Morrison's Pensions
Pension Application for Richard Casler
W.6637
Declaration to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.
State of New York
Herkimer County SS.
On this
tenth day of October in the year of our Lord One Thousand eight hundred and
thirty two personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court
of Common Pleas in and for the County of Herkimer now sitting Richard Casler
(1) a resident of the Town of Little Falls in the County of Herkimer and State
of New York, aged 65 years, who being first duly sworn according by law doth
on his oath aforesaid and make the following declaration in order to obtain
the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.
That he
enlisted in the service of the United States under the following named officers
and served as herein stated. He entered the service of the United States
in the spring of the year 1781 (2) as a nine months man (and he think it was
in the state troops of the New York Line) at Fort Herkimer. The name
of the officers of the company into which he entered are as follows—Captain
(3) Elsworth, Lieutenant ____Bloodgood____Ensign Shaw. He is not [faded]
Christian names [faded] [faded] state the day and month on which he entered
in the service as he _____ thereof – the said company belonged to a regiment
commanded by Colonel Marinus Willett—His first service after entering
the service was to assist with the building or repairing of a redoubt near
Fort Herkimer for the better defense of that place and in the building of blockhouses. From
Fort Herkimer he went with his company to Fort Dayton repaired one and built
another redoubt at that place, and he went there with his company to a place
called in those days Fort House which was near where the East Canada Creek
empties into the Mohawk in said County of Herkimer but then County of Tryon—He
was here employed as a guard to the fort & the people of the surrounding
County who were at that time mostly ____ _____ That fort—This
was he believes some time in the first part of September _______1781 or harvest—About
that time, he ______ ____ ____ Company by order of Col. Willett to join
a ____ ____ under him and he met said Willett at Caughnawaga & with that
detachment under col. Willett he proceeded to Johnstown to oppose the Indians & Tories & some
British soldiers who were advancing towards that place under the command of
Colonel Walter Butler & Major Ross (4) and who had come from Canada, as
he (Casler) was informed destroying the settlements on the said Mohawk ____
____ ____ ____ at Johnston Hall at John’s Town, Col. Willett he believes___
and to the ___ ___ ___ that occasion the force ______ Col. Butler was greatly
superior to the American ____ the Enemy drove the American from the field ______
______ ______ Battle the Enemy retreated towards ______ ______ Col.
Willett & his men whom he (Casler) was one ______ ______ _____ ______ ______
fall of the year 1781 ______ ______ ______ ______ the enemy at West Canada
Creek ______ ______ ____________to the Mohawk River From Johnstown ______ ______
______ ______ Fort Herkimer in the then County of Tryon & from that place
they went on ______ ______ 30 miles when they overtook the enemy ______ ______
______ men came where the enemy they were drying their clothes by fires & were
surprised at that place Walter Butler was killed by and Indian (he believes)
an Oneida Indian. He (Casler) was there & saw the Indian who killed
Butler & who had Butlers Coat and Scalp. The Indian shot Butler from across
the Creek Butlers Sergeant was also killed at this place as Casler believes. [Almost
two lines crossed out] From this place, which was named Butlers Ford,
Col. Willett followed the enemy for a considerable distance, but being unable
to overtake them relinquished the pursuit & went to Snell’s Bush
as he believes & thence to fort Plain. After the pursuit of Butler
was abandoned, the detachment departed & each company went to different
places and it was the company in which he (Casler was ) which went to Fort
Plain –At fort Plain the company was dismissed & Casler returned
home after lying there almost till winter or late in the fall(5) is uncertain
______ ______ ______.
He was active
in service all the time after he listed until dismissed at Fort Plain—
He never
received a discharge ______ from service. He went in for nine months
went for a Class and served out nine months.
He was born
in the Town of Little Falls, then Called German Flatts in the State of New
York in the year 1767 on the 14th day of April—
There was
a record of his age kept by a clergyman, one Abraham Rosencrantz, in the Parish
but said clergyman id dead & he believes the record is in the possession
of one of his sons, but he does not certainly know and has not seen the said
son for some years—He lived in the place of his birth when he was called
into the service—and since the war he has resided in the same place but
the town has since been divided; he is not in the new town of Little
Falls in Herkimer county—That he entered the service of the United States
as a volunteer in this way—each company of militia obliged to send a
certain number of men ______ ______ service & his father ______ who was
drawn, and ____________ took his place & performed the service for nine
months and he was in the service actively for a long time _______ _____His
fathers name was Jacob Casler.
That names
of some of the regular officers who were with the troops where he served are:
Colonel Marinus Willett I knew General Nicholas Herkimer, Colonel Cox (6) & Colonel
Peter Bellinger.
That he
never received any written discharge from the service & does not know that
any of his company did receive one.
That he
is known to Henry Grim now residing in the town of Warren in said County & has
been known to him since the war, and also to Marks Casler residing about two
miles from the applicant who can testify to his character for truth & veracity,
and their belief of his services as a revolutionary soldier__
That he
is not able to find any other witness than said Grim, who can give any statement
of his services, all the other members of his company being now dead, nor is
he known to any clergyman, residing in his neighborhood who can testify to
his character for truth & veracity or to a belief of his services.
