Pension Application

S.23180
Declaration of Benjamin Crofoot
In order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.
State of New York
County of Albany SS.
            On this fourth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty two before me Robert J. Hilton a Judge of the county Courts in & for the County of Albany in the State of New York and of the degree of counselor at Law in the Supreme Court in the state aforesaid personally appeared Benjamin Crofoot a resident of the Town of Bethlehem in the county of Albany and the State of New York aged seventy three years and to me well known who being by me 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 in the Militia of the State of New York as a volunteer in the state troops under the following named officers and served as herein after stated.
            He entered the service as aforesaid at the town of Amenia in the then county of Dutchess and State of New York in the month of February (day of the month not now recollected) in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & seventy five as a private in a company of which Edmund Perlee of Amenia County of Dutchess was Ensign. John Lloyd also of same town & county was Lieutenant, Ingrcase Childs of the same place last aforesaid was the Captain, the regiment to which the company of which he was a member was subsequently attacked was commanded by Roswell Hopkins of the same town & county but aforesaid as colonel and the Brigade to which Colonel Roswell Hopkins regiment belonged was under the command of General Glover (his Christian name he now doth not recollect).—In the same month that he enlisted the company & regiment to which he belonged under the command of the officers above named marched from the county of Dutchess to the City of New York was there about two months—from whence we proceeded to Long Island (Hellgate) to build Fort Minut was there about six months—the then returned with the company under the command of Captain Childs to the County of Dutchess where the company arrived about the first day of November at which time Captain Childs was promoted to some office of rank in the Continental army. The company theretofore under his command & the [?] composing it were dismissed & the deponent returned to his former residence in Amenia, county of Dutchess—he remained a home about two weeks—when he again volunteered for six months in a company commanded [by] Calvin Chamberlain of Amenia County of Dutchess as captain & [blank] Spencer of Spencertown County of Columbia as lieutenant (the ensign of this company nor the Christian name of Lieutenant Spencer he does not now recollect). The regiment to which the company he belonged to was attacked was again under the command of Colonel Roswell Hoskins & the Brigade under the command of (as he now verily believes) General Ellison—he left the county of Dutchess with his company & regiment in the month of March if he remembers right. A.D. 1776 and proceeded to Fort Montgomery in the immediate vicinity (General Ellison commanding at the fort) Staid there the full term of six months, his term of June as a volunteer having expired the deponent again returned to his home – staid at home two or three weeks when he again volunteered in the State Militia for the term of four months in a company of which William Mead of Amenia, County of Dutchess was Captain & John McNeal of same place was Lieutenant & Edmund Parlee was Ensign—the company & regiment to which he belonged left Dutchess County in the month of February AD 1777 and marched to White Plains and arrived there a short time (a few days) after the taking of Major Andre. Deponents company at this time belonged to the regiment then under the command of Colonel Henry Humphrey of Dutchess County—in the month of March same year he deponent was in a skirmish between the New York State Militia & the British at a place then known & called [Ward’s?] Bridge in this skirmish the Americans were successful – staid there until the expiration of the four months and then he again returned home.
            After staying at home about three weeks he again volunteered for four months in a company of which William Mead of Dutchess County was Captain. John McNeil Lieutenant & Samuel Herrick of same place was Ensign & Roswell Hopkins was again the colonel of the Regiment & [blank] Glover the general of the Brigade the company to which he belonged went with the regiment from Dutchess County in the month of July 1777--& proceeded to Stillwater by the way of the City of Albany – and around in or near Stillwater some time in the fore part of the month of September following the regiment to which deponent belonged then encamped at the place called Bemis Heights in the county of Saratoga State aforesaid and remained there until the surrender of General Burgoyne in October following after which he became affected with the rheumatism & was carried home in a wagon then closes my relation of my services in the behalf of my country.
            He was born at Frederickstown in the County of Dutchess & State of New York on the fifth day of March in the year seventeen hundred and fifty eight—he has a record of his birth in the family Bible now present before the Judge taking this declaration whereby it doth appear that he was born at the place & on the day above stated he resided at Amenia in the County of Dutchess when he went into the service after the close of the Revolutionary War he removed to the Town of Bethlehem in the county of Albany where he has since & now doth reside, he never served in any capacity except as a volunteer in the state Militia. That he always faithfully performed each & every time for which he did so volunteer—never received a written discharge knew no regular officers who were with the troops with whom he served except the officers under whom he served as above stated in detail with the addition of Colonel VanSchaick of Albany & Lieutenant James Bells of Dutchess County all the officers whom he knew whilst in the service are dead—he has no documentary evidence nor does he know of any person except Joel Denton of the Town of [Mulheart?] in the County of Dutchess & state aforesaid ( if he yet lives) Whose testimony he can procure a[nd] who can testify to his service & that the affidavit of said Joel Denton was transmitted to the War Department in latter part of 1831 on behalf of deponent stating deponents services in the war.
            Deponent further says he is intimately acquainted with a number of persons of character & respectability residing in the county & neighbourhood who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution and amongst & then to whom he is known in his neighbourhood are the Reverend Thomas Holiday a clergyman & John Wands Junr. Esq both residents of the Town of Bethlehem, County of Albany.
            And 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) Benj Crofoot
            Sworn & Subscribed before me the day & year afore written. R.J. Hilton, Judge of Albany county courts Counsellor at law in Sup C. [?]

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