Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for Daniel Herrick

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

  1. The only Captain Van Ness that I can find was David Van Ness who was captain in the First New York Continental Regiment.  They went with General George Washington’s Army to New Jersey and fought in the Battle of Monmouth on the 28 June 1778.  I haven’t found any record of Daniel in any of the Albany County Regiments.  There were some Lieutenants and or Ensigns with the last name of Van Ness.
  2. Daniel is listed on Captain Stephen White’s payroll.  A William Willson received the pay that was owed to him after the war.  he received £21..3..1.  Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, Series M-246-Roll 78, National Archives, Washington DC.
  3. Daniel is referring to the Battle of Johnstown which was fought on the 25 of October 1781.
  4. This might have happened sometime in late November or early December of 1781.  The Second New Hampshire Continental Regiment was sent to the Mohawk Valley and were stationed at various forts throughout the valley.
  5. The skirmish at West Canada Creek took place on the 30th of October 1781.

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