He hereby
relinquishes any 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) Richard Casler.
Sworn in
open Court this 10 day of October F ______ ______ Dept Clerk
State of New York
County of Herkimer
On this
twenty sixth day of September A.D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty five
personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace within and for the county
and state aforesaid, Margaret Casler aged seventy five (7) years a resident
of the Town of German Flatts in the State of New York who being duly sworn
according to law declares that she is the widow of Richard Casler deceased
who was a private in the company Commanded by Captain Elsworth in the Regiment
of Volunteers Commanded by Col. Willett in the War of the Revolution that her
said husband volunteered at German Flatts in the month of November A. D. 1782
for the term of nine months and continued in actual service in said war for
the term of about nine months and was honorably discharged at Fort Plain in
the County of Montgomery state aforesaid in the month of July A. D. 1783 that
her said husband the above named Richard Casler deceased was at the time of
his death a pensioner of the United States. The certificate granting
his pension is numbered 28756.
She further
states that she was married to the said Richard Casler in the Town of Herkimer
on the tenth day of September A. D. 1799 by one, Beak a German Clergyman and
that her name before her said marriage was Margaret Casler; that her said husband
died in the Town of German Flatts on the sixteenth day of September A. D. 1855,
and that she is now a widow.
For further
proof to establish this claim references may be had to the application for
bounty land numbered 60,043 made by her said husband the above named Richard
Casler under the act approved March the 3, 1855.
She makes
this declaration for the purpose of obtaining the bounty lands to which she
may be entitled under the act approved March 3 1855. She also declares
that she has not heretofore made any other application for bounty lands.
(Signed with her mark) Margaret Casler
(The Justice of the Peace is Robert Casler.)
The following letter is included in the pension application folder.
December 12, 1936
Emma P. Barrow
Box 33
Broadalbin, New York
Dear Madam:
The data
given herein were found in pension claim W. 6637, based upon service of Richard
Caslar in the Revolutionary War. He signed his name Caslar, but his
name was borne as Casler on the pension rolls.
Richard
Caslar, a son of Jacob Caslar, was born April 14, 1767 in German Flatts, (a
part of which town was later Little Falls) in Herkimer County, New York; the
name of his mother was not given. He lived there during the period of
the Revolutionary War and, with many of the other inhabitants of that place,
sought safety from the Indians in a block house, a few miles from Fort Herkimer. Richard
was an unusually large, robust boy and at the age of fourteen years, was better
fitted for service than many of the older men.
Richard
Caslar enlisted in the spring of 1781, and served nine months as private, as
substitute for his own father, in Captain Peter Elsworth’s company, colonel
Marinus Willett’s New York Regiment against the Indians; during this
service, he assisted in building Fort Dayton, was at Fort House, was in the
engagement at Johnson Hall, went in pursuit of the enemy to Canada Creek, was
in the battle at Butler’s Ford, where he watched the Indian shoot Walter
Butler from across the Creek and take his scalp, went in pursuit of the Indians,
then returned home.
Richard
Caslar was allowed pension on his application executed October 10, 1832, at
which time he resided in Little Falls, Herkimer County, New York. In
1855 he resided in German Flatts in that county and died there September 16,
1855.
The soldier
married September 10, 1779 [sic—1799] in the town of Herkimer, New York,
Margaret Caslar; they were married by the German Minister. The names
of Margaret’s parents were not given.
Margaret
Caslar, the soldier’s widow was allowed pension on her application executed
January 31, 1856, at which time she was aged seventy-five years; the date and
place of her birth were not given. She was living then in German Flatts
New York. She was pensioned Casler.
In 1856,
Margaret Casler, the soldier’s widow, stated that she had by her husband
the following children; Nancy Casler, Delia Getman, wife of Rudolph Getman,
Jonas R. Casler, Joseph Casler, Peggy Casler, wife of Marks Casler, Lydia Coal,
wife of Charles Coal, Elizabeth Shell, wife of Jacob Shell, Phidelia Maxfield,
wife of Jacob Maxfield, and Melinda Passage, the wife of Adam Passage; all
were then more than twenty-one years of age.
In 1832,
one Marks Casler was a resident of Little Falls, Herkimer County, New York,
he made affidavit in behalf of Richards Casler’s claim for pension. In
1856, Joseph R. Casler and Amelia Getman were residents of German Flatts, New
York then. Robert Calser was a Justice of the Peace for Herkimer County,
New York. No relationship between these persons and the soldier’s
family was stated, they signed Casler.
In order
to obtain the date of last payment of pension, name of person paid, and possibly,
the date of death, of Margaret Casler, you should apply to The Comptroller
General, General Accounting Office, Records Division, this city, and cite the
following: Margaret Casler, certificate #1204, issued February 29, 1856, rate
$30 per annum, commended September 16, 1855, Act of July 29, 1848, New York
Agency.
Richard
Caslar, the soldier, was allowed 150 acres of bounty land on warrant #26707,
under the act of 1855 on account of his services in the Revolutionary War. Information
regarding the location of this land, might be obtained from the Commissioner,
General Land Office, this city.
Very truly yours,
A.D. Hiller
Executive Assistant
To the Administrator
End Notes for Richard Casler
By James F. Morrison
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