Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for John Weaver
W.11,751 (Widow: Sarah)
B.L.Wt.7431-160-55
Declaration, of a Revolutionary Widow who claims to Land Warrant under Act March 3d 1835.
State of New York
Folton [Fulton] County SS
On this 6 day of April A.D., one thousand eight hundred & Fifty five personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace duly authorized by law to administer oaths within and for the County and State aforesaid Sarah Weaver aged Eighty seven years a resident of the Town of Euphrata [Ephratah] County of Folton in the State of New York, who being duly sworn according to law; declares that she is the widow of John Weaver deceased who was a private & soldier in the army of the Revolutionary War and received a pension for his services under the act of 7th June 1832 at rate of $30 per annum, she farther declares she is now receiving a pension at $30 for services rendered by her husband the aforesaid John Weaver, which will more fully appear in her papers on file for a pension at the office of the Commissions of Pensions, she further declares that she was married to the said John Weaver at the City of Albany in the second fall month AD 1792 by a Justice of the Peace whose name she had not forgotten does not now recollect That her name before her said marriage was Sarah Clause that her said Husband died at Oppenheim in said County aforesaid on the 28th day of October A.D. 1853, and that she is now a widow she makes this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty land for which she may be entitled under the “Act approved March 1855 and she hereby requests the Commissioner of Pensions to forward her warrant to Abm. VanHorne, Fonda N.Y. and appoint him my attorney to receive the same for me. (Signed with her mark) Sarah Weaver
Wm. Spencer, Justice of the Peace.
State of New York
County of Montgomery SS.
On this 10th day of march 1847 personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the County Courts held in and for said County John Weaver (or Weber) of the town of St. Johnsville in said County, aged eighty-five years, and he being duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed 7th June 1832.
That he served in the war of the revolution in manner and for the terms and under the officers herein after stated.
That he resided before and during the war of the revolution when not on duty with the US troops at German Flatts in the now County of Herkimer in said State. That he was born in said town of German Faltts now town of Herkimer in said county of Herkimer NY. After said war he removed to Greenbush in the now county of Rensselaer in said State. After residing in said town of Greenbush for five or six yeasr, he moved to PosenKill in said county of Rensselaer. It was here that he married about four years after the close of the said war—his oldest child Betsy or Elizabeth being now fifty eight years of age. He afterwards moved to Montgomery County aforesaid and resided for several years in the town of Ephratah and Oppenheim in said County, now in the bounds of the County of Fulton (a county recently cut off from the northern bounds of said County of Montgomery. For the greatest part of the time during the last forty years he has resided in said town of Oppenheim in said County of Montgomery NY.
And this declarant further saith that the first service if eh recollects right which he rendered in said war, was with a detachment of Militia from the Military [Beat?] to which he belonged under the command of Captain Gitman (or Kitman), detailed to perform fatigue duty. The duty performed was the erection of fortifications at Herkimer where the village of Herkimer (in the town of Herkimer, Herkimer County) now stands. The commenced operation very early in the season, the year Declarant cannot call to mind or specify, but the history of the times will fix it—When they commenced the snow was hardly melted away of the preceding winter, say with the beginning of the month of April. This detachment was engaged daily thereafter until the middle of August then following (harvest time) when an express came that Brant was coming with a party of the British and Tories to make a descent on the frontier settlements of New York State on the North—at battle took place the next day after the arrival of the Express—after this battle declarant did garrison duty till sometime in the fall of the same year at Fort Herkimer or Dayton. The whole term of his service in this engagement above described was at best or exceeding six months—and he was constantly on duty as aforesaid except for the few days he was employed with others in gathering in the harvests. His father & brother Nicholas Weaver & Frederick Weaver served in the same detachment with him. His other commanding officers besides Capt. Getmann before named, were Colonel Peter Bellinger, Captain Frederick Moyer (or Myer) and Michael Myers who held some rank Declarant cannot now recollect unless it was that of commissary.
The next service rendered by this declarant (and he is not clear in his mind but that it may have been the first) was for a term of three months as a drummer at said Fort Herkimer under Said Captain Moyer as commandant of the same. Many of the inhabitants living in his neighborhood had taken refuge in said fort for protection from the enemy. Being lame declarant was engaged in another tour as a drummer for the term of five months as Fort Plain and for a part of the time at Fort Plank under command of Captain Lawrence Gross and other officers whose name declarant cannot now recollect. This term of five months was a continuous service, & spent in the performance of garrison duty except when aiding the farmers to bring in their harvests.
His next tour of duty was for the like term of five months as a drummer at Fort Paris in Stone Arabia under the command of Captain afterwards Major Fink and Captain Grey & other officers whose names he cannot distinctly recollect. While thus rendering garrison duty, he engaged in no civil pursuit whatever except as aforesaid.
Declarant also served under other officers besides those above named & at other places & for other terms, but owing to old age and defecting memory consequent therein, he cannot, possibly recollect or specify the details of such service except that he served for at least nine month under Captain Samuel Gray in his Company of Batteaumen, fatigue men and laborers in the year 1780. The time of his enlistment was early in the spring.
And this deponent further saith that 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 can recollect viz. Captain Ittig, Colonels Marinus Willett, Goosen VanSchaick, Fisher, Clock, Colonel Harper, General Van Rensselaer, Col. Weisenfelt & other
He this declarant never received any written discharge from the service he rendered in any one of the tours engagements or expeditions in which he participated as aforesaid and has no documentary evidence and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service except those whose affidavits are hereto annexed or accompany this declaration & he has made diligent search to find such witnesses.
Her herby 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, and this application for a pension is the first he ever made.
And he further declares that the reason why he has never heretofore asserted his claim for a pension is because in the first instance after the law under which he now claims had passed, it was several years before he became cognizant of fact, that such law had passed, being uneducated and living in the back woods at a distance from public thoroughfares. As soon as he became acquainted with the existence of such a law, he applied to several person to prepare his papers, but they declined without after which his poverty prevented him from giving. More than 8 years ago & afterwards he applied to Mr. Giles [?] Yates of the City of Schenectady who took down a memorandum of his service and promised to call upon him at his residence in Montgomery County NY to see further about the matter, but he never did so alledging in his correspondence afterwards had with Declarant on the subject from time to time that it was highly inconvenient for him to do so yet he collected some payment of declarants services from time to time as he stated. And further Declarant cannot say. (Signed with his mark) John Weaver.
Subscribed & Sworn to the day & year first aforesaid in open court as aforesaid. C[?] Bumley ,Clerk