Pension Application

S.28728
State of New York
County of Onondaga SS.
On this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, personally appeared in open court before the Circuit court, now sitting in the city of Syracuse in the County of Onondaga and State of New York, John J. Fink, as resident of the town of Lysander in the County of Onondaga and State of New York, aged fifty nine 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 following acts of Congress, to wit: The Act of May fifteenth, eighteen hundred and twenty eight and the Act of June seventh eighteen hundred and thirty two: That he is a son and one of the heirs at law of John Fink a soldier of the war of the revolution, who performed part of his service in said war in a company of New York militia commanded by Captain Bradbig in a regiment commanded by Colonel Peter Waggoner; these statements this deponent had from his father while living. This deponent further states that his father the aforesaid John Fink told him while living that he lived when he entered the army in the war of the revolution in the town of Palatine in the County of Tryon, now Montgomery, in the State of New York, and that he returned to Palatine above named when he left said service, and further that his father the above named John Fink died in the town of Sullivan in the county of Madison and State of New York on the eighth day of July in the year eighteen hundred and thirty three, aged eighty years. This deponent further states that he is now sole administrator of the estate of his father the aforesaid John Fink and that he believes that there never has been any application made for a pension or annuity from the Government of the United States previous to this present. That he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity for the services of his father the aforesaid John Fink except the present, and declares that the name of the aforesaid John Fink is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State. (Signed) John J. Fink
Sworn and subscribed before me the day and year first above written. F. W. Hubbard, Justice of Peace.

State of New York
Montgomery County SS
            Joseph Waggoner of said county aged eighty seven years and upwards being duly sworn deposes and says that he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War—and that he was well acquainted with John Fink who lived in the town of Palatine Montgomery County this deponent well recollects of seeing John Fink doing duty as a soldier during said War under Captain Breadbig or Bigbread—under col. Peter Waggoner—recollects that said John Fink was a Sergeant in the service in said War—recollects that the said John Fink went with the expedition to Unadilla, and did duty as a soldier—and was engaged in that service four weeks under Gen. Nicholas Herkimer—deponent has seen John Fink doing duty as a soldier very often at different times and places, but can’t tell the particular years, or the different places when he saw the said John Fink, but knows that he did much service and was active in the discharge of his duty—deponent recollects that the said John Fink was at Dutchtown on an alarm, lay there two weeks in the service—this was in the year 1778 or 1779—it was in the year 1777 when the said John Fink went on the Unadilla expedition. This deponent further says that the said John Fink married Dorothy Fox and they had several children—one of their sons name was William and one John—and deponent knew of no other John Fink in the service in the Revolutionary War. (Signed) Joseph Waggoner.
            Subscribed & sworn to before me this 30th day of January 1847 and I certify that deponent is a respectable person and his statement entitled to full credit.
            Jas. W. Hamilton, Justice of the Peace in & for said County

State of New York
Montgomery County SS.
            Peter Eggabroad of said County aged 90 years being duly sworn deposes and says that he is a pensioner of the United States, that he was well acquainted with John Fink during the war of the Revolution that in said war the said John Fink was a soldier and did duty in the militia service—this deponent saw the said John Fink in the service at Fort Stanwix, he was then a Sergeant—this deponent knows of no other John Fink in this section of country during the Revolutionary War—This deponent further says that John Fink who now makes application for a pension is the son of said John Fink who served as above mentioned, that the said John Fink acted as Sergeant at Fort Stanwix and stationed the guard. (Signed with his mark) Peter Eggabroad
            Subscribed and sworn to this 30th day of January 1847 before me, and I further certify that deponent is a man of good character and his statement entitled to full credit and the reason why he makes his mark is he was never taught to write. Jas. W. Hamilton, Justice of the Peace in & for said County.

In a letter to the Veterans Administration, a person asking for more information about “Captain John Finck, Tryon County Militia, Second Regiment”. She supplies the following information:
            John Finck, son of William, born January 19, 1738 in Tryon County, New York state, died July 8, 1833, married October 3, 1778 to Dorothy- - -born September 3, 1759, died on May 12, 1823. Their children were:
            Caty, born October 11, 1779, died November 7, 1779
            William b. October 9, 1780, died September 26, 1824
            Margaret b. September 35, [sic] 1782, died December 17, 1839
            Elizabeth b. December 29, 1784, died May 20, 1795
            Caty b. July 16, 1787, died January 1788
            Mary b. February 15, 1789, died - - - -
            Anna (Nancy) b. July 16, 1793, died March 13, 1839
            John I. April 22, l1795, died May 18, 1865
            Jacob b. - - - 1796
            Christian b. August 22, 1799, died March 10, 1832
Letter in the file replying to an inquiry, dated January 17, 1932.
            Reference is made to your request for information in regard to John Fink who served in the Revolutionary War.
            The data which follow were obtained from papers on file in the pension claim, S.28728, based upon the military service of John Fink.
            While a resident of Palatine, Tryon (which was later Montgomery) County, New York, he served from as early as 1777 until the close of 1782, at various times, and was in the New York Militia under Captain John Bradbig and Colonels Peter Wagoner and Jacob Klock.
            He married Dorothy Fox, date and place not given.
            He died July 8, 1832, in Sullivan, Madison County, New York, aged eighty years. His wife did not survive him but he was survived by five children, their names not designated, other than the three noted below.
            It was stated that the soldier had sons, William, John, Jacob, and Christian. The names of soldier’s parents were not given.
            On account of the Revolutionary War service of John Fink, his son, John I., applied on June 11, 1850, for pension due because of said service and he was then living in Lysander, Onondaga County, New York, aged fifty-nine years. The claim was allowed in 1852 for six months service as private and for two months service as sergeant. It was allowed for the benefit of John I. Fink, Jacob Fink, and Mary Keller (then the widow of Peter Keller) who were the only children of the soldier then surviving.
            (In the margin it says, Stated it this way as no definite length of service was ever given. One was allowed for 2 mos. Pvt, & 2 mos sgt, simply upon [?] from comptroller of NY state (only one found in [?] is dated Albany 9th Mar. 1847) and there is no proof that this covers service of this particular Mr. Fink)
            In 1880 John I. Fink was dead and was survived by his widow, Nancy, whose post office address was Little Utica, Onondaga County, New York. In that year reference was made to two daughters of John I. Fink, namely, Mrs. Alex Coffin of Little Utica and Mrs. Martin Emerick of Baldwinville, [Baldwinsville] Onondaga County, New York.

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