Pension Application

R.220
State of New York
County of Allegany SS.
            On this 20th day of November 1839, personally appeared before me Elijah Horton, one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas—(being a court of record) of the County of Allegany aforesaid, Daniel Andrus, a resident of the town of Nunda in the County & State aforesaid, aged eighty nine years on the tenth day of September last past, 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.—This declarant says that from old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively to the particular circumstances of his service—how much he served at each particular time, nor who all his officers were—but he does remember that he enlisted or volunteered into the service under one Captain Dennison, at Stephentown which was then in the County of Albany, and the first service he did was going up to Hoosick under the command of said Dennison on a scouting party and was gone at this time one week—remembers that one James Jones—one Samuel Andrus and one John Bently were member of the company at this time; and that one Shaw was Lieutenant, and this declarant was a Sergeant in the company. This was in the summer in the year before Burgoyne was captured. L Afterwards in the same summer he went to Schoharie, and was there one month under the command of Captain Gilbert – cannot remember the given name of either Captain Dennison or Captain Gilbert—Remembers that one Benjamin Andrus and thinks James Jones were members of the company at this time—Afterwards before Burgoyne was captured (cannot remember the season of the year but thinks in the summer or fall)—went under Captain Dennison to Fort George and was there one month.—does not remember who commanded at the Fort at this time. And this deponent further says that he was present in the service at the capture or surrender of Burgoyne in the fall of 1777. And he remembers well that he had at that time been in the service, without intermission, under the command of Captain Dennison for nine months, and these nine months do not include any of the service herein before set forth. That he enlisted or volunteered under Dennison for one year and at the capture of Burgoyne, after having served nine months as before stated, he was honourably discharged, receiving at the time a written discharge which is since lost or destroyed. This fact of having served nine months is distinct in his recollection, more so than any other period during which he served, from the fact that the capture of Burgoyne was an important event. Afterwards during the four succeeding years 1778, 1779, 1780 and 1781 he was often drafted and went on expeditions. Sometimes under Captain Dennison and at other times under Captain Gilbert, but how much service he did in any one of those years or under either captain or the circumstances of the service, he cannot now remember. The particulars of those events have entirely gone from his memory, and he can only say that whenever called on he went—that in all the service which he did during the war he was a sergeant in his company—and he knows that during the war he served two full years in all and he thinks more—and for that service of two years he claims a pension. The reason why he thinks he served two years is that he remembers having made at the close of the war a computation of the time he was in the service—and that always from that time to the present whenever asked how long he was in the service he has stated in at two years—and this declarant further says that from old age and loss of memory he can give no other or more definite account of his services than is above set forth; that he has no documentary evidence and that he knows of no person who can testify to his service. And the reasons why he has not before applied for a pension under the act of June 7, 1832, has been on account of his extreme poverty rendering him unable to defray the expense of an application, and also his being very hard of hearing which rendered it very difficult for any person to enquire of him for the necessary facts.
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state.
            In answer to the interrogatories propounded by the said Elijah Horton—the declarant answers as follows:

I was born at Farmington in the State of Connecticut on the 10th day of September 1750.
I have a record of my age in my Bible now in my possession.
When called into the service I was living at Stephentown which was then in Albany (now Rensselaer) County and resided there with the exception of the time I was in the service until after the close of the war, and then (cannot now remember the year but soon after the close of the war) removed to the town of Bern in the county of Albany and resided there until the year 1803 when I removed to the town of Scipio in the County of Cayuga and State of New York, and resided there until 1819, when I came to reside with my son, Henry Andrus in the tow of Pike in the county of Allegany & State of New York, and have since to the date hereof resided with him. In the spring of 1828 my son removed to Grove Allegany County State of New York and lived there until the spring of 1834—during which time I was with him—we then removed to Mount Morris in the county of Livingston and State of New York and resided there three years until the spring of 1837—when my son & his family removed to Nunda in the County of Allegany and State of New York – where he has since resided to the date thereof—during which time I have resided and still reside with him.
I was always a volunteer when I went into the service.
I can remember the names of Captain Dennison—Captain Gilbert, Lieutenant Shaw and General Gates, and cannot now remember any others and can give no other account of the circumstances of my service than in my declaration above set forth.
I received a discharge from the service immediately after the capture of Burgoyne, but cannot remember by whom it was signed. It is since lost or destroyed, I cannot tell how nor where. (Signed with his mark) David Andrus

Sworn to and Subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me a Judge of the Allegany Common Pleas. E. Horton.

Letter dated April 29, 1939, replying to an inquiry.
            Reference is made to your letter of recent date, in which you requested the Revolutionary War record of Daniel Andrus of Albany County, New York, who, you state served under Colonel William B. Whiting and Lieutenant Colonel Asa Waterman.
            Your are furnished herein the record of the only Daniel Andrus, under any spelling, found in the Revolutionary War records of this office. The data therein were obtained from the papers on file in pension claim, R.220, based upon his service in that war.
            Daniel Andrus was born September 10, 1750, in Farmington, Connecticut; the names of his parents were not given.
            While living in Nunda, Allegany County, New York, Daniel Andrus applied for pension in July, 1839, and stated that while he was a resident of Stephentown, in that part of Albany County which later became Rensselaer County, New York, he volunteered and served at various time from 1777 to 1781, inclusive, amounting to two years in all, as sergeant under Captains Dennison and Gilbert in the New York troops, on short expeditions to Hoosick, Schoharie and Fort George and to other places, that he was at the surrender of Burgoyne in the fall of 1777. It was stated that part of his service was under Captain Elijah Bostwick, Colonel Alexander Webster and Lieutenant Colonel Asa Waterman in the New York troops. No further details of service were given. One Samuel Andrus served on one tour with Daniel Andrus, and on another tour one Benjamin Andrus served with him, their relationship not stated.
            His claim for pension was not allowed as he failed to furnish proof of six months military service in accordance with the requirements of the pension law.
            Soon after the Revolutionary War, the soldier moved to Berne, Albany County where he resided until 1803, then moved to Scipio, Cayuga County, New York, which was his place of residence until 1819, thence to Pike, Allegany County, New York to live with his son, Henry Andrus, he moved with him in the spring of 1828 to Grove, in the same county, from there with his son in the spring of 1834 to Mount Morris, Livingston County, New York, where they lived until the spring of 1837, when both moved to Nunda, Allegany County, New York.
            The name of Daniel Andrus’ wife was not given and no references to children other than to Henry Andrus, with whom the soldier lived. The date of death of Daniel Andrus is not shown in the papers on file.

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