Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for William Berry

S. 10366
State of New York
Alleghany County SS.
            On this 30th day of October 1832, personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of common Pleas of Alleghany County now sitting William Berry a resident of the town of Almond in the county and state aforesaid aged 78 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—to wit: on or about the 20th day of May 1775, at the town then called New Britain in Albany County (now Columbia County) and State of New York by enlisting for one year in the New York State troops, according to the best of his recollection now, under Colonel Peter Gates of Albany, Captain ____Baldwin,(1)  Lieutenant Roswell Beebe and Ensign Rowley and was attached to the body of troops under General _____ Schuyler’s (2) command—marched from New Britain aforesaid to Albany and remained there some six or eight days—marched from thence to Fort George and remained there on duty in keeping guard and transporting provision in Batteaus across Lake George to Ticonderoga Landing until about the 20th of November or 1st of December of the same year—then marched to Crown Point and remained there about one week as near as he can now remember when he was taken sick and in consequence of his sickness was carried back to Fort George where he was discharged on or about the 15th day of December 1775 making a term of service under his engagement as aforesaid of six months and twenty five days according to his best recollection—that when he marched from Fort George to Crown Point the troops were destined for Canada and Quebec to join General Montgomery and that those who were not taken sick continued their march on to Canada and Quebec as he was informed.
            The he entered the service of the United States a second time at the town of New Britain aforesaid, by enlisting for the term of three months in the New York State troops under Captain ___ Lasher (3), Lieutenant ____Stoat knows not whether there was any colonel who commanded as he did not see any—enlisted about the 10th day of June 1777- marched immediately to Albany and remained there on duty in guarding the magazine Provision Stores and city Hall until about the 10th day of October of the same year (before he could get discharged although his time of three months for which he enlisted had expired) when he received a written discharge from Captain ____Lasher, making a term of service of Four Months under his second engagement aforesaid according to his best recollection—
            That he entered the service of the United States a third time at Warrensbush (then in the County of Albany) (4) but now in the County of Montgomery in the State of New York in the Militia of the State of New York by being classed in the following manner – to serve ten days and then off from service twenty days alternately for six months in the company commanded by Captain ____McMasters (5)and on or about the first day of May 1779 marched from Warrensbush aforesaid to Socendanga [Sacondaga] Block House and remained there on duty in guarding and scouting until about the 10th day of May of the same year and was dismissed making ten days service—marched again from Warrensbush on or about the first day of June 1779 to the aforesaid Block House and remained in service ten days in guarding and scouting as before and was then dismissed—marched again from Warrensbush aforesaid on or about the first day of July 1779 to the aforesaid Block House and remained there on duty in guarding and scouting as aforesaid ten days and was then dismissed marched again from Warrensbush aforesaid to the Block House aforesaid on or about the first day of August 1779 and remained there on duty ten days in guarding and scouting as aforesaid and then was dismissed—marched again from Warrensbush aforesaid to the Block House aforesaid on or about the first day of September 1779 and remained on duty in guarding and scouting as aforesaid then days and then was dismissed—marched again from Warrensbush aforesaid to the Block House aforesaid on or about the first day of October 1779 and remained there on duty in guarding and scouting as aforesaid ten days and then was marched again from Warrensbush aforesaid to the Block house aforesaid on or about the first of November 1779 and remained there on duty ten days in guarding and scouting as aforesaid and then was dismissed.  Making in all a service under his engagement in the class as aforesaid of two months according to his best recollection—
            That he entered the service of the United States a fourth time at Warrensbush aforesaid on or about the first day of May 1780 by enlisting for the term of six months in the New York States troops in a company commanded by Captain Garret Putman (6), Lieutenant Soloman Woodward and in a Regiment commanded by Colonel John Harper marched from Warrensbush aforesaid to Sockendanga Block House aforesaid and remained there on duty in guarding the frontier settlements and scouting for Indians about one month then marched to Johnstown and there remained on duty in guarding and scouting some three or four weeks and then marched to Stone Arabia and remained there a few days in guarding and scouting and then marched to a place then called Fort Plank and remained there on duty in guarding and scouting for British Indians & Tories until some time in the month of September of the same year when we were put under the command of Major Hues (7) and marched to Fort Stanwix and remained there on duty in guarding and scouting until the 22d day of October when he was called out on an expedition to burn the enemy’s boats on Onondaga Lake marched on towards the Lake until we found fresh fires which induced the commander to suppose that the enemy had gone on before us and we then commenced a counter march and on the 23d day of October (8) of the same year we were surprised by the enemy and this applicant and all or nearly all of the American troops in the expedition were taken prisoner and carried to Montreal in the province of Lower Canada and then he was taken to an Island then called prisoner Island and kept there until the 4th day of July 1784 when he was released and started from thence for home and arrived at his home in the town of New Britain aforesaid on the 8th day of August 1784—making a term of service under the fourth engagement as aforesaid of five months and twenty three days before he was taken prisoner and a prisoner three years 8 months and 11 days.—That he has no documentary evidence nor knows of no person living who can testify to his services aforesaid—that he has the affidavits of Silvanus Williber, Rachael Wadsworth, and Edward Wheeler detailing circumstances and tradition of his services as aforesaid which are hereunto attached—
            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—
            That he was born in the town of Warwick in the State of Rhode Island on the 25th day of November 1753—has no record of his age—was living in the town of New Britain aforesaid when first called into service and subsequently in the town of Warrensbush aforesaid—Lived since the Revolutionary War in New Britain aforesaid, in the town of Hancock Berkshire county in the State of Massachusetts in the town of Stephentown Rensselaer County in the State of New York, and now lives in the town of Almond county of Allegany and State of New York.
            That the first and second time he entered the service he enlisted—the third time was classed, and the fourth time enlisted.
            Cannot now recollect any Regular officers unless General Schuyler was one and does not recollect any continental Regiments—and does not recollect any Militia Regiments except those to which he was attached as before stated.
            Received two discharges from the service-first discharge does not recollect who signed by – Second discharge was signed by Captain Lasher—that he has lost his discharges—
            That John Dey, Lawrence Dey Esquire and John Davison are persons to whom he is known 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—
            Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid—(Signed) William Berry

