DECLARATION
State of
On the nineteenth day
of September 1832, personally appeared in open court, before the Judges there
of now sitting, John Schoonmaker of New York aged, 21st June last,
Seventy years, who being first dully 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
That he was born at
Saugerties in the County of Ulster and in his infancy removed to the County of
Albany, until within three year past, when he removed to his present place of
residence in Montgomery County That he was enlisted as a private in the
militia in a Company commanded by Capt. John A. Van Wie in Col.
In the following year, the Declarer was again ordered out with the
Regiment and Company aforesaid and marched from Watervliet, by the way of
Schenectady, from the north side of the Mohawk River to Caughnawaga, the then
County of Tryon, now Montgomery, where they remained billeted amongst the
inhabitants for a period of perhaps a fortnight or three weeks, and then were
dismissed and returned home to Watervliet:
Sometime subsequent to this last tour, he the Declarer was head of a
class of twelve or fourteen who were obligated either to stand a draft for
personal service for nine months in behalf of and for that class, or, to hire
an able bodied recruit to enlist for the term of nine months to serve in one of
the Regiments of the New York line: that the persons composing the class,
agreed to waive a draft, and concurred to hire an able bodied man to serve for
nine month accordingly, and it fell to this Declarer to procure such man, who
shortly, fell in accidentally with a person being a Servant of one Abraham
Mynderse, a Tailor in Albany, with whom he agreed for the sum of thirty
dollars, paid by this Declarer to the said Abraham Mynderse, and some articles
of clothing provided for the man who enlisted, to enlist for the said nine
months and who was brought by this Declarer to John Fonda an Officer in the
nine-month service for the purpose of being mustered, by who he was accordingly
mustered and accepted and thereupon joined the Regiment to which he was
attached That this Declarer hath afterwards understood, that the said recruit
who was a yellow colored man and was named Yett Mynderse, was afterwards killed
in battle with the enemy, and that this Declarer believes the said information
to be truce, having heard the same from the father of the said Yett Mynderse
That this Declarer cannot with precession state the length of duration or the
particular times of his before mentioned Services, but he has no hesitation in
Stating and doth confidently declare that the whole period of his Services as a
Revolutionary Soldier in the capacity of Orderly Sergeant was full twenty four
months
Sworn and subscribed,
The day aforesaid, John
Schoonmaker
On this twelfth day of
September 1832, before the Justice of the Justice Court of the City of Albany
personally appeared John D. Winne of the Town of Bethlehem (formerly
Watervliet) aged Seventy Three or thereabouts, whom being duly sworn according
to law, doth depose and say that he has been for the last fifty years
intimately acquainted with John Schoonmaker who hath subscribed and sworn to
the within declaration to enable him to obtain a pension under the Act of
Congress of the 7th of June, 1832 That he this Deponent has on
various occasions mentioned and referred to in the within declaration, been in
the public service as a militia man in company with the within mentioned John
Schoonmaker That he this Deponent, from his intimate acquaintance with him,
and from his well established character as a person of strict truth and
veracity, he this Deponent hath no doubt of, but doth verily believe the
statement of facts set forth in his said declaration and of the period of time
during which he served as a Revolutionary Soldier, in the capacity of Orderly
Sergeant to be strictly true.
Sworn in open court the day
And year above mentioned John
D. Winne
J. G. Wasson clerk
In the Justice Court of the City of
On the day and year
above within, in open court, personally came John
Subscribed and Sworn day and year aforesaid
In open Court John
J. G. Wasson clerk
State of
On this sic day of August
Eighteen hundred and forty personally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas
of Fulton County (the said Court being a Court of Record) John Schoonmaker a
resident of the town of Broadalbin in said County aged fifty 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 pension made by the act of
Congress passed July 1838 entitled An Act Granting half pay and pensions to
certain widows
That he is the son of
Sworn and subscribe on the day and year
Above written in open court John
Schoonmaker
S. Wait
Albany Justice Court Personally appeared in open court on the 18th
day of June 1833, John Schoonmaker of Broadalbin in the County of Montgomery an
applicant for a Pension under the Act of Congress of June 7th, 1832,
who being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that by reason of old age, and the
consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length
of his service, but according to the best of his recollection he served not
less than the periods mentioned below under the following sic
1.
