Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Isaac Demott
R.2870
State of New York
Orange County
On this first day of September 1832, personally appeared before me Gilbert Ogden Fowler, one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Orange at the office of Wilter Case Esquire Counsellor at Law in the Village of NewBurgh and County of Orange aforesaid Isaac Demott aged eighty nine years residing in the Town of NewBerg who having been by me duly sworn doth for the purpose of obtaining the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832 make the following declaration.
That he is aged eighty nine years and entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated.
In the month of June in the year one thousand and seven hundred and seventy-six he joined Capt Samuel Clark’s Company of Militia of the Town of NewBurgh County of Orange and State aforesaid of which company Cornelius Hasbrouck [?] [?] were [?] [?] –deponent enlisted in said company for a term of five months and procured a substitute by the name of Stephen Albertson to serve for him. Said Albertson served as a substitute for deponent in said company not having served [?] until after the end of the term said substitute was ordered into actual service under the command of the officers aforesaid in the month of July thereafter and was in the Battle on Long Island and in the latter part of the month of August and in the Battle of Kingsbridge and White Plains as deponent was informed shortly afterward and believes to be true. The said substitute together with the said company to which he belonged were discharged at Nichols Point in the Town of New Windsor.
On the first day of January in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven having served one month longer than the term for which he enlisted. The said Stephen Albertson is dead as deponent as been informed and believes to be true. In the month of October 1777 deponent was ordered down to Fort Montgomery with the said Company of Captain Samuel Clark and arrived there just after the termination of said battle General George Clinton who had command of the fort sent out an adjutant who had deserted from the enemy with orders for our company to retreat which they did. We went to Evert Point by land and from thence to New Windsor by water. In the month of September in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight deponent was again ordered out with said company of Captain Samuel Clark to Mamakating on the Indian frontier and served there one month. William Mitchell whose affidavit is annexed belonged to said company and served the same length of time deponent served. During said tour detachment of our men went about sixty miles in pursuit of a party of Indians who had killed a Lieutenant Graham and two other white men. They took a number of prisoners and brought them [?]
In the year 1779 deponent was again ordered to Nessenog? On the Indian frontier near Diwith? Lieutenant Martin I. Wygant commanded the party, deponent cannot now recollect who were in the company with him at that time. Sometime afterwards (but by reason of extreme old age he cannot remember precisely the time when) he served in the said Company of Captain Samuel Clark on which one named [blotted] was Lieutenant one month in the Town of NewBurgh against the Tories and we kept guard at our house afterwards. Deponent hired a man and sent him to Fort Stanwix as a substitute for me, he served in the fort in the regiment of Colonel Wesenvilt [Colonel Frederick Weissenfels] nine months and until the termination of the Revolutionary War and deponent also saith that the name of said substitute of last [?] was John Bos who has been many years dead and deponent further saith that notwithstanding that the furnished the substitutes aforesaid he took his regular tours of duty with the militia whenever called on the particular times of which service he cannot now particularly relate by reason of the frailty of his memory and mental debility and he also saith that he has no written discharge & he never received any nor has he any other evidence except the affidavits hereunto annexed and deponent also saith that Daniel Holmes of the Town of NewBurgh a clergyman and General Leonard Smith are well acquainted with this deponent and can testify to his character for veracity and services as a soldier of the Revolution.
And deponent also saith that he is very deaf and almost blind and so decrepit with old age that he will not be able to attest? At the [blotted] of the Court of Common Pleas to be held in and for the County of Orange or any Court of Record in said County at any time or therm hereafter.
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
with his mark) Isaac Dermott
Sworn to and Subscribed–day and year aforesaid. Gilbert Ogden
Fowler, one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County
of Orange.
State
of New York
Orange County SS
In answer to the questions specially put to said Isaac by me the said Gilbert Ogden Fowler the saith that he was born at South Hempstead on Long Island in the year one thousand seven hundred and forty three. That when he has arrived to the age of five or six years, he removed to the Town of NewBurgh in the County of Ulster then now County of Orange. That he has no record of his age. That he lived in said Town of NewBurgh when called into the service as aforesaid and entered the service as a militiaman and was ordered out with said company and detachments of the same. That he has already stated the names of all the officers and all the regiments he now recollects. That he never received a discharge in writing. That he is acquainted with William Mitchell of the Town of NewBurgh who was in the service with him and also David Perry who served in the Revolutionary War whose affidavits are annexed and who can testify as to deponents character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
(Signed
with his mark) Isaac Dermott
Sworn to
and subscribed the day and year aforesaid, September first, 1832. Before
me Gilbert Odgen Fowler, one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in
and for Orange County.
[No affidavits from witnesses were in the folder.
Note: That this deserter/spy in question could very well have been Daniel Taylor. Who was famously captured by Clinton near New Windsor carrying a message from Clinton to Burgoyne in a silver bullet which he swallowed. (Supplied by Kenneth Lifshitz)