Pension Application of John Woolaver

STATE OF NEW YORK :
MADISON COUNTY :FS

On the 8th day of October 1832, personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting, John Woolaver a resident of the town of Lenox in the County of Madison & State of New York aged 73 years on the 13 of September last, 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 Congrefs pafsed June 7, 1832.

That he entered the service of the United State under the following named officers & served as herein stated.

1st That he enlisted in the forepart of the year 1772 for the term of 9 months into the Company of Capt Peter Peterson belonging to the regiment of Col. Henry Glenn (?). That he resided in the town of Minden (?) in the County of Montgomery, N.Y. That he was employed in the transportation of provisions, tc., on the Mohawk River from the City of Schenectady to Fort Stanwyx (now Rome). That he served the full term of 9 months & was discharged. That he was armed & equipped in all respects like a militiaman & subject to be called into active service, besides doing the duty for which he was more immediately enlisted.

2nd That in the year 1776, he was employed by Colo. M______ Willet, as a mefsinger for the purpose of carrying letters, dispatches, and mefsages to the officers stationed in various places on the then frontiers. That he was most frequently engaged in carrying letters from Fort Plain in the County of Montgomery aforesaid, to Fort Stanwyx (now Rome) in the County of Oneida, N.Y. That he was engaged in this service from 4 to 5 years as often as once in each month. That he was exempt from militia duty in consequence of such employemnt. That he always traveled on foot & in the night time only. That he recollects in particular of carrying one package from Stone Arabia in the County of Montgomery aforesaid to Fort Herkimer, N.Y. to one Maj. Hubbel. That he also recollects in particular of carrying letters, tc., to Colo. Gansevort who was stationed at Fort Stanwyx aforesaid.

That while he was thus in the employ of Colo. Willett, he (Colo. Willet) sent word to applicant that he wanted to purchase some fat cattle or exchange milck cows for them & requested that applicant would procure some for him. He wanted them for the soldiers. Colo. Willett was then stationed at Fort Plain. In pursuance of the request of Colo. Willett, applicant did procure several head of fat cattle, & he (the applicant) togther with 3 of his brothers drove them to Fort Plain & exchanged them with Colo. Willett for milck cows. On their way home, on the 18th of July 1780, as they were crofsing the East Canada Creek with their cows, they were surprised & taken by the Indians. Two of his brothers were killed & one wounded & himself taken prisoner.

That the Indians retained him as a prisoner for 22 days & then delivered him up to the British at Niagra, N.Y. That he was then conveyed to Montreal & confined in prison for about 2 months. He was then taken sick & transfered to the hospital & remained there about 1 month & was then taken to an Island in the River St. Lawrence, called the Prisoners Island & remained there 1 year & 1 day, & was then sent to Boston & then exchanged. There were three or four hundred prisoners on the Island. Lieutenant McKelle (?) had command a part of the time. Sergeant Morse was also on the Island. Claimint had a wife & one child at the time he was taken prisoner. From the time he was taken prisoner until he returned home, was about 18 months.

That applicant 2 or 3 years since made application for a pension by petition directly to congrefs. To which petition wsa attached the affidavits of Catharine Keller, Peter Woolever & Nicholas Schuyler. That the petition was referred to the comittee on pensions. That he believes the petition & affidavits are now on file in the proper department to which he begs leave to refer. That since the presentation of said petition he has discovered a witnefs who can testify more particularly to the facts set forth, whose affidavit is hereto attached. That he has no documentary evidence & that he knows of no other person whose testimony he can procure, other than those referred to, who can testify to his services.

That he was born at Stone Arabia (now town of Palatine) in the County of Montgomery aforesaid, on the 13 day of September 1759. That he has a record of his age in the family Bible, at Lenox aforesaid. That he lived in the town of Minden (?) in the County of Montgomery aforesaid, at the time he was engaged in the service. That since the Revolutionary War, he has resided in Lenox aforesaid, where he now resides. That he entered the service under an enlistment & at the request of Colo. Willett as above stated. That the particulars of his service, & the names of the regular officers & the continental & militia regiments with which he was acquainted are as above stated. That he is well known to James Stewart & Gideon Raymond of the town of Lenox aforesaid who reside in the neighborhood of the applicant & can testify as to his character for veracity, a true belief of his services as a soldier & otherwise, in the revolution.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except the present & declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.

NEW YORK - JOHN WOOLEVER - Madison Co., NY

DECLARATION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE BENEFIT OF THE ACT OF CONGREFS OF THE 7TH OF JUNE 1832:

On this ____ (left blank) day of October 1834 personally appeared before the County Common Pleas, it being a Court of Record held in and for the County of Madison, John Woolever, a resident of the Town of Sullivan in the County of Madison, and State of New York, aged 74 years who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following Declaration.

