Pension Application

Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Martin Crannell

S.15059
State of New York
Schoharie County
            On the sixth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred thirty-four, personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Schoharie now sitting Martin Crannell, a resident of the Town and County of Schoharie and State of New York, aged seventy four 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 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 1779 he was draughted for three months sometime in the month of June he thinks it was, in Captain Nicholas Jasallowen’s (1) Company, but does not recollect who commanded the regiment the company belonged to. That he joined the company at the city and County of Albany and in the state where he then resided. That they marched from there to Schenectady and from there up the Mohawk to Fort Hunter, now in the County of Montgomery in said state, that they stayed there nearly a month and then crossed the river and marched to a place called Stone Arabia in said county whereby he remained in the service till his three months had expired when he was discharge at the place last aforesaid.
            That he entered the service again in the year 1780 for three months in Captain Dellman’s (2) company in Colonel VanSchaicks regiment. That he went for a class who had to furnish a man and thinks it was in the month of June for he remembers he was hoeing corn when one Christian Fero (3) came to get him to go, and that he left his hoeing and went right off with him and joined the company at the City of Albany in the state aforesaid, where he then resided. That he went with the company from there down the river by water to West Point and after remaining there a week or two he joined Captain Bleecker’s (4) Company of Infantry in Colonel Cortlandt’s Regiment.
            That they went to King’s Bridge (5) and drew new arms and left their old over, and then went from thence to Tappan now in Rockland County in said state where they kept their head quarters. That during the summer a number of troops was sent into the state of New Jersey, he thinks as many as three regiments that he was along with them and remembers that he helped drive a wagon, some cattle and horses from Bergen. That during the time they were stationed in Tappan he was part of the time employed in working at blacksmithing at the traveling forge for the army shoeing horses.
            That he remained in the service in Bleecker’s Company and Cortlandt’s regiment over three months for he very well remembers he was in the service there when Andre was hanged at Tappan and he knows he was in the service sometime afterwards but how long he cannot remember. He was then returned to Dillaman’s Company and they were taken to King’s Bridge where they left their new arms and were to have received their old arms but did not get them. They were then marched up the river to Poughkeepsie and there discharged and he went from there up the river to Rhinebeck in company with Peter Dox, (6) Samuel Wallace and Cornelius Van Ness and there got on board of a boat and can remember that it was so late in the season that ice froze on the boat in going up the rivers, and he is confident that he was in the service that time at least four months.
            Again in the year 1781, he entered the service for nine months in Captain [Peter] Elsworth’s Company in Colonel Marinus Willett’s Regiment he does not know however that Elsworth was captain of the company at the time he entered, but he knows he was captain of it not long after he joined the company.
            That he went for a class who had to furnish a man that Garret Vanderburgh was one of the class and the person who enlisted him to go, that he joined the company as early as the first of April at Albany in the state aforesaid where he then resided. That he marched with the company to Schenectady, from there to Fort Plain in the (now) County of Montgomery and state aforesaid where they kept their head quarters.
            That he was a part of the time at Fort Herkimer about fifteen miles above and a part of the time at Fort Dayton at what is called the German Flats on the north side of the Mohawk River. That while he was there Captain Elsworth (7) got killed by the Indians, and that the company was afterwards commanded by Lieutenant [Bartle] Hendricks. The company after that was ordered to what was then called Fort House, about eight or ten miles further down the river. That they stayed there about two months, that a part of the regiment remained at Fort Plain and were then ordered down to Caughnawaga where the rest of the regiment joined them. From there they marched to Johnstown (8) now County of Montgomery and state aforesaid. That he was in the battle fought there between the troops under command of Colonel Willett and the British forces under command of Major Ross. That after the enemy were defeated and fled, they marched back to Stone Arabia, from there to Fort Plain and to Fort Herkimer.
            That part of the regiment followed the enemy as far as West Canada Creek (9) where a skirmish ensued in which some of the enemy were killed. That he continued in the service till as late, the thinks, as Christmas when he was discharged at Fort Plain (10) aforesaid which was rising of sixty miles from the City of Albany where he then lived. He thinks it would not lack over two or three days (if any) of nine months that he was in the service at that time. That he has no documentary evidence of his services.
            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.
            And to the particular interrogatories, he answers, that he was born in the City of Albany in the State of New York, as he has been informed and believes, but the year in which he was born he does not know, but thinks it was in the year 1759 for he was eighteen years old at the taking of Burgoyne according to the best of his recollection. His age is recorded in the Presbyterian Church book in the City of Albany and not many years ago he caused it to be examined to ascertain his age, and he recollects that according to that record he was born the 28th day of August but the year he has forgotten. That he was living in the City of Albany aforesaid when he was called into the service. That he has lived since the Revolutionary War in Albany County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County and Ulster County all in the State of New York, and he now lives in the Town and County of Schoharie in said state.
            The first time he was called into the service was by being draughted and each other time he went as a substitute as he has stated in his declaration to wit, in 1780 he went for a class of which Christian Fero was head and in 1781 went for a class of which Garret Vanderburgh was head. As to the names of the regular officers who were with the troops where he served the first time tour in 1779 he cannot recollect of any during the time they were stationed at Fort Hunter and Stone Arabia.
            That in the year 1780, while in Captain Bleecker’s company in Colonel Cortlandt’s Regiment, he very well remembers that General Green was there for he recollects he made him some knives and for while at Tappan. Thinks that General Washington was about there sometime in the fall he also recollects that La Fayette was there before he was discharged. That he got acquainted with one Norton the Sergeant of his guard. That while in the service in 1781 in Col. Willett’s Regiment he did not get acquainted with the names of any officers that he recollects of, more than Colonel Willett, Major Rowley of the officers of his own company named in his declaration.
            That he never received a written discharge that he recollects of. He thinks the following persons, known to him in his present neighborhood, can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution, to wit, Adam Sternbergh, Peter Mann, John Enders and Peter Enders.   N.B. in the 6th line above the name “Ross” was crossed and the name “Rowley” Interlined.
(Signed) Martin Crannell
            Sworn to and Subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court. John Gebhard Jr. Clerk