In the year 1776 I was ordered out and went into the service as an
Orderly Sergeant in the Company commanded by Capt. John A. Van Wie in the
regiment of Militia commanded by Col.
2. Afterwards,
but whether it was in the year 1776 or 1777 I cannot recollect, I was again
ordered out and went into the service in the same Company, commanded by Capt.
Van Wie and same Regiment, but then commanded by Col. Barent Staats We
marched from Albany to Coyhnauaga, and there we remained, some of us encamped
and others in barns and the farmers houses, for not less than four weeks and
was then discharged and went home I was Orderly Sergeant of said Company
during that tour The last mentioned service or tour was performed in the fall
of year, but I do not recollect what month
3. In the
following year, that is 1778 as near as I can recollect, I was again ordered
out and went into the service as Orderly Sergeant of the same Company still
commanded by Capt. Van Wie and in the same Regiment still commanded by Col.
Staats We marched from Albany to Schoharie there we encamped and remained
in service for not less than two months It was in the fall of the year.
4. In the
following year I was again ordered out and went into service as Orderly
Sergeant of the same Company, still commanded by Capt. Van Wie in the same
Regiment still under the command of Col. Staats We marched from Albany to
Schoharie again where we were encamped near a Stone Meeting house I
remained there in the service with my Regiment and Company during that tour,
not less then two months, in the fall of the year, and was then discharged and
returned home.
5. In the following
year, I was again ordered out and went into service as Orderly Sergeant of the
same Company still commanded by Capt. Van Wie and in the same Regiment still
commanded by Col. Staats We marched again from Albany to the Lower Fort in
Schoharie, where we again encamped this being the third time I went out on a
tour of duty as Orderly Sergeant of said Company to Schoharie. On this tour we had a seven engagements with
the British and Indians They attacked us whilst we were in the Lower Fort,
and we beat them off and they retreated We followed them, and took about
twenty five or thirty of them prisoners who were taken to Albany in charge of
a guard, which I commanded I was directed by Col. Staats and by Genl.
6. Afterwards,
but in what year I do not recollect, I was again ordered out and went into
service as Orderly Sergeant of the same Company still commanded by Capt. Van
Wie and in the same Regiment still commanded by Col. Staats We marched from
Albany to Schenectady, where we were billeted out among the citizens, and
remained there not less than two weeks and were then discharged and went home
This was the second time that I went on a tour of duty to Schenectady and I
believe was the last That I performed during the Revolutionary War But, I
performed military duty at and near home in attending Court Martial calling
out the men when ordered into the service notifying delinquents and I was
so much engaged in these various services whilst at home, that I had very
little time to devote to my private concerns or the hardship of my father, with
whom I then lived And I do verily believe that I was employed in this last
mentioned services, during the Revolutionary War, as Orderly Sergeant of Capt.
Van Wies Company, and as Orderly Sergeant of Courts Martial not less then ten
months And I further state that in addition to the service above mentioned, I
hired a substitute to go into the regular or Continental Army for nine months
as mentioned and particularly stated in my original declaration And I claim a
pension for my own personal services for a period not less than nineteen months
and for the services of my substitute (if allowable) of not less than nine
months.
Sworn and subscribed in open Court
This 22nd day of June
1833 John
Schoonmaker
John G. Wasson clerk
To the seven Interrogatories
prescribed by the War Department the above named applicant, John Schoonmaker
answered as follows
1.
I was born in the Town of
2. I have a
record of my age in the hand writing, as I believe of my father It is in the
Dutch Language
3. I lived in
Watervliet, now called
4. I was
enrolled and ordered into service with my company
5. I knew
Genl. Schuyler I recollect Col. Lansings Regt. from
6. I never
received any written discharge after the close the War I received an Ensigns
Commission
7. I am well
know to George Mill, Esq. Blane, Pool and Justice of the Peace John Clark,
Esq. Whitlock, David Dousurett, and Peter Van Vranken all of Broadalbin
who, if called upon, will I believe, to testify to my character for truth and
their belief of my having served as a soldier of the Revolution am also
acquainted with W. Bunster of the same town.
Sworn and subscribed this 22nd
Day of June 1833 in open court John Schoonmaker
John G. Wasson - clerk