PENSION: Jonathan W. Race; Greenport, 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.: County of Columbia} Personally appeared before the Justices of the Justices Court of the City of Hudson in said County, the same being a court of record, Jonathan W. Race of the Town of Greenport in said County, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he was born on the 7th May 1754, & now is a resident of the Town of Greenport in said County, & & being sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. This declarant says that he was born in the Town of Claverack in the County of Columbia on the said 7th May 1754 as he is informed & verily believes true, and consequently he is now in the 84th year of his age & he has been informed & verily believes that he was baptised in the Reformed Dutch Church to which he can refer. This declarant continued to reside in the said Town of Claverack and County of Columbia, then Albany County, before & during the Revolutionary War, & has, except two years, always resided in said County of Columbia. This declarant during the revolutionary War performed much service in the Militia of said County. The first service this declarant performed in said War of the Revolution was in 1776 in two expeditions Northward, was called out the first time about the month of June 1776 & returned home in the month of September, having been gone from home about 3 months. Then was called out again in the same month of September and returned in December, making in all this year about six months of active duty. During all of which time the deponent served under Captain Casparus or Casper Huyck. ********* Delamater was first Lieutenant & John Upham was 2nd lieutenant. Justus Van Hoesen was Ensign, & this declarent was as he thinks from his best recollection a Sergeant in said Company. Robert Van Rensselear was Colonel of the Regiment. Richard Esseltyne was Major. In the first expedition this declarant lay at Greenbush opposite the City of Albany a greater part of the time and kept a regular guard at the River. And also lay a part of the time at Albany. On the second expedition the declarant lay at Stillwater. The declarant went as a volunteer. Colonel Henry Van Rensselaer, said Robert Van Rensselaer's Lieutenant, was with the Militia Regiment a part of the last campaign as this declarant believes. After laying at Stillwater about two months the troops were ordered to go to Johnstown & got as far as a place called (Nikanna?) & there the the regiment to which this Declarent belonged received orders to march no further west & the troops returned to Allbany, where they halted & there they remained some time until they were discharged, which was as this declarant believes about Christmas. This declarant has no other evidence to prove the service herein before mentioned except the affidavit of Abraham **** hereto annexed. This declarent was placed as Captain over a Guard who performed duty for 3 months in 1777 from the first of January 1777 until the last of March 1777 in patrolling the roads from major John Van Allens who lived in Claverack, now Hudson, on the banks of the Hudson River to the Claverack Creek from thence south to the manor line so called & thence to Hudson. A school house near major John Van Allens was the guard house. This deponant had under him twelve men who relieved each, then by two. During this time declarant was not engaged in any civil employment or occupation whatever. This declarant was by Capt. Huyck under the order of Colonel Robert Van Rensselaer selected out of said Huyck's Company. In the year 1777 this deponent says that he performed active duty including the 3 months above last mentioned for eleven months. In April 1777 or about that time this deponent was called out as a volunteer to march to Fort Edward where this deponent lay 3 months under the command of General Schuyler. This declarant served these three months under the same Colonel Robert Van Rensselear & Major Richard Esselstyne that he had before served, & according to the best of his recollection they had returned home & were again called out under Captain Huyck and went to Stillwater & Saratoga. This declarent was at the Battle of Saratoga between the Armies commanded by Genls. Gates & Burgoyne, but was not in the action. The English retreated before the Regiment to which this deponent belonged was called upon. After the taking of Burgoyne this declarant was marched to Albany & was there discharged. & this declarant thinks he got home the fore part of December 1777. & this declarant verily believes he was in active duty on this tour about 5 months during the aforesaid eleven months this declarant, from his best recollection, of all the time in the military service of the United States & did nothing that time attend to nor was he engaged in any employment. And he is not now able to find any other evidence than of Abraham Race hereto annexed. His officers & comrades so far as he is able to find out on enquiry are all dead. In the year 1778 this deponent was again called out under Captain Huyck above named and marched to Johnstown in the County of Montgomery. Went to Canghnewaga(?) & returned home. Thinks he was gone at this time about two months or more. He refers to the affidavit of John Stius(?) in confirmation thereof. He thinks that he was under Colonel Robert Van Rensselaer or Colonel Van Alstyne during this tour and which he cannot say now distinctly recollect. This deponent says that there was not to his recollection or belief any other Jonathan W. Race or Jonathan Race in said Captain Huyck's Company at any time during the tours above named in which this deponent served, and whether this deponent then wrote his name Jonathan W. race or Jonathan Race or how his name was written on the Rolls by his officers he cannot from the lapse of time & loss of memory tell. This deponent further says that in the Winter of 1778 & 1779 was ordered out with fifteen others from the Company of said Captain Huyck and marched to various places in the County mounted on horseback & armed & were commanded by Claudius Delamatter, the Lieutenant of said Huyck's Company. This service was patrolling the County & guarding the Public Stores . This deponent thinks he was engaged in this service as long as two months in the year & winter of 1778 & 1779. That during the residue of 1779 & during the years 1780, 1781, & 1782 this declarent did duty in the United States service as a minute man in the Militia on various alarms & on guard in each year for at least as much as one month in each year, but this deponent cannot from the loss of memory state with precision the exact periods which he did serve when called out as a minute man. This declarant thinks he was rated as orderly sergeant in said Huyck's company during the various times he served therein as above stated, but he is unable to find among his papers the warrant which he thinks he had. This deponent feels confidant that when at home he named the men belonging to Huyck's company by virtue of written orders from Huyck, but the precise rank he held he cannot state with so much confidence. And whether he retained the same rank in the service of the United States he cannot state with entire confidence, but he thinks he did. Deponent at the time of his revolutionary services resided in Claverack in the County of Columbia, then County of Albany. This deponent does not recollect of ever having had any discharge. I never went as a substitute, but always went for myself as volunteer or otherwise. This applicant 3 or 4 years ago applied to Charles Esseltyne, Esq., to represent him in obtaining his pension & in furtherance thereof said Esseltyne took the affidavit of Abraham Race hereto annexed, and said Esseltyne drew this applicant's statement which is the same as this as so far as it relates to the service performed by me in the years 1776 & 1777, except that the statement describes my service at Johnstown to have been in 1777, but which I now think was in 1778 as herein stated and W. **** affidavit states to the service herein stated to have been done in 1776 & 1777. Said **** is dead. This declarant hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any agency of any State or Territory. /s/ Jonathan W. Race Sworn to & subscribed The 31st day of March 1838 (Signature illegible) (Certification by Court omitted.) (Note: Race served in Col. Robert Van Rensselaer's 8th Albany Militia Regiment, except for his second tour in 1777 when he returned to the Army under Capt. Jasper Huyck, when he served in Col. Whiting's Composite Albany Militia Regiment, formedin late August 1777 from detachments from several of the then south Albany County Militia Regiments. That Regiment served in General Glovers Brigade, not with the other Albany Militia in General Abraham Ten Broeck's Albany Militia Biigade. The key to that is his statement s on page 3 that "The English retreated before the Regiment to which this deponent belonged was called upon" and "After the taking of Burgoyne this declarant was marched to Albany & was there discharged". The Regiments in General Glovers Brigade were not called upon at the Battle of October 7, 1777, while General Ten Broeck's Albany Militia Brigade was called forward to reinforce General Poor's attack on the British left. In addition, other pension files evidence that Col. Whiting's, Col. Wempel's and Col. Graham's Composite Militia Regiments [all in Glover's Brigade] were marched to Albany and discharged there. The rest of the militia was not discharged at Albany.)