Pension Application

R.1010 (Widow: Annatje or Anna)
State of New York
County of Schenectady SS.
            On this twelfth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common pleas in and for said county now sitting John Bonny a resident of the City of Schenectady in said County & State aged upwards of seventy one 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 7th 1832.
            He was born in the town of German Flatts in the then county of Tryon in the state of New York (the colony) on the ninth day of July 1761. He has no record of his age except that contained in his family Bible.
            When he was called into the service of the United States in the army of the revolution, he was living in said Town of German Flatts and since the revolutionary war he has lived in the City of Schenectady.
            He now lives in the city of Schenectady aforesaid.
            H entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
            In the fall of the year 1777 he enlisted in Captain John Frank’s Company of Militia in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Peter Bellinger and served in said Company at Fort Herkimer, and in expeditions into the surrounding country until the fall of the year 1780 and was during the whole of that period of nearly three years almost constantly engaged in the discharge of military duty.
            In the spring of the year 1781, the precise time he cannot recollect he enlisted and served for the term of four months in Captain Daniel Hale’s Company of State Troops in the Regiment of Colonel Marinus Willett. The post where he served during this engagement was at the middle fort of Schoharie. The place of his enlistment at Schenectady and the place where he was discharged was at Schoharie.
            Sometime in the month of May 1782 he enlisted at the City of Albany in said State for the term of nine months in Captain Peter B. Tierce’s Company of State Troops under the command of said Colonel Willett and he continued to serve in said Corps until sometime he thinks in the month of February in the year 1783 (having served about two weeks more than nine months) when he was discharged from service at Fort Plain in said State. He was in no battles, but in several skirmishes during said war.
            He thinks in the fall of the year 1818, he made application for a pension under the act of that year and he name was placed on the pension list. Subsequent thereto in letter from the war department dated April 15, 1819 he was informed that subsequent to the grant of his pension certificate it had been discovered that the Regiment of Colonel Willett under which he served (and on which service alone under that act he grounded his claim for a pension) were militia or state troops, and were not entitled to pensions under the law of the 18th of March 1818.
            On the 19 July 1830, he received a letter from the War Department in which he was informed that more of the Acts of Congress embraced his case; and that the only mode by which he could obtain a pension would be by a petition to congress. He accordingly presented such petition during the last session of Congress and a bill was reported in his favor in the house of representatives, but was not acted on for the reason that the present law of Congress passed June 7th 1832 provided for his case—all of which will appear from the documents hereto annexed.
            He was engaged in several skirmishes with the British & Indians at the German Flatts when that place was destroyed & when Butler & Ross made an incursion in that quarter also at Beaverdam.
            The following are the names of some of the regular officers whom he knew, or who were with the troops where he served, and such continental and militia regiments or companies with which he served, or as he can recollect, viz: Captain Dubois, Major VanBenschoten, General VanRensselaer, Harper, Col. VanSchaick.
            He never received any written discharge from the service.
            He has no documentary evidence, and knows of no persons whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service except those whose depositions are hereto annexed.
            The following are the names of persons to whom he is known in his present neighborhood, and who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution, to wit: Simon A. Groat & David VanDerHyden.
            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. (Signed) John Bonny
            Subscribed and sworn to the day and year first aforesaid. John S. Vrooman. Clerk

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