Morrison's Pensions
S.5504
State of New York
Delaware County
On this twenty-fourth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-three, personally appeared before the under named,
Amos Douglass one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the County
of Delaware in the State of New York, being a court of record constituted
and declared by the Act of the Legislature of the State of New York, Daniel
Herrick, a resident in the Town of Davenport in the County of Delaware
and State of New York, aged seventy (blotted) 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 Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
That he
entered the service of the United States under the following named officers
and served as herein stated.
He enlisted
in the spring season the month he does not recollect, in the year one thousand
seven hundred and seventy-eight in the Town of Kinderhook, in the then County
of Albany but now in the County of Columbia and State of New York as a volunteer
into a company commanded by Captain Van Ness (1) whose Christian name he does
not recollect, for the term of four months and immediately after the enlistment,
the company marched to the City of Albany and were stationed there for a short
time, but were not attached to any regiment. And then the said company
under the command of Captain Van Ness escorted some prisoners of war who were
taken at the surrender of General Burgoyne from Albany to Hartford, in Connecticut
and then returned to Albany, and after the company returned to Albany we were
stationed to guard the arsenal where they kept guns, powder and military stores
were deposited and at the expiration of our term of service the company were
discharged by said Captain Van Ness, but did not receive any written discharge. The
company was not attached to any regiment or any other company. This
deponent does not recollect the name of any other officer of said company beside
the Captain.
That he
enlisted in the spring season, the month he does not recollect, in the year
one thousand seven hundred and eighty one in the town of Kinderhook, in the
then County of Albany but now in the County of Columbia and State of New York
as a volunteer for the term of nine months into a company commanded by Captain
Stephen White, (2) first Lieutenant John Thornton as second Lieutenant Mores,
in the militia of the State of New York and after the enlistment the company
marched to Ballston now in the county of Saratoga and State of New York and
were stationed there to guard and defend the place against attacks by the British
or Indians & until the fall season when the company marched to Fort Plain
in the County of Montgomery on the Mohawk River and was united with a company
which was stationed there to defend that place, in the regiment commanded by
Colonel Marinus Willett.
And having
heard that the Indians had attacked or were preparing to attack Fort Herkimer
we marched to Fort Herkimer to defend it and the Indians not being at that
place we returned to Fort Plain. And then having received information
that the Indians and British were at Johnstown in Montgomery County we marched
to that place, and the day before we arrived at Johnstown there had been a
battle between the Americans and British and Indians (3) in which the Americans
were victorious and we then returned to Fort Herkimer on the Mohawk River in
the month of October or November, and at Fort Herkimer two soldiers out of
every company in Colonel Marinus Willett’s regiment were detached and
were united with the Continental Army (4) at that place and this deponent was
one of the soldiers so detached, but does not recollect the names of the officers
who commanded the company to which he was attached or officers of the regiment.
And then
the army pursued the British and Indians to Canada Creek (5) near the Mohawk
River and there had a battle with them where Captain Butler of the British
Army and nine Indians were killed, and the enemy was defeated and then we returned
to Fort Plain and in the latter part of the fall or forepart of the winter
season just before the nine months service, for which he enlisted had expired,
this deponent, on account of feeble health was discharged by Colonel Marinus
Willett, the commanding officer but did receive any written discharge.
And this
deponent further says that he has not any documentary evidence of his service
and that he does not know of any person whose testimony he can procure who
can testify to his service.
And in answer
to the interrogatories put by the said Judge, this deponent says that he was
born in the said town of Kinderhook in the then County of Albany but now in
the County of Columbia and State of New York in the year one thousand seven
hundred and sixty two in the month of April and that he has not any record
of his age, only the traditionary information of his parents and relatives
which he believes to be correct.
And that
he lived in said Town of Kinderhook when he enlisted into the service as above
mentioned and about a year after the war he moved into Schodack, in the then
County of Albany but now in the County of Rensselaer and lived there about
two years, and he then moved into Albany County on the west side of the Hudson
River and lived there about five years, he then moved into the Town of Harpersfield
in the said County of Delaware and lived there about twenty-five years he then
moved into said Town of Davenport and has lived there about fifteen years,
where he now resides.
That he
enlisted into said service as a volunteer and that he does not recollect the
names of any Continental or Militia officers besides those above mentioned
and that he did not receive any written discharge from the service and that
Daniel R. Campbell and Charles Spoor of the Town of Davenport in said County
of Delaware are and have been well acquainted with this deponent as much as
twelve years past and who can testify as to the character of this deponent
for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution.
Here 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) Daniel Herrick
Sworn to
and subscribed the day year aforesaid before me Amos Douglass Judge of Court
of Common Pleas of Delaware County
End Notes for Daniel Herrick by James F. Morrison