State of
On this 2nd
of February, in the year one thousand and eight hundred and thirty eight,
personally appeared before the Justice Court of the City of Albany, the same
being a Court of Record, now sitting John Oliver, a resident of the Town of
Bethlehem in the said County, aged eighty one years, 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 &, 1832.
That he entered the
service of the
In the year 1778 I was
a resident of the Town of Bethlehem in said County (where I was born) and was a
private in Capt. John Van Wie’s company of Militia – In September of that year,
I, with others of Capt. Van Wie’s Company, was drafted to go to Saratoga on a
tour of Duty, to guard against the attacks of the British and Indians in that
neighborhood – I accordingly went with the other drafted men, under the command
of Capt. Teunis Slingerland from Albany to Saratoga – We received our arms and
equipment at Albany – We were stationed on the east side of the
Adam Long who is now
living and resides in New Scotland, and Isaac Van Wie were with me in that
expedition – I do not know of any other person now living who were with me at
that time – I remember one Gilbert Groesbeck, also Levinus Laraway, where with
us, but they are both dead.
In the year that the
Village of Schoharie was burnt by the Indians, I was again ordered into the
service – and went with a part of Capt. John Van Wie’s Company, and under his
command to Schoharie – Teunis Vandenberg was our Lieutenant - We went from the Town of Bethlehem – there was
about 30 privates – We went by the way of the Beaver Dam and the Foxenkill, to
the Stone Church in Schoharie – In the month of July we went, and remained
there on duty, till I thin, the later part of October, when we were discharged
and returned home – I believe I served on this tour of Duty, upwards of three
months, as a private in Capt. Van Wie’s Company.
I also performed other
services for the public in the Revolutionary War, in burning coal for the use
of the Army and as a Waggoner in transporting provisions from Albany to
Schenectady for the use of the troops –
I am not a pensioner
of the
I have never learned
to write and therefore make a mark or cross for my signature.
Sworn and Subscribed in open
Court, on the day and year first John
Oliver (his mark)
Above written
J. G. Wasson – clerk
State of
Be it remembered that
before me the undersigned a commissioner of deeds for the County of Albany came
Adam Long of the Town of New Scotland in said county of Albany, who being by me
duly sworn did depose and say that he knew of John Oliver of the Town of
Bethlehem in said county and that he knew him in the Revolutionary War and that
the said John Oliver was in the service of this Country against Great Brittan
and was in the service at Saratoga with this deponent and that he the said John
Oliver served under Captain John Van Wie in Colonel Garret Vandenberg’s
regiment and that they was both in the service three months at Saratoga and
Fort
Subscribed and Sworn to Adam
Long (his mark)
This 14th day of January, 1838
Before me
Samuel Young
State of
Be it remembered that
before me the undersigned a commissioner of deeds for the County of Albany cam
Isaac Van Wie of the Town of New Scotland in the said County of Albany, who
being by me duly sworn did depose and say – that he knew John Oliver of the
Town of Bethlehem in said County of Albany and that he knew him in the
Revolutionary War and that he was in the service of this Country against the
Kingdom of Great Brittan and that the said John Oliver was in the service at
Saratoga with this deponent and that they served under Captain John Van Wie in
Colonel Garret Vandenberg’s regiment and that they was in the service in
Schoharie in defense of this Country against the Kingdom of Great Brittan.
Subscribed and Sworn to
This 18th day of January Isaac
Van Wie
1838 before me
Samuel Young