State of New York
Schoharie County SS
            Jacob Conley [Conolly,Connoll, Connelly, etc.] late of the township of Sidney in the County of Stormenyin in the province of Upper Canada, aged Sixty eight years, being duly sworn according to law, doth depose and say, that he is well acquainted with Martin Crannel and was well acquainted with him in the Revolutionary War, and knows that the said Martin Crannel was in the service of the Revolution for nine months lacking nine or ten days in Captain Peter Elsworth’s Company, in Colonel Willett’s Regiment, and according to the best of this deponents recollection, it was in the year 1781, it was the same year the battle was fought at Johnstown now county of Montgomery and State of New York. That this deponent was in the same Company and regiment with the said Martin Crannel, that they both entered the service at the city and County of Albany in the State of New York, in Captain Elsworth’s Company in Colonel Willett regiment and according to the best of his recollection, it was as early as the 25th of March 1781, and that they both continued in the service from that time till as late as the middle of December of the same year when they were discharged at Fort Plain now in the County of Montgomery in the State of New York about ten days before the nine month had expired. That this deponent and the said Martin Crannel were both in the battle at Johnstown aforesaid. That their Captain Peter Elsworth was killed a month or two before on a scouting party and that Lieut. Henry or Hendricks took command of said Company after Capt. Elsworth was killed.
            NB the name “Herkimer” was erased and the name “Montgomery” interlined.
(Signed with his mark) Jacob Conley
            Sworn and Subscribed this 7th day of November before me. Wm Mann a Judge Schoharie County Court.

State of New York
Albany county SS
Abraham C. Truax, aged rising of seventy years being duly sworn doth depose and say that he [is] well acquainted with Martin Crannel and was well acquainted with him in the Revolutionary war and knows that the said Martin Crannel was in the Revolutionary service in Captain Elsworth’s company in Colonel Willett’s regiment thinks it was in the year 1781 knows it was the year the battle was fought at Johnstown that according to the best of this deponents recollection the said Martin Crannel entered into the service early in the spring and continued the service till about Christmas of the same year that the said Crannel he thinks in the service nine months lacking about eight or ten days. That this deponent was in the same company and regiment and was also discharge about Christmas.
(Signed with his mark) Abrham C. Truax
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 23rd of January 1834. John D. Ogsburg Justice.

End Notes

Captain Nicholas Joraleman [His pension no. is S 23279] in Colonel Jacob Lansing’s Regiment of Albany County Militia [First Regiment]. The other company officers were First Lieutenant Isaac Lansing, Jr. Second Lieutenant Bernardus Hallenbeck, and Ensign Derick Hilton [His pension no. is W 3550.]
Captain Christian Tillman in Colonel Stephen J. Schuyler’s Regiment of Albany County Militia [Sixth Regiment]. I do not know how he thinks he was part of Colonel Goose VanSchaick’s New York Continental Regiment. This regiment was stationed at Fort Schuyler from April 1779 until September 26, 1780 when they were relieved by colonel John Harper’s Regiment of New York State Levies which then garrisoned Fort Schuyler.
Christian Fero along with Martin’s name appear on the payroll of Captain Jacob J. Lansing’s Company in Colonel Philip P. Schuyler’s Regiment of Albany County Militia [Third Regiment].
Captain Leonard Bleecker’s Company was in Colonel Peter Gansevoort’s Third New York Continental Regiment. Colonel Philip VanCortlandt’s Second New York Continental Regiment. Although both regiments were at West Point but Martin’s name does not appear on the muster roll of either regiment.
The areas he claims to have served in at this time such as West Point, NY and particularly in Bergen, New Jersey for militia service. The militia would usually never cross state lines. He claims to have driven a wagon and to have done blacksmithing which usually was done by civilians but again I haven’t been able to find any such service for him.
A Peter Dox served as an Ensign in Captain Lansing’s Company. I did not find a Samuel Wallace [Wallis] or Cornelius Van Ness serving in New York.
Captain Elsworth was ambushed and killed on the 6th of July 1781 near Steele’s Creek in now Herkimer County.
The Battle of Johnstown was fought on the 25th of October 1781.
The skirmish at West Canada Creek was fought on the 30th of October 1781.
Martin was owed £21..1..4 for his service in this company which was paid to John Shepherd after the war. There was also a William Crannell in this company but Martin never mentions him.