PENSION: James Decker; Stuyvesant, Columbia co., NY Submitted by Donald E. Lampson (dlampson @ earthlink.net) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE: All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } Leonard Ten Broeck of the town of Livingston in the County of Columbia and State of New York, being duly sworn, says that he has heard the Declaration of John J. Best hereto annexed read over and says that he recollects that Peter Gaasbeck commanded a company **** **** **** called Rangers and this Deponent recollects that they marched to Fishkill and they lay there a part of the time **** East of Fishkill as this Deponent then understood and this Deponent understood and believes that the said John J. Best was one of these soldiers in said Company and served for the period for which he was enlisted. And this Deponent also recollects that **** Henry Pulver was a Captain in the Revolutionary war and believes that said Best belonged to his Company and also believes that he served north with the American troops in 1777 at Stillwater and at Saratoga for the period mentioned by him. And this Deponent says that said Best also served under this Deponent in an Expedition to West Point in 1778 as this Deponent was called out for three months and marched to West Point. General Clinton commanded on this. Deponent believes how long this Deponent lay at West Point with his troops he cannot exactly state but thinks and believes that he was discharged before the time had expired. He thinks between two & three months, and is not certain, but the time expired before he reached home with his troops. This Deponent was Captain. And this Deponent says that Peter R. Livingston was Colonel of the Regiment and Samuel Ten Broeck, Now General Ten Broeck, was then a Major, and Drick Jansen was a Second Major of said Regiment as stated by said Best. This Deponent is certain that said Best performed the time of service stated by him in his Declaration hereto annexed, but from the age of this Deponent and the consequent loss of memory and the time that has elapsed since the Revolution he cannot state fully the particulars of the various Campaigns or other services performed by said Best, but this Deponent says that he knows that said Best was a good and zealous Whig and was active in the service of his Country. This Deponent is now upwards of eighty years of age and has known said Best from his infancy as he was born and brought up within one mile of this Deponent, and this Deponent has ever since lived in the same neighborhood with said Best, probably 4 to 6 miles apart, and has seen him generally as often as once a week ever since he has resided in Taghkanic. This Deponent says that said Best has always, and does now, sustain a fair character for truth & veracity, honesty and integrity, and his statement is entitled to full credit and belief, and this Deponent says that said Best is a member of the same church with this Deponent in full standing and always has been considered in the Church to which he belongs an * * * * from his moral worth and high respectability. This Deponent says that Best is correct as stated by him or as near as this Deponent can recollect. And this Deponent says that he is a brother of General Samuel Ten Broeck whose affidavit is hereto annexed and says that he is Samuel Ten Broeck above referred to as Major in the Revolution in the same Regiment to which this Deponent belonged. This Deponent says that Best is quite infirm and * * * * having been confined for some time, and is now confined to his house and is unable to attend Court to make hie Declaration in open Court. And this Deponent says that Samuel Ten Broeck was a Lieutenant under Gaasbeck and another Samuel Ten Broeck who was the Major in said Regiment. /s/ Leonard Ten Broeck Sworn to & subscribed before Me this 14th day of August 1833. /s/ Peter R. Livingston Just. Peace (Certifications ommitted.) (On the reel of microfilm from the National archives this file appears to have suffered substantial water damage and is extremely difficult to read.) _____________________________________________________________ (The following is legible on a form of the Pension Bureau in James Decker's Pension File.) " In reply to your request of _________, received ______________ For a statement of the military history of James Decker A soldier of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR, you will find below the desired information as contained in his (or his widow's) application for pension in the file of this Bureau. Dates of |Length of |Rank |Officers Under Whom Service Was Rendered | Service | |_______________________________________ | | |Captain Colonel State _______|_________|_____|_______________________________________ June or | 9 mos. |******|Peter Sharp | Peter R. Livingston | NY July1,1775|________|_____|____________|__________________|________ May1,1776| 9 mos. |Ranger|Peter Gaasbeck| Peter R. Livingston |________ May1,1777|Aug. 1777 | |Peter Cantine | DuBois | " ______________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________ (DECLARATION OF JAMES DECKER) State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } On this ****** day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three personally