Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Lawrence Schermerhorn

W.19322  (Widow: Gazena)
State of New York
County of Schenectady SS.
            On this nineteenth 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, Lawrence Schermerhorn, a resident of the Town of Rotterdam in said County and State, aged upwards of Eighty four years, who being 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 on the 9th day of February 1748 (old style) in the then township of Schenectady, now City of Schenectady.  To the town or Rotterdam aforesaid he removed after the war of the revolution having previously from the time of his birth, lived in Schenectady aforesaid.
            In the year 1775, he enlisted in Jellis Fonda’s company of minute men raised for the defence of the rights and liberties of America. The names of the other officers of said company were Andrew VanPatten & Myndert Wemple Lieutenants.
            The names of his Regimental officers were Abraham Wemple Colonel, Chris’r C. Yates Lieutenant Colonel, Abraham Swits & Myndert Wemply Majors—Derick VanIngen Surgeon.  The member of said Company in common with those of the other companies in said Regiment were constantly engaged in mounting guard at Schenectady which was garrisoned during the war.
            The Claimant besides mounting guard as aforesaid was engaged whenever called upon in expeditions into the surrounding country and at posts and passes where the enemy were expected to make an attack.
            He has served also in many patrolling and reconnoitering parties and in search of parties of Tories whenever they were known to rendezvous this memory does not serve him sufficiently well to specify the dates of the several expeditions and excursions nor how long he served in each the principal ones in which he engaged are as near as he can recollect therein as follows.
            He with the regiment aforesaid went to Johnstown in the month of January 1776 when Sir John Johnson & his tenants & dependants surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
            He was on duty at Cobleskill when that place was destroyed by the enemy.  He has marched to and performed duty at Schoharie—also to Stone Arabia when Butlor was killed.         
            He was on duty at Norma’s Kill in the fall of the year 1777.
            He was on duty with the troops from Schenectady aforesaid at Fort Edward Stillwater & other posts occupied by the Northern Army during the northern campaign of 1777, which eventuated in the capture of Burgoyne & his army.
            He has mounted guard at Norman’s Kill aforesaid and at other frontier posts besides Schenectady.
            He has been engaged at the Sacondaga in erecting fortifications there.
            He has been a scout to Ballston & many other places i.e. Helderbergh.
            In short he was ever ready when called upon to engage in any expedition or excursion or to performed any duty required of him in said company of minute men, and was never excused on any occasion excepting one when his wife was sick & his attendance was required with his family.
            In addition to his services in said company, he enlisted in the fall of the year 1778 in Captain Martin Mynderse’s Company of Artificers for the term of twenty four months under once engagement at the City of Albany and fully served out said term of twenty four months.
            Just previous to his enlistment in Captain Mynderse’s company of artificers as aforesaid he was drafted & ordered with a detachment of militia from Colonel Wemple’s Regiment aforesaid to march to Ticonderoga, and there served with a party detailed for fatigue duty, and assisted in bringing some military stores from Ticonderoga aforesaid to the City of Albany.
            The whole period he was in actual service in the army of the revolution, he declares exceeds three years.
            The following are the names of some of the regular officers whom he knew, or who were with the troops where he served, and such continental and militia regiments or companies with which he served, or as he can recollect, viz: Gen’l Gaansvoort, VanRensselaer, Cols VanSchaick, VanDyck, Cortland, Willett, Wynkoop, Harper & many others—
            He never received any written discharge from the service except one from Captain Martin Mynderse dated in the  beginning of the fall of the year 1780 which discharge has been lost.
            He has no documentary evidence, and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service.
            The following are the names of persons to whom he is known in his present neighborhood, and who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution, to wit.  Simon J. VanAntwerp & John T. Tne Eyck
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever, to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.  (Signed) Lawrence Schermerhorn.
            Subscribed and sworn to the day and year first aforesaid.  John S. Vrooman, Clerk

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