Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Paul I. Hochstrasser
S.13434
State of New York
Albany County SS
On this 20th day of November 1832 personally appeared before Joseph B. Moore a Judge of the County Courts of the County of Albany in the state aforesaid, Paul I. Hochstrasser, a resident of the Town of Bern in the County of Albany and State of New York aged 71 years and upwards 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 he entered the said service at the then Town of Guilderland in the County of Albany and the State of New York having been drafted and joined Capt. Grote’s (1) Company and Col. Schuyler’s Regiment for the term of one month and was immediately marched to Schoharie where he served out his term of one month and was then dismissed. He joined the said company in the spring of the year 1776 and served as a private soldier.
He again entered the said service about the last of September or first October 1777 he having been classed and went for his class and was immediately marched to Saratoga and there joined Capt. Nicholson’s Company (2) and served as a private soldier one month and was at the surrender of Burgoyne (3) and was marched down with the army to Albany after Burgoyne surrendered and was there dismissed.
He again entered the said service having been drafted and joined Capt. Grote’s Company and was marched to Schenectady in the month of June 1778 and there served as an Orderly Sergeant one month and fifteen days and did garrison duty.
In the fall of the same year 1778 he was again called out, the militia being called for and joined Capt. Grote’s Company and Col. Schuyler’s Regiment and were marched to Saratoga, and there served as an Orderly Sergeant one month and fifteen days and was dismissed.
He again entered the same service at Guilderland aforesaid a volunteer and joined Capt. Grote’s Company and he think in Col. Quackenbush’s (4)Regiment in the spring of the year 1779 and was immediately marched to Schoharie and was there stationed sometimes at the Upper Fort, sometimes at the Middle Fort and often at the Lower Fort. That he served under different officers at these forts all of whose names he does not now recollect, he served at this time five months, from the late spring or fire part of the summer of 1779 in the fall of the same year as a private soldier and was at Schoharie at the time that place was burnt. (5)
He was in the actual service of the United States in the Revolutionary War in an embodied Corps and served as an Orderly Sergeant three months as a private soldier seven months, making served as an Orderly Sergeant three months was a private soldier seven months making in the whole ten months and for such service he claims a pension.
He was born in Germany on the 12th day of September in the year 1761 and was removed from Germany to the City of Albany at the age of two years as he has always understood and believes to be true and removed from Albany to the said Town of Guilderland in the County of Albany when he was a boy where he resided at the time of entering the said service at the several periods above mentioned. After the war he removed to Hoosick in Rensselaer County where he lived two years, and from there he removed to the said Town of Bern his present place of residence where he has lived for the last 26 years.
He has seen a record of his age in his father’s family Bible but he does not know what has become of it.
Colo. Nixon, Gen’l Gates and others whose names he does now recollect were with the troops he served with. He recollects that he saw Gen’l Washington once at Albany. He does not now particularly recollect what Continental or militia regiments he served with.
He never received a written discharge. He was in a skirmish with the British and Indians at Schoharie and was in the engagement at the taking of Burgoyne.
He is known to Malachi Whipple Esq., Johan Jost Dietz, Jacob Settle Esq., David Reinhart, Colo. Jacob J. Weidmere, John I. Shafer and other who reside in his present neighborhood and who can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution.
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.
He is now very lame and unwell with the rheumatism and has a very bad cough and is entirely unable to leave his home. He resides 22 miles from the City of Albany where the Courts of Record for the County of Albany are held and it is wholly impossible for him to travel that distance to attend the court even if he is deprived of a pension on that account.
He has no documentary evidence in relation to his service nor can he procure any person to testify to his services except the persons who have made affidavits hereto annexed although he has made diligent inquiry to find witnesses. (Signed) Paul I. Hochstrasser
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me J.V.B. Moore Judge of Albany County Courts.
The following letter is part of the pension application folder, dated June 15, 1931.
You are advised that it appears form the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim S. 13434, that Paul I. Hochstrasser was born, September 12, 1761, in Germany. When two years of age he came to Albany, New York, and moved to Guilderland, Albany County, New York when a boy.
He enlisted in the spring of 1776 in Guilderland, New York, and served one month as private in Captain John Groot’s Company in Colonel Schuyler’s New York Regiment. He enlisted late in September or early in October 1777, and served one month as private in Captain Nicholsons’ Company and was in the battle of Stillwater and at the surrender of Burgoyne. He enlisted in June 1778 and served one month and fifteen days as orderly sergeant in Captain Groot’s New York Company. He enlisted in the fall of 1778 and served one month and fifteen days as orderly sergeant in Captain Groot’s company in Colonel Schuyler’s New York regiment. He enlisted in the spring or summer of 1779 and served five months as private in Captain Groot’s company in Colonel Quackenbush’s New York regiment and was in a skirmish at Schoharie.
After the Revolution he lived in Hoosick, Rensselaer County, New York and in Berne, Albany County, New York.
He was allowed pension on his application executed November 20, 1832 at which time he was living in Berne, New York.
There are no data relative to the soldier’s family.
End notes for Paul I. Hochstrasser (Hogstresser, etc.)
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