Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for Christian Schell (Shell or Schel)

R.9253
State of New York
Erie County SS.
           Henry C. Shell being duly sworn according to Law on his oath says, he is the eldest son of Christian Shell and is fifty seven years of age. That his Father was a Solider of the Revolutionary War and made application for a pension of his services about fourteen years past and died in 1841 without obtaining it. The application was made in the County of Herkimer or Montgomery in this state where he lived during the Revolution as he has been infirmed and believes. This affidavit is made in order to obtain correct information relating to the Service and the proof now on file and the reasons why the claim now not allowed in order to prosecute the claim of the heirs for the amount due the said Chrisitian Shell at his death.
           Samuel Lake of Buffalo is hereby appointed my Attorney and for home I wish a report made. (Signed) Henry C. Shell
           Sworn & Subscribed this 31sxt day of May [?] Samuel Lake Commissioner of Deeds for the City of Buffalo

State of New York
Herkimer County SS.
           On this eleventh day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and thirty seven appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in & for said County of Herkimer, now sitting Christian Shell a resident of the Township of Vaughan in the Province of Upper Canada, aged seventy 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 act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.
           That he was born in the Town of Palatine then County of Tryon, now County of Montgomery on the Eighth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. That he has no record whatever of his age-that went he was first called into service he lived in the Town of Herkimer in the said County of Herkimer then County of Tryon. That he lived there until sometime in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred & ninety seven or ninety eight when he removed into the Town of German Flatts in said County of Herkimer where he remained about one year, when he removed into Canada & about a year & he then moved to the Township of Mucherhing in Upper Canada & remained there until about 5 years & when he moved into the adjoining town of Haverstraw? in said Upper Canada where he now lives, where ever since lived-That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated:--
           That he first enlisted in said County of Herkimer, then County of Tryon into a Company of Rangers commanded by Captain Marks Danforth whereof a Mr. Gordon was the Lieutenant & one Nicholas Van Alstine the Ensign in the fore part of the summer of the year seventeen hundred & seventy five. That he served in said company of Rangers until sometime early in the Summer of 1776 or in the spring when he was discharged. That during the first two or three months of said service he was engaged with others in said company in scouting. That during the winter he was for the most part engaged in taking care of Lieutenant Gordon's Horse when a part of this declarant's said company in which part he was ordered marched to Ticonderoga, where for the space of two or three weeks he was engaged with said part of the Company in assisting to build a bridge across Lake Champlain from Fort Ticonderoga, at the end of which time they returned home & he was discharged as above-
           That he remained at Home until about the twenty-sixth in the said year 1777 when he again enlisted at Ft. Herkimer in said County of Herkimer then County of Tryon, in a company of Continental Soldiers commanded by Captain Thomas DeMitt, of which a Mr. Mac Kie or Magee was the Lieutenant, and a Mr. Spord or Spam the Ensign & by whom deponent was enlisted belonging to the Regiment commanded by Colonel Peter Gansvoort, for the space of three years-That being enlisted the company lived at Fort Dayton two or three years and were then ordered to Fort Stanwix where Fort not being then completed, they assisted in completing.
           That he remained in the last mentioned Fort until sometime in the fall of seventeen hundred & seventy eight. That during the whole of that time he was engaged in actual duty, doing all those things that were required of other soldiers in the Fort-That during the time he was in said Fort Stanwix, & in the summer of 1777, the fort was besieged by the Tories, Indians, Canadians & British, who were commanded by Colonel St. Leger-he was on service ins aid Fort about a year & a half.
