Morrison's Pensions
Abraham
Van Deusen
R.9467
State of New York
Albany City & County
On this thirteenth day of July in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty six personally appeared before the Justice of the Justice Court of the City of Albany in the County of Albany aged upwards of seventy-nine and who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed July 4, 1836 and the act explanatory of said Act passed March 3rd, 1837.
That she was married to Abraham Van Duesen who was a soldier in the service of the United States during the War of the Revolution. That she believes he was a corporal and this deponent respectfully refers to the evidence on file and the records remaining within War Office of the United States for the evidence of such services and for the determining of the same. She further declares that she was married to the said Abraham Van Duesen about the twentieth day of September one thousand and seven hundred and eighty one (shortly after the escape by Arnold in that year) by John Genno who was the chaplain of the Army at West Point.
That her husband the aforesaid Abraham Van Duesen died in the month of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven, about four years after his discharge. That there is no record of her said marriage or the date thereof and that witnesses who were present at her marriage are since dead. That she was afterwards married to George Shell who died on the fourth day of August 1814 and that she was a widow on the 4th day of July 1836 and still remains a widow as will more fully appear by reference to the proof annexed and that she never has been taught to write her name.
(Signed with her mark) Elizabeth Snell.
Letter included in the pension application file.
December
20, 1925
Clara Weller
327 Main Street
Vincennes, Indiana
Madam:
I advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, R. 9467, it appears that Elizabeth Shell, widow of George Shell, who died August 4, 1818, applied for pension, as former widow of Abraham Van Deusen, on July 13, 1837 at which time she was aged “upwards of seventy-nine years, and living in Albany, New York.
In said application she alleged that she was married to Abraham Van Deusen of New York, about September 20, 1781, and also alleged that she was married September 25, 1780, and that she was the daughter of Jacob Miller of Albany.
Also, that said Abraham Van Deusen served in the Revolutionary War, she believed as a corporal, officers names, details and length of service not stated, and that he died in October, 1787, about four years after his discharge from service.
Her claim was not allowed as she failed to furnish proof of service and marriage as required by the pension laws.
There are no further family data. The above noted Abraham Van Deusen is the only soldier of that name of Albany County, New York, found in the Revolutionary War records of this bureau.
Respectfully,
Winfield Scott
Commissioner.