appeared before the Justices of the Justices Court of the City of Hudson, County aforesaid, now sitting, James Decker, a Resident of the Town of Stuyvesant in the County of Columbia and State aforesaid, aged **** seventy four years **** **** **** having been sworn according to Law, and on his oath makes the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. This Deponent, James Decker, says that he was born, as he is informed and believes, on the 24th day of October 1758 in that part of the County of Columbia now called the Town of Copake. That **** of this ****** *** may be found , as this Deponent verily believes, in the Lutheran Church at Churchtown in said Co. of Columbia. This Deponent says that he resided during the Revolutionary War in the Town of Clermont, County of Columbia, with his Grandfather ***** (Jacob?) Decker. This deponent says that the first service by this Deponent in the service of the United States was under the command of Peter Sharp of Germantown in said Co. of Columbia as Captain. One Samuel Ten Broeck was Lieutenant. The ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** Rockefeller. ***** ***** ***** *** **** ***** said Captain Sharp. And this Deponent says Captain Sharp's Company belonged to the Regiment of Peter R. Livingston, who was Commanding Colonel and said Jansen was Major and Samuel Ten Broeck was second Major. This Deponent says that he entered the service in June of July 1775 and continued until **** **** 1776. The service that this Deponent as above stated and the first part of 1776 was as a volunteer in the service of the United States (followed by about 15 lines I cannot read.) This Deponent further says that again ***** **** **** from the first of May 1776 till the last of January or February 1777 under the command of Peter Gassbeck as Captain, one Samuel Ten Broeck as First Lieutenant and Samuel Thorne as Second Lieutenant. One Bortel Hendricks was ****** (Ensign?), and ***** ****** as Orderly Sergeant in the Regiment Commanded by Peter Livingston as Colonel, **** Jansen as first Major and Samuel Ten Broeck as Second Major. (Followed by about 12 lines I cannot make out.) This Deponent also says that in the month of May 1777 Deponent enlisted for the term of three years under **** Cantine as recruiting officer, also Jacobus Decker, brother of this Deponent, and this Deponent was marched to Fishkill (followed by about two and a half illegible lines) the name of this Deponents Captain he cannot recollect. ***** ***** **** **** **** **** **** ***** **** ****** ***** ******* lay at Fishkill part of the time and also lay at Stony Point until August 1777 when this Deponent was permitted to return to home having been sick for some time, unable to do duty (The balance of his Declaration is too badly damaged to make out. I does not appear that he recovered his health enough to return to duty.) _____________________________________________________________ State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } I, James Decker of Taghcanick in said County being sworn say I am ******* years old and have submitted application for a pension under the Act of 7th June 1832. Charles Esseltyne, Esq., was my agent or attorney. My witnesses (Followed by about a line and a half that is illegible.) Peter Shaver and Wm. Best say services which I performed in the War of the Revolution in the militia were nine months in Captain Sharp's Company of militia in 1775 & 1776, and nine months in Capt. Van Gaasbeck's company in 1776 & 1777. I was paid nine dollars a month for each service. When in the Company of Minutemen, I was constantly employed in the service in patrolling the County of Albany. There were 54 men in this Company, & other soldiers of the Company were also engaged all the time, & deponent was not during that time engaged in any other employment and he had no time for any other employment, being actively engaged. While a minuteman in his duty as a soldier all the time, and this deponent was paid for the whole of the time he was engaged at the ***** of nine dollars each month. his /s/ James X Decker mark Sworn to & subscribed Before me this 29th Day of July 1843 by said James Decker who is a credible person as a witness. /s/ Wheeler H. Clarke Commissioner of Deeds. _____________________________________________________________ State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } I James Decker of Taughcanick in said County, being duly sworn, say I am Eighty five years old & upwards. I have several years ago made application for a pension, Charles Esselstyne, Esq., of Livingston in this County acting as my attorney. I did not succeed in getting it. I then and now claim a pension under Act of 7th June 1832 for the following services, viz. First for nine months service under Peter Sharp, Captain of a Company of Minutemem, Samuel Ten Broeck, Lt. Second 9 months in a Company of Rangers. The same Samuel Ten Broeck Lieutenant. This Samuel ten Broeck was not the Samuel Ten Broeck who was the Major of the Reg't of Militia whereof Henry Livingston was Colonel. There ware two Samuel Ten Broecks living within the bounds of that Reg't. The old papers hereto annexed contain deponent's name. Deponent hereby ******* his claim to a pension, & alleges his name