Pension Application

S.45191
Mass., NH. NY
Ontario County, Massachusetts Line for 9 months in Colonel Shepard’s Regiment, served as a private.
Rufuse Alexander of the town of Canandaigua in the County of Ontario and State of New York being duly cautioned and sworn doth on oath solemnly depose say and declare that he is citizen of the United States and that he served this country in the war of the revolution against the common enemy and that he the deponent enlisted in the month of July 1775 for six months in Colonel VanSchaick’s Regiment in Captain Elisha Benedict’s Company in the Continental service in the New York Line and that he served the aforesaid six months and that he enlisted for four months in the same Regiment Company and Service as aforesaid and he received an honorable discharge and then he enlisted for nine months in Colonel Beatte Regiment in Captain Green’s Company in the New Hampshire Line in the Continental Service and received an honorable discharge and the first discharge was taken from him by the Indians at a place called the Cedars on the St. Lawrence River in Canada under General Arnold’s command & that he enlisted for nine months 1777 in Colonel Shepard’s Regiment in Captain Jas. Alvord’s company in the Massachusetts Line and that he received an honorable discharge and the deponent further saith that he enlisted for 4 months in 1781 in Colonel Wesenfelt’s regiment in Captain Daniel Shepard’s Company and that he enlisted for nine months 1782 under the last mentioned Colonel in Captain Abraham Westfall’s Company in the New York Continental Line and that he lost his discharges for his services under Colonels Shepard and Beatte in Captain Green’s company & Captain Alvord’s company and that for his 4 months service in 1781 in Colonel Westfelt’s Regiment in Captain Daniel Shepard’s Company he does not recollect of having a discharge for his last mentioned service and that he received an honorable discharge for his services in 1782 in Colonel Westfelt’s regiment in Captain Abraham Westfall’s company and that he sent the last mentioned discharge by a person who called his name Zebulon Marcy to New York City for the purpose of getting his pay thereon and that Marcy absconded to part unknown to the deponent and that he has not since received his pay nor discharge and the deponent saith further that in May 1785 he procured Lieutenant John Bar deposition which is hereunto annexed and that he is 67 years old and in Extreme Indigent Circumstances and he therefore prays that his name may be placed on the pension list pursuant to an act of Congress passed the 18th day of March 1818 entitled an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the Land, and Naval service of the united States in the revolutionary war and further the deponent saith not. (Signed with his mark) Rufus Alexander
Sworn to and subscribed this the 11th day of April 1818 before me Stephen Phelps one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Ontario.

State of New York
Ontario County SS.
            On this 10th day of November 1820 personally appeared in open Court, (being a Court of Common Pleas in and for said county, and constituted a Court of Record by proceeding according to the course of the Common Law, with a jurisdiction unlimited in point of amount, and keeping a record of its proceedings, and recognized as such Court by the laws and judicial decisions of said state). Rufus Alexander aged seventy years, resident in the town of Geneseo in said county, who, being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath declare, that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows: That he enlisted in September 1777 in Captain Job Alverd’s Company in Col. Shepherd’s Regiment—that on the 28th of May following he was taken prisoner and kept two years, was then exchanged and joined his regiment, where he served four months and was honorably discharged and that he made application for a pension on the eleventh day of April 1818 and that he received a Pension Certificate, No. 17277. And I do solemnly swear that I was a resident citizen of the United States on the eighteenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, and that I have not since that time, by gift, sale, or in any manner, disposed of my property, or any part thereof, with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of congress, entitled “An Act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary War,” passed on the 18th day of March, 1818, and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me, any property or securities, contracts, or debts due to me, nor have I any income other than what is contained in the Schedule hereto annexed, and by me subscribe, viz. One jackknife and one shilling in money. (Signed with his mark) Rufus Alexander
            And I do further swear and declare that I am at present by occupation a basket maker, and by means of a fever sore on one leg and the infirmities attendant on old age, am unable to do but little labor of any kind, & that my family consists of my wife aged fifty nine years who has been under a partial state of mental derangement for eight years past, totally unable to support herself & that I am dependent on my friends for support. (Signed with his mark) Rufus Alexander
            Sworn & declar’d this 10th day of November 1820 in open court before me. Moses Atwater, Judge of Ontario Com Pleas

Copyright © 1998, -- 2008. James F. Morrison and Berry Enterprises. All rights reserved. All items on the site are copyrighted. While we welcome you to use the information provided on this web site by copying it, or downloading it; this information is copyrighted and not to be reproduced for distribution, sale, or profit.