End Notes—William Berry  S.10366

  1. Captain Hezekiah Baldwin’s Company in Colonel Goose VanSchaick’s Second New York Continental Regiment (the 1775 establishment).  The Lieutenants were Nathaniel Rowley (1st Lt.) and Roswell Beebe (2nd Lt.)  There was no ensign.  The Lieutenant-Colonel was Peter Yates, not Gates.  Berry enlisted as a private on August 3, 1775, and on October 13, 1775 he is listed as “sick hospitalle”.  Revolutionary War Rolls 1775-1783, Series M-246 Folder 19, Roll 67, National Archives, Washington D.C.
  2. General Philip Schuyler of Albany.  General Schuyler also had a summer home in Saratoga now the present day Schuylerville, Saratoga County.
  3. I have not yet found this Captain Lasher or Lieutenant Stoat.
  4. Actually it was Tryon County at this time.  Tryon County was formed from Albany County in 1772.  Montgomery County was formed from Tryon County in 1784.
  5. Captain David McMaster’s Company, Sixth Company, in Colonel Frederick Visscher’s Regiment of Tryon County Militia, Third Regiment.  A William Berry also served in Captain Emanuel DeGraff’s Company, Seventh Company, in Colonel Visscher’s Regiment.
  6. Captain Garret Putman, Lieutenant’s Solomon Woodworth and Isaac Paris in Lieutenant-Colonel John Harper’s Regiment of New York State Levies for 1780.
  7. Major James M. Hughes of Colonel Harper’s Regiment.
  8. Captain Walter Vrooman of Colonel Harper’s Regiment was in command of this expedition.

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