Morrison's Pensions

Pension Application for John VanEps

W.27,862 (Widow: Jane)
B.L.Wt.31.760
160.55
State of New York
County of Montgomery SS.
            On this twentieth day of September 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 said County now sitting, John VanEps, a resident of the Town of Amsterdam in said County, aged sixty seven years and upwards, 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.
            He was born on the 27th day of December 1764 at Westina (now town of Glenville) in the County of Schenectady in said State.  The record of his age is in the Register of Baptism in possession of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of Schenectady in the county of Schenectady aforesaid.
            When called into service, he was living in said town of Westina; he lived there since the revolutionary war, until about thirty three years ago, when he removed to the town of Amsterdam aforesaid where he now lives.
            He was called into service as a substitute for his father John Bt. VanEps when he was fifteen years of age, to wit in the fall of the year 1779.  He then entered Captain John VanPatten’s Company of militia being the one within his beat in the Regiment of Colonel Abraham Wemple.  His other company and Field officers, were Simon F. VanPatten and Cornelius Mabee Lieutenants.  Daniel Toll Ensign.  Abraham Swits and Myndert Wemple Majors.  He was also several times under the command of Lieutenants Tunis Swart & Philip Vedder.
            When he arrived at the age of sixteen he was enrolled in said company of John VanPatten & served therein to the end of the revolutionary war.
            His first expedition was to Fort Paris in Stone Arabia in the fall of the year 1779 where he remained on duty for the term of five weeks.  In the month of August in the ensuing year he was called out with a detachment from his regiment when Brandt at the head of a party of Indians & toires laid waste the country round Canajoharrie.  In this excursion he was from home about two weeks.  In the month of October in the same year the enemy under Sir John Johnson having again made an incursion into the Mohawk County, the Militia were ordered out under General VanRensselaer.  In this campaign the claimant volunteered his services, marched to Fort Hunger, Caughnawaga, Fort Plain, & as far west as Herkimer in pursuit of the enemy.  He was in this campaign on duty about two weeks.
            He was with the troops under Colonel Willett when they pursued the British and Indians under Major Ross in the fall of the year 1781.  He marched on this occasion to Johnstown—was with the party of Oneida Indians who pursued Walter Butler to West Canada Creek, where said Walter was shot at and tomahawked by one of the Oneidas.
            In the month of November in the year last named, he assisted in taking 62 prisoners.  He was engaged in several skirmishes at Canada Creek & in Canajoharrie in the year previous.
            In the year 1782, he was called out several times with detachments of militia for the purpose of repelling threatened incursions, but they did not encounter the enemy.  He has performed garrison duty on sundry occasions, besides those above alluded to, at Fort Paris, Fort Hunter, Johnstown & Fort Plan.  And when not on duty in these campaigns up the Mohawk river, he was on one occasion called out to Ballstown where he remained two weeks.  He was also engaged on a great many occasions as a scout to Sacondaga, Galway, & the precincts of Westina.  He assisted in erecting military works for the defence of the last named town; and which being among the frontier ones, he was in consequence required in common with the other members of the militia on this frontier to perform sentinel duty day after day and night succeeding night at these works.  In those troublous times, and not then entertaining the most distant idea that he would ever be called upon to give an account of the number of days, and the precise periods of time in which he engaged in these numerous expeditions and services in the cause of liberty & his country, he made no memorandum thereof and cannot therefore possibly specify the particular periods of his different engagements, but knows that the different terms of his services exceed in the whole a period of eighteen months.
            The following are the names of some of the Regular officers whom he knew, or who were with the troops where he served & such regiments and companies as he recollects viz, Colonels Dubois, Van Schaick, Harper, Cortland, Gaansvoort, & Willett & their regiments, Colonel Dayton one of the Jersey Regiments, and the following inferior officers & their companies—Lieutenants VanDyck, Benschoten, Capt. Jellis Fonda, TenEyck, Fink, Wendell, Peter Tierce, Adjt. Jellis A. Fonda, Major McCraken.
            He has no documentary evidence, but can produce the testimony of persons who can testify to his services; to wit, Jellis A. Fonda & Ahasuerus Wendell whose depositions are hereunto annexed.  He never received any written discharge from the service.  
            The following are the names of persons to whom he is known in his present neighborhood & who can testify as to his character for veracity & their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution; to wit, Abraham Van Horne, a Clergyman & Joseph DeGrolier.
            He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.  (Signed) John VanEps.
            Subscribed & sworn to the day & year first aforesaid. Geo. D. Ferguson, Clerk
Pages torn from Family Bible
Family Record
Marriages.
John VanEps to Jane VanVleck Feby 5th 1795
Hamilton A. VanEps to Rachel VanWormer 1823, February 27th
John E. VanWorker to AnnVanEps. 1823, 3d December.
Jacob Bonta & Abigail VanEps 1824, January 15.
Henry S. Romeyn to Agnes VanEps Dec’r 1st 1830.
Harmanus VanEps to Martha Hemstreet December 26th 1832
David C. VanEps to Cataline VanPatten September 4th 1833.
John P. VanEps to Sarah Plum May 6th 1835.
Isaac D. VanEps to Eliza Ann Staley October 4, 1837
Aaron V. VanEps to Maria Swart July 1st 1840.
Amos C. VanEps to Caroline Louisa Howard January 18, 1844.
George K. VanEps to Emma M. Snyder, March 10th 1847.
Births.
1764 John VanEps December 27th
Jane VanVleck April 1st 1779  (Their union took place February 5th 1795.
John VanEps Junr. August 28th 1796.
Abigail VanEps June 21st 1798.
Hamilton A.VanEps July 16th 1800.
David C. VanEps. September 14th 1802.
Ann VanEps December 27th 1804.
Harmanus VanEps April 29th 1807.
Agnes VanEps August 4th 1809.
John P. VanEps September 23d 1811.
Amos Covey VanEps March 3d. 1814.
Isaac DeGraff VanEps July 9th 1816.
Aaron VanEps December 4th 1818.
George H. VanEps July 6th 1821.
1826 Nov’r 23 George VanWormer
Charles VanWormer, Ann’s Son May 2, 1836.
Deaths.
John VanEps Junr. October 5th 1808, Age 12 yrs, 1 mo & 8 days.
John VanEps, Sen’r August 29th 1847, Aged 82 years; 8 mos, 2 dys

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