Morrison's Pensions


Pension Application for John Shoemaker

S.29,452 (Wife: Anne Elizabeth)
B.L.Wt.43530-160-55
State of New York
Herkimer County SS.
            On this fourth day of October in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty three before the court of Common pleas of said County in open court before the Judges thereof the same being a county of record, personally came John Shoemaker Junr, a resident of German Flatts in said County aged seventy eight years the nineteenth day of September last past, who being first duly sworn according to law does on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.  That he served as a private in the militia company commanded by Captain Frederick Frank in the Regiment commanded by col. Bellinger in the service of the United States in the Revolutionary War.  That the said company was stationed at and about Fort Herkimer.  That this declarant resided with his father, and when quite young, about fifteen or sixteen years of age he at first served in the said company as a substitute for his brother Christopher Shoemaker, and also for his father.  That when about sixteen years old he served in said company and recollects particularly that while he was on guard a short distance from the fort the enemy appeared & set first to the house of Stephen Eysaman situate about two miles east of said Fort.  That shortly afterwards this declarant and several others were taken prisoner by the hostile Indians and carried captive by the enemy to Niagara, that during about two weeks while on their journey to Niagara he suffered all the evils of captivity.  That he was kept a captive a long time and was afterwards by an order of Col. Guy Johnson released from his captivity and came home on an exchange of prisoners.  That after he came home there was no more fighting about Fort Herkimer.  That he cannot now state the length of time he was in service in said company but that he did not serve many days before he was taken into captivity—and he further states that the reason why he did not before make his application is that he owns a farm on which he lives and that is only son lived with him at home and that the family thought he could live from the produce of the farm.  That his son has now removed and that he this declarant now finds that it becomes necessary for him to apply for compensation which the laws of the United States afford him and which he is justly entitled to.  (Signed with his mark)  John Shoemaker, Junr.
            Subscribed & sworn before me in open court Feby 4th 1845.  E. A. Munson, clerk.

Letter responding to a request for information, dated March 18, 1938
            Reference is made to your request for information relative to John Shoemaker, a Revolutionary War soldier of German Flats, New York, who was born in 1765 and died in 1851.
             The data which follow were obtained from papers in claims for pension and bounty land on file under S.29452 and based on the Revolutionary War service of John Shoemaker.
            John shoemaker, Junior, was born September 19, 1765.  He was the son of John who, it was stated, died in 1808, and the grandson of Thomas who died just before the Revolutionary War and all were residents of German Flats, New York.
            In 1845, while living in German Flats, Herkimer County, New York, John Shoemaker, Junior, applied for pension and alleged that when he was about fifteen or sixteen years of age he served as a substitute for his brother, Christopher, and his father, as private in Captain Frederick Frank’s company in Colonel Peter Bellinger’s New York regiment; he was stationed at Fort Herkimer, where he was captured by the Indians, carried to Niagara and held a prisoner a long time, until Colonel Guy Johnson ordered his release, upon which he was exchanged and returned home.  No deates were given.  He filed a statement from the Comptroller of New York State showing that “John Shoemaker, Junior”, private in Captain Frederick Frank’s company in Colonel Bellinger’s regiment of new York militia, was paid from May 12, 1781, to October 1, 1782, the time he was in captivity.  His claim for pension was allowed.
            In 1847, Rudolph Shoemaker, resident of German Flats, New York, aged seventy-five years, testified that his brother, John Shoemaker, who was about four years older than he, was too young to be in the Revolution when he was carried off by the Indians.  He stated that John Shoemaker when about thirteen or fourteen years of age was assisting his Aunt Elizabeth Shoemaker in picking peas and went to the well for water and while drinking was suddenly seized by the Indians and carried off.  He stated that John Shoemaker never served in the Revolution but that their father, John Shoemaker, served in Captain Frank’s company was captured by the Indians and was gone about one year and their months.  Rudolph Shoemaker stated that both his father and mother (her name not given) were dead in 1847 and that his “father died more than thirty years ago.”
            Upon the above testimony, the pension of John Shoemaker was discontinued on March 4, 1849.
            On September 1, 1855, Anne Elizabeth Shoemaker, age eighty-eight years and ten months and a resident of German Flats, applied for bounty land because of the Revolutionary War service of John Shoemaker, Junior. She stated that during the Revolution she lived with her father and family near Fort Herkimer and that John shoemaker, Junior, also lived there with his family, and that she married him at Fallhill in German Flats in October, 1785, and that he died in german Flats on March 22, 1851. She claimed that her husband was more than a year older than herself and that he performed the Revolutionary War service in Capitan Frederick Frank’s company in Colonel Peter Bellinger’s regiment.  On September 20, 1856, Bounty Land Warrant #43530 for 160 acres under the Act of March 3, 1855, was issued for the identical service alleged by her husband and for which he had been pensioned.
            It was stated that John Shoemaker, Junior, and Anne Elizabeth Shoemaker raised a family, but the only name given was that of John who was over sixty-one years of age in 1855.
            John shoemaker (born in 1765) had a cousin, Thomas Shoemaker, who was taken prisoner by the Indians during the Revolution but he died about 1839.
            Anne Elizabeth Shoemaker stated that her maiden name was Fox.  In 1855 one Christopher Fox, aged eighty-three years, and a resident of German Flats but it was not shown whether he was related to said Anne Elizabeth.
            There are no further data relative to family.

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