           That in the fall of 1778 he this declarant with the company & Regiment to which he belonged, being so ordered, marched to Schenectada where they remained in the Barracks there for a short time a month or so, after which they marched to Albany where they remained during the winter & Until sometime in April of the next year 1779, when, an expedition having been projected against the Onondaga Indians part of the Regiment to which he belonged, and in which part he was, together with some other forces, were ordered marched to the country of the Onondaga Indians under General VanSchaick & Lieut. Col. Willett where they killed thirty or forty of the Indians & took some prisoners. That they with their Indians prisoners then returned to Albany & lodged them in jail there-That a few days thereafter, they again marched & went under Gen'l Clinton to Fort Plain & thence to Tioga Point on the Susquehannah River to join Gen'l Sullivan's Army - That having remained there a few days and Gen'l Sullivan & Gen'l Clinton having joined their forces, they started on an expedition against the Seneca Indians & proceeded as far as NewTown Hill in Tioga Country where the Indians had collected their forces.
           Gen'l Sullivan having attached 2[?] scouted the Indians, they proceeded to their Castle at Genesee where they fought the Indians.
           That after having destroyed & laid waste the country of the Senecas, they returned to Tioga Point & thence marched to Wyoming, where they remained a few days; they thence marched across the Blue Mountains to Eastown in Pennsylvania, at which place they rested a few days; then they crossed the Delaware & marched to Morristown Plains at head quarters; in New Jersey, where they went into winter quarters & where they remained until sometime in the spring or early in the summer of 1780.
           During this winter, the winter of 1780, he went out with Lord Stirling when he attempted to surprise a party of British on Staten Island & was one of a party who took five of them Prisoners-He recollected the arrest of Lord Stirling by Ben. Sullivan.
           That sometime in the spring or early in the summer a report having reached head quarters that the Indians & Tories were committing devastations in the Valley of the Mohawk, the Regiment to which he this declarant belonged together with two others was ordered out & proceeded to Albany, thence to Schenectada & thence through the Valley of the Mohawk to Ft. Stanwix, against them, when not having found them, they halted & then returned - on their return, at Fort Herkimer in said County of Herkimer, the time for which this declarant had enlisted having - - - - expired about a month and a half previous thereto he this declarant was permitted by Colonel Gansevoort to go home.
           That he did not thereafter enlist again, nor was he in the service again, except in the summer of the year 1781 when Major Ross & Capt. Butler with a party of Tories, Indians having been committing depredations along the Mohawk, he went with others in his neighborhood, the militia being called out, under Col. Willett in pursuit of Major Ross & Captain Butler & their party, when they [?] across West Canada Creek & where Capt. Butler was shot by one of the Oneida Indians who accompanied Co. Willett to Black River-They then gave up the pursuit & returned home-This declarant says that during this time, he was out for a space of four or five days & in the character of Pilot to Col. Willett-That in the excursion deponent took prisoner a Lieutenant in the British service with the aid of a young Indian-That at the time of his Enlistment as above stated by Ensign Spoor he understood after his time was out that his enlistment had been entered for during the war instead of three years which was the true time he enlisted for-that at the end of said three years he applied for his discharge but it was [?] by the general on the ground that it was entered for during the war & he was ordered back to quarters that he returned & continued in the service a month & a half longer when Col. Gansevoort permitted him to go as above stated. That at the time he enlisted he could not talk or understand English except some short words, such as yes & no.
           The following are the names of some of the regular officers whom he knew, or who were with the troops where he served, and such continental and militia regiments or companies with which he served, or as he can recollect, viz: Colonel VanSchaick, Colonel Van Cortlandt, Lieutenant Col. Willett, Lieutenant Col. Weisenfelts, Major Cocharan, Capt. Henry Tiebout, Capt. Bleecker, Capt. Orson & their respective companies.
           He never received any written discharge from the service.
           He has no documentary evidence, and knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service, except those persons whose affidavits are hereto annexed.
           The following are the names of person to whom he is known in his former neighborhood, and who can testify as to his character for veracity, and their belief of his services as a solider of the revolution, to wit, Henry Grim & Peter C. Folts.
           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. (Signed) Chris Schel, Christian Schel
           Subscribed and sworn to the day and year first aforesaid. Dygert, Clerk

Pension Office
Aug 18, 1853
Sir.  The claim of Christian Schell of NY was rejected by this office in 1837 because the rolls show that he deserted.  Saml Lake Esq.  BarHabor? NY