Pension Application

W.25593 (Widow: Rachel, married to Caleb 7th July 1785 in the town of Stamford, Dutchess County. Caleb died 17th February 1841.)
State of New York
County of Albany SS.
            On this 14th day of October 1833 personally appeared before the subscriber a Judge of the County Court of the County of Albany Caleb Foster a resident of the Town of Coeymans in the County of Albany and State of New York aged 71 years and upwards, 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 7, 1832.
            That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated.
            He first entered the said service at the now town of Stamford in the County of Dutchess in the State of New York in the Spring of the year 1778. The militia having been called out on an alarm and joined Capt. Henry Hunphry’s Company and Colo. Cornelius Humphry’s regiment of militia and was immediately marched to Fishkill and near the Hudson’s River and was there stationed and kept guard and served as a private solider one month and was then dismissed and returned home.
            He again entered the said service at the place aforesaid having been again called out on an alarm and joined Capt. Humphry’s company of Militia in the fall of the same year (1778) and was again marched to Fishkill immediately on the Hudson’s River and was there stationed and kept guard and served as a private soldier one month or 31 days and was then dismissed and he returned home.
            He again entered the said service at Stamford aforesaid in the Spring of the year 1779 a volunteer and joined Capt. Humphry’s Company of Militia in Colo. Hopkin’s regiment and was immediately marched to the Highlands on the Hudson’s River just below West Point and was there stationed and did Sentinel duty and kept guard and joined as a private soldier one month and was then dismissed and returned home.
            In the summer or towards the fall of the same year 1779 he again entered the said service at Stamford aforesaid, the militia having been called for, and he joined Capt. Humphry’s Company of Militia and was marched to Fishkill Barracks and was there stationed and kept guard and served as a private soldier one month and fifteen days as near as he can recollect and was then dismissed and he returned home.
            He again entered the said service at Stamford aforesaid the militia having been called out on alarm at the time Esopus was burnt in the fall of the year 1777. He refused to go however on account of his not being quite 16 years old, but was compelled to go on account of his officers insisting that he was old enough, and must go. He was marched under the command of Lieut. Punderson in a company of Militia to Esopus and arrived there just after it was burnt and was there stationed and kept guard and served as a private soldier one month and was then dismissed and he returned home. He forgot this circumstance until the above named tours of service were written down, which is the reason of its being stated in this place.
            In the fall of the year 1780 he volunteered to serve for the term of eighteen months in Colo. Henry Humphry’s Company as a minute man. Lieut. Hopkins belonged to the same company and also Ensign Punderson. He joined the said company in the month of October 1780 as near as he can recollect and was immediately marched to Albany and from there to Schenectady where they staid a short time, and then marched to Saratoga where he was stationed and did sentinel duty for some time from Saratoga he was marched to lake Champlain to carry some women and children, that on their way they stopped at Fort Edwards and Fort Ann, and after organizing at Lake Champlain and continuing there a short time he was marched back to Saratoga, where the company remained a number of days and kept guard and did Sentinel duty and from there was marched down on the east side of Hudson’s River to Dutchess County and was then dismissed until further called for, about the first of January 1781, having served at this time as a private soldier two months and fifteen days.
            In the spring of the year 1781, he and the said company were aging called out and he was marched under the command of Lieut Hoskins (the said Capt. Humphrey having died the preceding winter) to the Highlands in the town of Fishkill and near the Hudson’s River and was there stationed and kept guard and served as a private soldier fifteen days and then returned home.
            He was not again called into the said serve.
            He was in the actual service of the United States in the service of the United States in the Revolutionary War and served as a private soldier in an embodied Corps in the whole eight months and fifteen days and for such service he claims a pension.
            He was born in the town of Stonington in the State of Connecticut on the 28th day of April A.D. 1762.
            There is a record of his age in a family Bible now in the hands of Robert River in the County of Dutchess but he has no record of his age in his own house.
            He resided at the time he was called into the said service at a place then called Great Nine Partners, now the town of Stamford in the County of Dutchess in the State of New York and continued to reside there until he was 23 years old, and then removed to the Town of Coeyman’s Albany county where he resided a number of years and then removed to the Town of Coxsackie where he lived a short time and then removed back to the said Town of Coeyman’s his present place of residence where he has resided for the last 30 years.
            He was called into the said service in the manner above stated.
            He saw and knew a number of the continental officers who were with the troops where he served but he cannot now possibly remember their names and he does not recollect what continental and militia regiments he served with.
            He received one written discharge which was signed by Lieut Punderson but he cannot tell what has become of it having long since been lost or destroyed.
            Thomas Powell, Joseph Powell, Rev. John Teats, Peter Lott, Henry Terbush, Archibald Stevens, Esqr. Daniel Dorman Esqr, Port Masters, Samuel Norris, Daniel G. Green, & John Green, reside in his present neighborhood to whom he is known and who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
            He was in no battles, he has no documentary evidence to prove his services nor any other testimony than the affidavit of Robert Rider hereto annexed.
            He has taken great pains to find witnesses to prove his services in the Revolutionary War, and his son has travelled to Dutchess County and other part of the Country where eh supposed witnesses could be obtained but found they were dead, and any other witness except the said Robert Rider cannot be had or found. He resides 20 miles from the City of Albany where the courts of record for the said County of Albany are held and is wholly unable to travel that distance to attend the court, he has a complaint called the diabetes which wholly disables him from travelling and he could not travel that distance without endangering his life.
            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.
            He is unable to write his name having never been taught to write. (Signed with his mark) Caleb Foster
            Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me. J. B. Moore Judge of Albany County Courts.

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