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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