Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Richard James Wilson (Willson)
W.1969 (Widow Mary)
B.L.Wt.7096-160-55
State of New York
County of Albany SS.
On this
twelfth day of February in the year, one thousand eight hundred and fifty,
in open court before me Abraham Morrell one of the Justices of the Justices’ Court
in and for the City of Albany, the same being a Court of Record under the Law
of the said State of New York, by which the said Court was organized, personally
appeared Mary Wilson aged seventy-four years last March, late a resident of
the Town of Vienna, in the County of Oneida, and State of New York, but now
a resident in the said City of Albany in said State of New York, who being
first duly sworn according to Law, doth, on her Oath, make the following Declaration
in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed July 29, 1848,
for the relief of certain surviving Widows of officers and soldiers of the
revolutionary army, and also the benefit of the Joint Resolution of Congress,
passed July 1, 1848, relative to evidence in applications for Pensions. That
she is the Widow of Richard J. Wilson, who served in the War of the Revolution
in the Regiment of Artillery commanded by Colonel John Lamb, and who was a
Pensioner of the United States, and died in the County of Oneida, and State
of New York aforesaid, on the twenty-third day of September one thousand eight
hundred and forty-six. That she was married to the said Richard J. Wilson
in the County of Montgomery in the said State of New York, by the Reverend
Mr. Romeyn, in the latter part of the Month of July in the year one thousand
seven hundred and ninety six, and that he maiden name was Mary Ferrel; that
her father Charles Ferrel, her mother Sophia Ferrel; her Sister Nancy the wife
of Jesse Holland, and her three Brothers Charles, William And Peter Ferrel,
were all present at her said Marriage; but all of them are dead. That
she has no record of her marriage, and doth not know or believe that there
is any record of it in existence. That her daughter Sophia now the Widow
of William Cole, was born on the twenty-second day of February, One Thousand
seven hundred and ninety-eight, was the first issue of the said marriage. That
she had nine children by her said husband, seven of whom are still living,
the youngest of whom, George Wilson, being now Twenty five years of age; her
second child William Wilson was born on the eighth day of March in the year
One thousand eight hundred and was drowned in Lake Erie in the summer of the
year one thousand eight hundred and forty-five. That her Bible which
contained the record of the respective births of her several children was in
the house of her daughter Anna, then the wife and now the widow of Daniel Bratt,
deceased, situated in Lydius Street, in the said City of Albany, at the time
the said House was destroyed by fire, in the month of October, in the year
one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven; and that her said Bible was consumed
therein. That she has no record of her marriage or of the Births of her
Children, and doth not know or believe that there is any such record in existence. That
she was married previous to the first day of January one thousand eight hundred,
to wit, at the time and place above mentioned. She further declares that
she has not intermarried since the death of her said husband as aforesaid,
but still remains a widow. And further that she has never before made
application for a pension.
[The record ends here. This is from the day when ‘selected’ records
were sent and they were often incomplete, some more so than others.]
Letter in pension folder
April 13, 1938
Mrs. Frank G. Kelsey
Camden New York
Dear Madam:
You are
furnished herein the record of Richard J. Wilson as found in the papers of
the claims for pension and bounty land under File no. W.1969, based upon his
service in the Revolutionary War. His surname appears, also, as Willson.
Richard
J. Wilson was born in Horseneck, New York. The name of his parents are
not shown, His full name was Richard James Wilson.
While a
resident of Horseneck, New York, Richard J. Wilson enlisted in May 1776, for
the term of three years, served as private and sergeant in Captain Savage’s
company, Colonel John Lamb’s 2nd regiment of Artillery, was in the battle
of Oriskany in which he was wounded, having his arm and shoulder broken, and
was discharged early in 1779, after having served two years nine months.
After the
Revolution, the soldier lived in the following places: Poughkeepsie; Florida,
New York; about 1828 in Amsterdam, Montgomery County; Rome, Oneida County,
then moved to Vienna, same county, New York.
Richard
J. Wilson was allowed pension on his application executed September 11, 1832,
while a resident of Vienna, New York. He died at his residence there
September 23, 1846.
The soldier
married the latter part of July, 1796, in Florida, New York, or in Montgomery
County, that state, Mary Ferrel, daughter of Charles Ferrel and his wife, Sophia,
both of whom died several years prior to 1850. Mary Ferrel was born in
March, 1775, place not given.
Mary Wilson,
widow of Richard J., was allowed pension on her application executed February
12, 1850, while a resident of Albany, Albany County, New York. She had
formerly lived in Vienna, Oneida County, that state.
Soldier’s
widow, Mary Wilson, applied March 28, 1855, for bounty land which was due,
also, on account of the Revolutionary War services of her husband, Richard
J. Wilson. At that time she was residing in Rome, Oneida County, New
York. She was allowed one hundred sixty acres of bounty land on Warrant
No. 7096, under the act of March 3, 1855. She died June 3, 1858.
Richard
James Wilson and his wife, Mary, had nine children, seven of whom were living
in 1850. The following names of children, only, were designated:
Sophia Wilson,
the first child, born February 22, 1798, married date not stated, William Cole
and was his widow in 1850, living in Utica, Oneida County, New York.
William
Wilson, the second child, born March 8, 1800; drowned in Lake Erie in the summer
of 1845.
Anna Wilson,
age not given, who married Daniel Bratt and was his widow in 1850, living in
Albany, New York, on Lydius Street. One Daniel Bratt in 1832 was living
in Vienna, New York.
George,
the youngest child, still living in 1850, aged twenty-five years.
In 1851,
one Richard Wilson witnessed the signature by mark of soldier’s widow,
Mary Wilson, in Rome, New York, no relationship shown between them.
Mary Wilson,
soldier’s widow, in her application for pension, referred to her sister,
Nancy Ferrel, who married one Jesse Holland, also, to her three brothers: Charles,
William, and Peter Ferrel, all of whom were then dead.
If you desire
information in regard to location of the bounty land granted to soldier’s
widow, Mary Wilson, you should apply to the Commissioner of the General Land
office, Interior Department, this city, and furnish that official the number
of the warrant, the acreage and date of the act under which issued.
Very truly
yours, A.D. Hiller, Executive Assistant to the Administrator
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