That he was drafted into the Service of the Revolution in the Spring of 1777 for the term of 3 months in Capt. Joseph Tygert's Company in Col. Cox's Regiment and served during the whole of that period of time - He lived at and entered the service at Canajoharie in the County of Montgomery and war marched to Fort Stanwick and was stationed there and at Fort Bull (or Mill?) on Wood Creek and was engaged in watching the movement of the Enemy and in blocking Wood Creek by felling trees into the same to stop the enemy from coming up said creek and was discharged the latter part of July as he believes and returned home where he staid but a short time before he was pressed into the service of the Revolution and marched forthwith to Fort Dayton and from there to the Oriskany and was there engaged in the well known Battle called the Oriskany Battle in which General Herkimer was mortally wounded under whom he served in the same company and regiment and under the same Capt. & Col. as in the first service and was stationed at Fort Dayton and kept in duty and marched to Ticonderoga and back again and was in actual service on scouting parties and centry for the span of more than 3 months and was discharged about the first of November, 1777.

That in the spring of 1778 he enlisted at the place of his residence aforesaid for the span of 9 months under Capt. Peter Peterson in Col. Willit's Regiment and was stationed at Fort Stanwicks and was engaged in watching the movements of the Enemy and ____ part of the time in carrying provision from Schenectady to Fort Stanwick for the army and was discharged late in the fall of that year or first of winter after having served the whole term of 9 months for which he enlisted - That he was drafted in the Spring of 1779 for 3 months service in the same Captain as the first term in Col. Cox's Regiment and at the same place and was stationed at Fort Dayton aforesaid now the town and County of Herkimer and was a part of the time engaged in carrying dispatches from that place to Fort Plain and the he served the whole of that term and was discharged verbally as on all other ocasions - That in the spring of 1780 he was again drafted for 3 months at the place aforesaid in Capt. Tygerts Company & Col. Cox's Regiment aforesaid and Brigadier Genl. Brown and was stationed at Stone Rawby on the Mowhawk River and was in the battle called Brown's Battle in which the general was killed and that he was frequently called out on alarms for that period at one time under an Order of Col. Willet - he enlisted the service as a volunteer not for any length of time and while on an excursion for provision & fat cattle was taken prisoner by the enemy in the month of July 1781 from his best recollection and was carried prisoner into Canada and there kept for the span of 18 months & until he was exchanged for prisoners on the other side.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever 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 - Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid - John Wolever - his mark
A.S. Sloan, Clerk

And the said applicant answered the several interrogatories required by law -in answering the 1st he says:

1st That he was born in the town of Johnstown in the County of Montgomery, NY in September 1760

2nd has no record of his age

3rd Lived at Canajoharie in the County of Montgomery N.Y. when he entered the service and before & sometime after the war and moved from there to the ______ (Boydg--nt?) N.Y. lived there a short time and then moved to the town of Sullivan in which town he now resides, in the County of Madison & State of New York which took place about 40 years ago in which he has resided ever since.

4th He was called into the service by being drafted always except when he was enlisted for 9 months and once volunteered for no particular length of time and was taken prisoner by the enemy and carried to Canada and kept at least for 18 months

5th He was acquainted with General Herkimer and was present when he was mortally wounded in the Oriskany Battle, was acquainted with Col. Wilet, General Brown, Col. Cox, Capt. Samuel Cherry, Capt. Andrew Fink, Capt. Peterson, Capt Tygret and many others whose names he does not now recollect.

6th He never received a written discharge and was always discharged verbally.

7th He never received a commission

Mr. Henry Woolever
Stephen Chapman
of the town of Lenox in the County of Madison hereby testify that we are well acquainted with John Wolever who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration - that we believe him to be 74 years of age - that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood that he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion. Sworne and subscribed in open court this 6th day of October 1824 (34)-- Henry Wolever (his mark) Stephen Chapman
A.S. Sloan, Clerk

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the war department that the above named applicant was a revolutionary Soldier and served as he states and the Court further certifies that it appears to them there is no clergyman residing in the neighborhood of the said applicant and that Henry Wolever who signed the foregoing is a resident in the town of Sullivan near said applicant and that Stephen Chapman who also signed the foregoing is a resident in the town of Lenox near Sullivan and acquainted with the said applicant and in this neighborhood of his residence are credible persons and that their statement is entered to ____ (Court?)