Pension Application

S.22966
Private, Captain Cooper, Col. Nicholas.
State of New York
Rockland County SS.
            On this twenty eighth day of November in the year AD 1832, personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Please [sic], now sitting, Garret Sarven, a resident of the town of Ramapo, in the County of Rockland, aged Seventy six years the tenth day of January 1832, 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. That, in the month of March 1776 I enlisted in the Town of Hampstead (now Ramapo) for four months in a Company Commanded by Capt. Gilbert Cooper, W. Cos and John Vanderbelt was under officers, called Minute men, and went to New York, and was some time stationed at a place called Bunkers Hill near the City, and then returned home where we served at every call of the officers, until our time was expired then about the last of July or the first of August of the same year, I enlisted at a place called Nyack, for five months, in a Company commanded by Capt. Jacob Derander, Isaac Coe and John D. Coe were under officers, in Col. Nicholas’s regiment and marched from there to Haverstraw, from there, we went to Red Hills, a little north west of Peekskill where we lay until the first of Jany, 1777, when the time of enlistment being expired we were discharged and I went home. The Militia of that part of the County of Orange that is now Rockland County being divided into four classes, one class to serve one week at a time so that each man had to be one fourth part of his time on duty.
            Early in the Spring of 1777, I was called into the service in a company commanded by Capt. Hendrick Tenure, [?] VanOrden and Thomas Blauvelt was Lieutenant in a regiment of Lev. A [??] and served to the close of the revolutionary war. That during the aforesaid service he was part of the time on guard along the West Shore of the Hudson River, and part of the time on scouting parties through the now, county of Rockland and the County of Bergen, in the State of New Jersey. That exclusive of the above services, the enemies of our country did frequently come out in large parties, destroying, plundering, taking our citizens prisoners and often murdering those that came in their way. There was very often an alarm made when it was the duty of every man that was not out on duty to take their acquipments and immediately run to oppose the enemy, in which manner I was much from home and throughout the years 77 and 78 (except in the severity of the winter), it was frequently the case that I was not at home more than one and two days in the week, and I had very little time to attend to any other business except military duty, and can with safety declare that my actual duty in the Militia service exclusive of my enlistements exceeds eighteen months. That I have no documentary evidence of my services as I do not recollect to have received any written discharge of my services, and my only testimony is some of my fellow soldiers—
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension rool [roll] of the agency of any state. (Signed) Garret Sarven
            Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court. David Pye, Clerk.

Letter in the folder dated July 18, 1935, written in reply to a request for information.
            Reference is made to your letter in which you request information in regard to the Revolutionary War service of your great grandfather, Garret Serven, of Rockland County, New York.
            The data which follow are obtained from the papers on file in Revolutionary War pension claim S.22966, based upon the military service in that war of Garret Sarven.
Garret Sarven was born January 10, 1756, in Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York. The names of his parents are not shown.
            While residing in said Clarkstown, Garret Sarven enlisted in March 1776, and served three or four months in Captain Gilbert Cooper’s Company, Colonel A. Hawkes Hay’s New York Regiment, went to New York City, thence to York Island, where he was employed in erecting a fort; he enlisted about August 1, 1776 and served five months in Captain Jacob Deronda’s Company, Colonel Nichols’ New York Regiment; in 1777, he enlisted in Captain Hendrick Tenure’s (or Turneour’s) Company, Colonel A. Hawkes Hays’ New York Regiment and served at various times on short tours, one week in every four weeks, from early spring until fall or early winter in each year until 1782, lhis service terminating in September of that year, about eleven months in all; this service was rendered as a guard along the west shore of the Hudson, on scouting parties and on alarms.
            In 1781, the soldier moved to Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, where he was living when he was allowed pension on his application executed November 28, 1832. He signed Sarven. It was stated that he was for a number of years judge of the court for Rockland County, New York.
            There are no data as to soldier’s family.

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