Pension Application

[Note from transcriber, this pension was difficult to read and nothing should be considered fact until Jim Morrison has time to proof the transcript. ajberry]
S.28660
B. Nov. 5, 1745 in Ulster Co., NY
Res. At enl & in 1832, Schoharie Co., NY
D. Nov. 1, 1839
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1802.
State of New York
County of Schoharie, SS.
            On this 26th day of July 1832, personally appeared before Henry Shafer a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the county of Schoharie and Silvanius Parkinson one of the Justices of the Peace of said County.
            John M. Brown a resident of the Town of Carlisle, in the County of Schoharie and State of New York aged, nearly eighty seven 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.
            That he entered the service of the United States under the following named Officers and served as herein stated—
            1st That he was born in Ulster County in the State of New York, the 5th day of Nov. 1745—will be 87 years of age the 5th of Nov. next.
            2nd That he has no record of his age at present to his knowledge excepting in his own Bible kept by himself.
            3rd That he was living in the County of Schoharie ten or twelve years before the war, and had lived in the same place ever since the war—not less than sixty eight years in this place and on the same farm where he now resides—the County of Schoharie or a part of the same at the time of the War was then called the County of Trion.
            4th That in the year 75 he subscribed the [?] and at the same time he was chosen a member of the Committee of safety (so called at that time) of the County of Schoharie and was elected Second Lieut. in Capt. Jacob Miller’s Company in Col. Ebenezer Cox’s Regiment , his commission was signed by Charles Thompson, Secretary and Robert Harper, Clerk of a Certain Committee, thinks it was called the New York Convention—took the Oath of Allegiance of Supremacy and Abjuration, together with the Oath of Office, he was confidence? himself solemnly engaged in the cause of his country and that the obliged the commands of his superiors while in the service—thinks inlisted fall of the year 76, the above named Jacob Miller, Peter Sommer was his first Lieut. got disaffected, refused to disarm John Johnson (Son of Sir William Johnson) who at that time headed a company of Indians at Johnstown now in Montgomery County—and for the above referred they were arrested, put in Johnstown and was tryed by a court [?] found guilty of disobeyment of orders, where broke? And discharged from officer and ordered in the ranks—says he was now served with a brevet signed by Gen’l Herkimer with orders to take the Command of the Company, which Jacob Miller, Capt. And Peter Sommer1st Lieut were discharged by being [?]—Under which brevet he served as Captain until government was formed which he thinks was in the last of the year 76 or first of the year 77—then he rec’d a Captains Commission under Gansevoort, signed by George Clinton and served in Samuel Campbell’s Regiment, under whom he served until he closed his service which was on the 16th day of Oct’r 1780 which day and month he well remembers, in consequence of having acted as a spy and did disarm Sr. Johns Army when two days march off from Schoharie, and made the same known in Schoharie, was not in the army after this and that he served in the army as Captain of the above company about four years and served in all about five years and that no other commanded the said company during said time but himself—saith during the five years of his service he marched from Schoharie to Montgomery to Fort Stanwix on the Mohawk River, being at that time about the circle of Ninety miles as the roads were. Cannot state particular as to parts of his service but that he guarded the fort in Schoharie a part of the time—and at another time was commanded by colonel Henry Van Rensselaer a [?] to guard Fort Dayton at German Flats to Fort Stanwix—Publick property and delivered the same to Major Grainer who at that time commanded Fort Stanwix, thinks this was on the 27th day of Mar in the year 79—thainks in the year 75 or first of 76 he then guarded Gen’l Schuyler while in the Mohawk River to Fort Dayton at which time he made a treaty with the Mohawk Indians Cannot remember the particular time nor place of many of his marches, but in general was on the Mohawk as this place was a frontier and necessary to be continually on guard on account of the Indians who at that time were continually troublesome on this place, when not at the Mohawk River he was continually on guard in Schoharie which place was also troubled very much by surrounding Indians—Saith he never happened to be in any Battles—and would not be understood that his company were always on the march doing service but sometimes they at their necessary [?] with their guns and equipage in their fields or wherever their business be there and ready at every alarm by night and by day and then he the applicant was not out of the service at no time, and is positive he served more than four years in the actual service of the revolution in the year 80, moved the other side of Herkimer was there [?] then came back to Schoharie again.
            5th He says he cannot tell what has become of his first Commission and [?] the last commission he possessed until about five or six years past, and cannot now tell where it is.
            That he the said John M. Brown hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or Annuity except the present and he declares his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any State—that he the said John M. Brown says on his oath—that he is unable to Appear in Court by Reason of his bodily infirmity, not able walk without help, cannot git in a waggin.
            Saith that at any time when he was not in service with his company he was managing the business of said Committee or the former as officer so as to be continually in the service commanding his company serving in a Committee as a [can’t read the last lines. (Signed with a shaky hand) J. M. Brown.
            Sworn and subscribed the 26th day of July 1832 before me Henry Shafer, Judge of Schoharie Common Pleas and Silvanus Parkinson Justice of the Peace of said County.
[There is a schedule of his service but I simply am having too much trouble reading the handwriting in this pension and am not going to transcribe it.]
Reply dated March 4, 1937 requesting information on Mr. Brown.
            Reference is made to your letter in which you request the Revolutionary War record of “Judge” John Mathias Brown of Schoharie, New York.
            The data furnished herein were obtained from papers on file in pension claim, S.28660, based upon the service of John Matthias Brown in the Revolutionary War.
            John Matthias Brown was born November 5, 1745 in Ulster County, New York. The names of his parents were not given. He stated that he was christened John Matthias Brown, but during the Revolution was known as Matthias Brown.
            While a resident of Rhinebeck, Tryon County, later called Carlisle, Schoharie County, New York, he was a member in 1775 of the Committee of safety, was elected 2nd Lieutenant in Captain Jacob Miller’s company in Colonel Ebenezer Cox’s New York regiment, shortly afterwards was a brevet captain until early in 1777, when he was appointed Captain and continued to serve at various times in Colonels Samuel Campbell’s, Peter Vrooman’s, Samuel Clyde’s New York regiments until October 16, 1780. During this service he was a guard to general Schuyler up the Mohawk River, when he made the treaty with “the Six Nations”, was stationed much of the time in “The Stone Fort” in Schoharie, and was out in frequent alarms against the Indians, length of service about two years.
            Pension was allowed on his application executed July 26, 1832, then a resident of Carlisle, Schoharie County, New York.
            John Matthias Brown was Judge of Common Pleas of Schoharie County, New York for several years after the Revolution. He died November 1, 1838 or 1839 in Carlisle, New York.
            The following children were referred to in 1842—George William Brown of Vienna, Oneida County, New York; Elizabeth Taft of Lisle, Chenango County, New York; Henry Brown of Seward, Schoharie County, New York; David Brown of Carlisle, New York; Abraham Brown of Carlisle, New York; Jacob Brown of Carlisle, New York; Severinus Brown of Carlisle, New York.
            Reference was made in 1832 to grandchildren and nephews of the above noted John Matthias Brown; no names were given, nor are there any data relative to his wife. Coonradt (Conrad) Brown was 2nd Lieut. during revolution, no relationship given.

Copyright © 1998, -- 2007. 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.