DECLARATION
State of New York
County of Albany
On the tenth day of August 1832,
personally appeared in open court, before the Justice Court of the City of
Albany, now sitting, Henry
Shaver a resident of the Town of Guilderland in the county of Albany and state
of New York aged, 15 Feb. last, Seventy Four years, who being first duly sworn
according to law, doth on this 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 United
States, under the following named
officers, and served as herein stated:
That in the year 1776
this Declarer entered as a volunteer to serve for five months in a Company
commanded by Abraham Veeder as Captain, Jurian Hogan as
first Lieutenant and Teunis Slingerlandt as 2nd Lieut. That he then
resided in the Town of Bethlehem, now
Guilderland. That he marched from the
City of Albany to Lake George, from thence to Ticonderoga, from thence to
Skenesborough, and then returned as far as New City now Lansingburgh, the
company was ordered to march back as far as Fort Ann now in the County of
Washington and were stationed there until the first day of December following,
and were there discharged, having then served five months – Early in the ensuing
Spring, he this Declarer was ordered out with the Company to apprehend
disaffected persons in the Southwestern part of the County of Albany, amongst
whom was the noted Newson and also one Lantman, who were afterwards both
executed as Traitors, and as having attempted to enlistment to fight against
the Liberators of America: In the same
year 1777 he this Declarer was ordered out with the Company under Captain
William Winne of the said Town of Watervliet, to march to Fort Edward and after
remaining there for a considerable time on duty, they were dismissed and
permitted to return home – After a short interval, the Company was again
ordered to march to Bemis Heights at
the time Burgoyne’s Army was marching towards the southern part of the State,
and remained there until near the event of his capitulation, when it was
concluded between Capt. Winne and other of his neighbors, that as the prospect
of Burgoyne and his army being made prisoners was more then probable, it would
be as well for some of the men of the company to return home and endeavor to
attend to their grain sown which was accordingly concluded upon, and therefore
this Declarer and a number of the men of the Company who were farmers obtained
leave to return home to attend to their farms, having in the course of the said
year 1777 been in actual service for the period of three months – That in the
year 1778 on the 4th of April he was appointed an Ensign in Capt.
Philip Luke’s Company and in Col. Henry
Quackenbush’s Regiment of Militia in the County of Albany, and accepted the
said Commission and that either in that year or the year following, he this
declarer was ordered out with the Company to march to the relief of the Inhabitants
of Schoharie. And was on that service and in garrisoning the tree fort then
known as the Lower, Middle and Upper forts on three general tours of about on
month each, that frequently, he this Declarer, as Ensign as aforesaid,
associated himself with a considerable number of his neighbors who staunch
friends to the American Cause, and formed themselves into a Company of Rangers,
of whom this Declarer and one Thomas Isbee
alternately had the Command for the purpose of breaking up the gang of Tories
and disaffected persons who infested the neighborhood of Naskathuea and Cassick,
and after having been engaged in that service for about five months, the said
Company was disbanded, as their original object had been completely effected. That this Declarer has subsequently been
called into service in the militia, but mostly for short terms of duty, the
length of which this Declarer can not now recollect, after the great lapse of
intervening time.
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.
Sworn and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid,
J. G. Wasson – Clerk Henry
Shaver
County of Albany
On this 9th
of Nov. 1832 before the Justice Court of the City of Albany, in open court,
personally appeared Henry
Shafer (Shaver), whose declaration as within written was subscribed and sworn
to by him, who being duly sworn according to law, doth depose and Say, that the
foregoing declaration is in all respects true excepting so far as the same is
hereby amended explained, or altered by the following supplementary declaration
to wit: That Capt. Philip Luke of Col. Henry
Quackenbush’s Regt. of Militia was the officer who ordered out the Company to
which this Declarer belonged to apprehend disaffected persons in the
Southwestern parts of the County of Albany, amongst whom was the noted Newsom
and one Lantman who were afterwards both executed as Traitors. - and that on this tour he this Declarer was
in service for fourteen days – That in the year 1777 as set forth in his former
declaration this Declarer marched as a private to Fort Edward under Capt.
William Winne, and was in service until he was dismissed, for a time of one
month – That the Company of Rangers spoken of in this Declarers former
declaration, and which are objected to as having been self appointed or
created, were not self created but were the same who belonged to Capt. Luke’s
company and to Col. Henry
Quackenbush’s Regiment, and that the company, of which it was composed happened
to reside in the neighborhood of each other, and agreed to unite, under the same
lien and by the authority of their Colonel and Captain, to root out and
disperse the Tories and marauders who infested that neighborhood: - And that as
such Company was ordered to attend upon the Commissioners of Conspiracy, who
then were John Barclay, John M. Beekman, Matthew Ryscher, Isaac Fonda and
Doctor Samuel Thomas, and execute such orders as the commanding officer of that
company for the time being who was then Capt. Luke, Lieut. Esmay and this
Declarer as Ensign, should receive from the said commissioners – And in which State
his service with as much precision as his best recollection will enable him, he
doth declare and say, that for 8 months he served as private, and for 8 months he
served as Ensign in the Revolutionary Army, and for those services he claims a
pension.
Subscribed and Sworn to the
9th
Nov. 1832
J.G. Wasson – Clerk
Henry
Shaver
Transcribed by Charles F. Luke
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