PENSION: Moses Meyer; Austerlitz, Columbia co., NY Submitted by Donald E. Lampson, (dlampson @ earthlinl.net) Revised with the help of David See. ************************************************************************ 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 } On this 22nd day of August in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty two ***** ***** *****, before the Justices Court now sitting in and for the City of Hudson in the County of Columbia and State of New York, Moses Meyer, a resident of the Town of Austerlitz in the county and state above stated , who being 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 *******. That he was born on the fourteenth day of June in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty nine in the town of Old Stockbridge in the County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts and that he is now seventy two years of age, as by a family record now in his possession will more fully appear. That in the month of April in the year seventeen hundred and seventy five, being then about sixteen years of age and being a resident of the town of Cannan, now in the County of Columbia and State of New York aforesaid, he entered the army as a volunteer for the term of nine months in the Second Battalion of the New York forces under the following officers, to wit, Capt. Joel Pratt, First Lieut Benjamin Chittenden, Second Lieut. Israel Spencer and Ensign Lee. Marched from Hillsdale in said county to Albany where they were joined by by those other companies under the command of Capt. Fisher, Capt. White and Capt. Baldwin, all commanded by the field officers Col. Van Schaick and Lt. Co. Peter Yates. That the Company to which this applicant belonged was ordered to proceed to St. Johns in the month of October to relieve the garrison at that place whose term of service was about to expire. This applicant believes that the Company marched from Albany to Fort George in the month of June and remained at that place until the month of October when they proceeded to St. Johns according to orders. Remained at fort St. Johns until about the first of January, when this applicant together with said Company returned to Albany by way of Crown Pt. - Ticonderoga and Whitehall and thence to Hillsdale aforesaid, where they arrived about the fifteenth of January one thousand seven hundred and seventy six, where they were verbally discharged by his Captain. That this applicant received no other than a verbal discharge. That in the month of July one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven, being a resident of Cannan aforesaid, he entered the army, thinks he was drafted, in the militia for one month under the following officers, to wit, Capt. Benjamin & Lieut. Jonathan Ford in Col. Whiting's Regiment, thinks one Waterman was Lt. Col. Marched to Albany and thence to Fort Edward and served as a garrison at this said fort, until the expiration of his term of service, which this applicant believes was some time in the month of August when he returned under the command of the said Capt. Benjamin by way of Albany to (********) aforesaid, and was verbally discharged. That in the fall of year aforesaid was drafted for one month and served under the following officers Capt. Benjamin, Lt. Ford and Lieut. Col. Waterman. Marched to Fort Edward as before. Remained there until October when his term of service having expired he returned Canaan and was discharged as aforesaid. That in July one thousand seven hundred and seventy nine he was drafted in the militia for one month and he served under the following officers, Capt. Benjamin and Major Bebee. The names of the other officers this applicant does not now recollect. Marched to Albany and thence to Johnstown by way of the Mohawk river. Remained at Johnstown until the expiration of his term of service and marched to Caanan and was discharged.. That completed the full of the year aforesaid. He was drafted for ***** ***** **** ****** under the following officers, Capt. Benjamin and Lieut. Ford. He was marched to Albany, thence to Fort Edward, Johnstown and (Waterford?). Remained at Waterford until the expiration of his term of service and returned to Cannan where he was verbally discharged by the said Capt. Benjamin. That some time in the fall of year one thousand seven hundred and eighty he entered the army - thinks he was drafted - for one month and served under the following officers, Captain Bartholomew Barrett, Colonel David Pratt and Major John McKinstry. He marched from Hillsdale to Schenectady, thence to Fort Hunter. Had an engagement with the enemy composed of Regulars, Tories and Indians under the command of St. Johns near Fort Robby. That the enemy was defeated and was pursued. That fort (Henry?) was commanded by Colonel Brown who was killed in an attack on the fort by St. Johns the day previous to the arrival of the regiment under Colonel Pratt to which this applicant belonged. That there were two regiments besides the one under Col. Pratt, as this applicant believes, but the names of whose officers this applicant does not now recollect. That they were all under the command of General Van Rensselaer. That the pursuit was (kept up?) (********) they (*******ed) at Fort Herkimer where they were joined by George Clinton, governor of the state. That they pursued the enemy into the (evening?) towards the (******) where the pursuit was given up and the army returned to Fort Herkimer and thence to Albany. That the company which this applicant belonged (*****ed) to Hillsdale aforesaid where they were verbally discharged. That he does not now recall of receiving at any time any other than a verbal discharge. That he has no documentary evidence in support of the facts above mentioned or any of them, and he has no person, whose testimony he can procure, who can testify to his services. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatsoever to a pension, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency of any State. /s/ Moses Meyer Sworn to and subscribed in open Court the day and year aforesaid. /s/ Hiram Wilbur, Clerk. (Emphasis supplied.) _____________________________________________________________ (Certifications and affidavits as to veracity and belief are omitted. The Interrogatories and Answers thereto are also omitted. The answers are merely repetitive of some facts stated in applicant's Declaration.) _____________________________________________________________ BRIEF in the case of Moses Meyers (sic.), Austerlitz, Co. of Columbia in the State of New York. (Act 7 June, 1832) 1. Was the declaration made before a Court or a Judge? COURT. 2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant is disabled by bodily infirmity? 3. How old is he? 72 YEARS. 4. State his service, as directed in the form annexed. _____________________________________________________________ Period Duration of Service Rank Names of General and Field Officers under whom he served. ___________________________________________________________________ Years Months Days As a In 1775 Apl. 9 private - Capt. J. Pratt, Lt. Chittenden, Col. Van Schaack(sic.), Lt. Col. P. Yates. July 1777 1 draft - Capt. Benjamin, Lt. J. Ford, Col. Whiting, Lt. Col. Waterman. Sept. 1777 1 " - Capt. Benjamin, Lt. Ford. July 1779 1 " - Capt. Benjamin, Major Bebee. Fall of 1779 1 " - Capt. Benjamin, Lt. Ford. Fall of 1780 1 " - Capt. Barrett, Col. Pratt, Maj. Maj. McKinstry, Genl. Van Rensselaer. ___________________________________________________________________ 5. In what battles was he engaged? An Engagement near Fort Robbey. 6. Where did he reside when he entered service? Canaan, Columbia Co., NY ************************************************************* (Note: This application is significant in that in September and October in 1777 (the time of the two Battles of Saratoga) Moses Meyer served under the command of Lt. Col. Waterman of the 17th Albany Militia Regiment, and not under its Colonel, Col. Whiting. Various documents show that Col. Whiting was placed in command, in late August 1777, of a Composite Albany Militia Regiment composed of drafts from several of the southern then Albany County Militia Regiments. At both Battles of Sartoga the two Albany Composite Militia Regiments were in General Glover's Brigade, along with Col. Morris Graham's Composite Dutchess-Ulster Regiment. While Meyer and the Company with him served to the north of Burgoyne's Army at Fort Edward at the time of the Battles, it appears that some others from the 17th Albany Militia Regiment served in Col. Whiting's Composite Albany Militia Regiment in Glover's Brigade at Saratoga. In addition it seems likely that further research will show that still other members of the 17th Albany Militia Regiment of then Kings District served under Lt. Col. Waterman in General Abraham Ten Broeck's Albany Militia Brigade, which was actually engaged at the Second Battle of October 7, 1777, when it reinforced General Poor's attack and then followed General Arnold in the attacks led by him.)