the arrival of the army.
As to the services of this deponent in the companies of Captains Fisher & Peters in the years 1777 & 1778 this deponent can only state in addition to what is set forth in his said declaration, that in the spring of the year 1777 this deponent enlisted in said company of Captain Fisher at the City of Albany aforesaid for the term of one year or nine months, he does not remember which and marched with his said company to Lake George from thence to Ticonderoga Landing. The character of his services in said company was the transportation of Military stores from said Lake to Ticonderoga aforesaid and he was thus employed until the investment of Ticonderoga by General Burgoyne, on leaving this fortress this deponent remembers to have aided in setting on fire for sinking such batteaux as they could not in the hurry of the retreat take with them.
Deponent retreated with the American troops to Fort George and remained there and at Skeenesborough & Fort Ann & Edward discharging duty as aforesaid & after the surrender of Burgoyne this deponent served out his enlistment till some time in the winter of the year 1777 under direction & by order of General Schuyler & other Continental officers in the cutting of timber & other fatigue duty of that description.
This deponent enlisted in the spring of the year 1778 in said company of Captain Peters he thinks for the term of nine months. The character of this service in this company was the same as in that of Captain Fisher’s aforesaid. He served in this company in the transportation of stores for the army up the Mohawk River from Schenectady to Fort Stanwix. (Signed with his mark) David Vn D. Derheyden
Subscribed & Sworn this 31st Augyt 1833 before me Harm. Peek Justice of the Peace in & for the County of Schenectady.
The following are the names of two persons to show he is known in his neighborhood & who can testify as to his character for veracity & their belief of his services as a soldier in the revolution viz. Wm. Corl & Bartholomew Clute.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name if not on the pension roll of the agency of this or any other state.
Subscribed & Sworn to (Signed with his mark) David Vn D. Derhyden.
October 1857 he states he receives an income of thirty-six dollars and seventy-five cents for a pension and is reapplying because some of his services were not allowed. This application is not legible.
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