to be James Decker. his /s/ James X Decker mark Sworn to & subscribed before me This 29th day of May 1843 By said James Decker. He Is a credible person & witnesses. /s/ Wheeler H. Clarke Commissioner of Deeds _____________________________________________________________ State of New York } }Ss.: County of Columbia} Peter Shaver of the town of Livingston in said County of Columbia and State of New York , being duly sworn says that he has heard the forgoing Declaration of James Decker read over and this Deponent says that he distinctly recollects of seeing said James Decker in the Service of the United States under the command of Captain Peter Gaasbeck and Lieutenant Samuel Ten Broeck and one Samuel Thorn was Second Lieutenant, and the Company was called the Rangers as stated by said James Decker, and this Deponent was a soldier in in said Company, and served in the same expedition South with said James Decker , and marched to Fishkill and lay a part of the time to guard the Public Stores at ****** ***** and ************* Colonel ***** ****** under the command of Peter R. Livingston as Colonel and Drick Johnson (Jansen) was Major and Samuel Ten Brock was Major of the Manor Regiment, so called, from Livingston Manor . This Deponent believes that the Company of Rangers returned home the later part of January 1777. This Deponent recollects that Peter Sharp of Germantown was a Captain in the Revolutionary War. That this Deponent did not serve under said Sharp and therefor cannot state what service the said James Decker performed under said Sharp. This Deponent says that said Decker is a man of (Three illegible lines.) This Deponent further says that all the officers ******* are dead except Major Ten Broeck **** in said Declaration. his /s/ Peter X Shaver mark Sworn before me This 22nd day of July 1843 /s/Jacob ********, Justice Peace _____________________________________________________________ State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } John J. Best of Taghkanic in said State and County aforesaid, being duly sworn, says that on the 1st day of March past this Deponent was ******* ***** years of age. He also says that he is well acquainted with James Decker the applicant for a pension (One illegible line) Deponent says that the facts set forth in said Declaration Decker are true in so far as this Deponent can remember and this Deponent says he definitely recollects that James Decker, the above Declarent, was a soldier in the Company of Rangers commanded by Captain Peter Gaasbeck. Samuel Ten Broeck was first lieutenant. One Bartel ********* was Ensign and one Thomas **** was Orderly Sergeant. This Deponent recollects that the said Company of Rangers rendezvoused at the house of one **** Minklear in Clermont and marched to Fishkill and lay there *** *****. This Deponent **** say after ****** ****** troops were marched to Colonel ***** *****. This Deponent says that Colonel Livingston was the Colonel who commanded (followed by two lines that appear to be crossed out).Deponent says that the Company of Rangers returned home some time in the ****** of 1777. The exact time of ****** this deponent cannot say, but believes that the **** *** ***** said Declarant James Decker. This deponent also recollects Peter Sharp of Germantown and says he was a Captain in the revolutionary war but what service he performed this Deponent cannot state. This Deponent says that he has known James Decker for upwards of fifty years and for the last five and twenty or thirty years lived in the same neighborhood with him. This Deponent (About two illegible lines) , but that said James Decker *** a soldier of the revolution and served the period stated by him in his declaration. This Deponent further says that he recollects that Drick Johnson (Jansen) of Clermont was Major of the Regiment, and this deponent says that Samuel Ten Broeck **** ******** Major. All of the officers under whom this Deponent and James Decker served are dead, except major Ten Broeck. This Deponent recollects of laying a part of the time at ********* Mills to guard public property. /s/John J. Best Sworn to & subscribed Before me this * day of August 18(**?) _____________________________________________________________ (Note: One payroll of Capt. Van Gaasbeck's Ranger or Independent Company survived and is in the National Archives. James Decker's name is in that payroll. Also see Decker's Statements in John J. Best's & Samuel J. TenBroeck's pension files.) Peter Sharp was a Member of the Germantown Committee of Safety. His name appears in the minutes of the Albany County Committee of Correspondence on June 14, 1776, at p. 449, as a Lieutenant of one of the two Minute Men Companies in the District of the Manor of Livingston.) There appears to be a bit of mystery as to why the name of Decker and others from Livingston Manor do not appear in the rolls of Colonel DuBois' 5th NY Regiment of the Continental Line. George Deneger of the 10th Albany Militia Regiment entered the 5th NY at the same time. His name is in the rolls of that Regiment in Comptroller Roberts' "New York in the Revolution as Colony and State". A part of that Regiment was captured by the British in October 1777. That may have caused a loss of part of the Regiment's records.)