Pension Application

W.1969 (Widow Mary)
B.L.Wt.7096-160-55
State of New York
County of Albany SS.
On this twelfth day of February in the year, one thousand eight hundred and fifty, in open court before me Abraham Morrell one of the Justices of the Justices’ Court in and for the City of Albany, the same being a Court of Record under the Law of the said State of New York, by which the said Court was organized, personally appeared Mary Wilson aged seventy-four years last March, late a resident of the Town of Vienna, in the County of Oneida, and State of New York, but now a resident in the said City of Albany in said State of New York, who being first duly sworn according to Law, doth, on her Oath, make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed July 29, 1848, for the relief of certain surviving Widows of officers and soldiers of the revolutionary army, and also the benefit of the Joint Resolution of Congress, passed July 1, 1848, relative to evidence in applications for Pensions. That she is the Widow of Richard J. Wilson, who served in the War of the Revolution in the Regiment of Artillery commanded by Colonel John Lamb, and who was a Pensioner of the United States, and died in the County of Oneida, and State of New York aforesaid, on the twenty-third day of September one thousand eight hundred and forty-six. That she was married to the said Richard J. Wilson in the County of Montgomery in the said State of New York, by the Reverend Mr. Romeyn, in the latter part of the Month of July in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety six, and that he maiden name was Mary Ferrel; that her father Charles Ferrel, her mother Sophia Ferrel; her Sister Nancy the wife of Jesse Holland, and her three Brothers Charles, William And Peter Ferrel, were all present at her said Marriage; but all of them are dead. That she has no record of her marriage, and doth not know or believe that there is any record of it in existence. That her daughter Sophia now the Widow of William Cole, was born on the twenty-second day of February, One Thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, was the first issue of the said marriage. That she had nine children by her said husband, seven of whom are still living, the youngest of whom, George Wilson, being now Twenty five years of age; her second child William Wilson was born on the eighth day of March in the year One thousand eight hundred and was drowned in Lake Erie in the summer of the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-five. That her Bible which contained the record of the respective births of her several children was in the house of her daughter Anna, then the wife and now the widow of Daniel Bratt, deceased, situated in Lydius Street, in the said City of Albany, at the time the said House was destroyed by fire, in the month of October, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven; and that her said Bible was consumed therein. That she has no record of her marriage or of the Births of her Children, and doth not know or believe that there is any such record in existence. That she was married previous to the first day of January one thousand eight hundred, to wit, at the time and place above mentioned. She further declares that she has not intermarried since the death of her said husband as aforesaid, but still remains a widow. And further that she has never before made application for a pension.
[The record ends here. This is from the day when ‘selected’ records were sent and they were often incomplete, some more so than others.]

Letter in pension folder
April 13, 1938
Mrs. Frank G. Kelsey
Camden New York
Dear Madam:
            You are furnished herein the record of Richard J. Wilson as found in the papers of the claims for pension and bounty land under File no. W.1969, based upon his service in the Revolutionary War. His surname appears, also, as Willson.
            Richard J. Wilson was born in Horseneck, New York. The name of his parents are not shown, His full name was Richard James Wilson.
            While a resident of Horseneck, New York, Richard J. Wilson enlisted in May 1776, for the term of three years, served as private and sergeant in Captain Savage’s company, Colonel John Lamb’s 2nd regiment of Artillery, was in the battle of Oriskany in which he was wounded, having his arm and shoulder broken, and was discharged early in 1779, after having served two years nine months.
            After the Revolution, the soldier lived in the following places: Poughkeepsie; Florida, New York; about 1828 in Amsterdam, Montgomery County; Rome, Oneida County, then moved to Vienna, same county, New York.
            Richard J. Wilson was allowed pension on his application executed September 11, 1832, while a resident of Vienna, New York. He died at his residence there September 23, 1846.
            The soldier married the latter part of July, 1796, in Florida, New York, or in Montgomery County, that state, Mary Ferrel, daughter of Charles Ferrel and his wife, Sophia, both of whom died several years prior to 1850. Mary Ferrel was born in March, 1775, place not given.
            Mary Wilson, widow of Richard J., was allowed pension on her application executed February 12, 1850, while a resident of Albany, Albany County, New York. She had formerly lived in Vienna, Oneida County, that state.
            Soldier’s widow, Mary Wilson, applied March 28, 1855, for bounty land which was due, also, on account of the Revolutionary War services of her husband, Richard J. Wilson. At that time she was residing in Rome, Oneida County, New York. She was allowed one hundred sixty acres of bounty land on Warrant No. 7096, under the act of March 3, 1855. She died June 3, 1858.
            Richard James Wilson and his wife, Mary, had nine children, seven of whom were living in 1850. The following names of children, only, were designated:
            Sophia Wilson, the first child, born February 22, 1798, married date not stated, William Cole and was his widow in 1850, living in Utica, Oneida County, New York.
            William Wilson, the second child, born March 8, 1800; drowned in Lake Erie in the summer of 1845.
            Anna Wilson, age not given, who married Daniel Bratt and was his widow in 1850, living in Albany, New York, on Lydius Street. One Daniel Bratt in 1832 was living in Vienna, New York.
            George, the youngest child, still living in 1850, aged twenty-five years.
            In 1851, one Richard Wilson witnessed the signature by mark of soldier’s widow, Mary Wilson, in Rome, New York, no relationship shown between them.
            Mary Wilson, soldier’s widow, in her application for pension, referred to her sister, Nancy Ferrel, who married one Jesse Holland, also, to her three brothers: Charles, William, and Peter Ferrel, all of whom were then dead.
            If you desire information in regard to location of the bounty land granted to soldier’s widow, Mary Wilson, you should apply to the Commissioner of the General Land office, Interior Department, this city, and furnish that official the number of the warrant, the acreage and date of the act under which issued.
            Very truly yours, A.D. Hiller, Executive Assistant to the Administrator

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