PENSION: Adam Ryfenburg; Germantown, Columbia Co., New York Submitted by Donald E. Lampson, May 4, 2001, 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} On this nineteenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and thirty three, personally appeared in open court before the Justices of the Justices Court of the City of Hudson now sitting , Adam Ryfenburgh, a resident of the town of Germantown in the County of Columbia and State of New York, aged eighty one years, who first 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 7, 1832.That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. He first volunteered to go to Fishkill in Dutchess County in a Company commanded by Captain Allen, whose Christian name he believes was Joseph, and went accordingly in said company in the latter part of the fall of the year 1776, as near as he can recollect, marching from the Manor of Livingston, in that part which is now Clermont, in Columbia County, where he then resided, directly to Fishkill, on the east side of the Hudson River. In this service he was engaged about two months, when he was discharged and returned home. He remained at home, with the exception of being out on alarms & in scouting for disaffected persons, until some time in the spring of the year 1777 when he was drafted for nine months to go to the north, & proceeded accordingly on foot as far as where the City of Hudson now stands, in company with several others, where they took a row boat & proceeded by water to Albany. Here they were first drilled & placed in a company, the officers of which he does not recollect, not having been acquainted with them, nor the officers of the Regiment. Shortly after arriving at Albany they marched north and proceeded to Fort Edward, crossing the river at the latter place. Here they remained some time, but how long he does not recollect, & then crossing the river again, a short distance above, proceeded to Saratoga, at which place they arrived just after the capture of the British army under General Burgoyne. They thence returned to Fort Edward where they remained until the first part of winter , as near as he can recollect, when he was discharged & returned home, having been engaged in this service for the term of nine months. He then remained at home until the spring of the year 1778 in the month of April, as he thinks, when he volunteered as a minuteman in a company commanded by Captain Peter Shaver, Peter Sharp Lieutenant. He was elected Sergeant & serves as such six months, during which time he was out in service almost every week, engaged in scouting for disaffected persons & in warning out members of the Company & on alarms & at one time, but at what season he does not recollect, under the above named officers he went with one half of the Company to Fishkill in Dutchess County on an alarm, only one half of the company being required to go. They remained eight weeks at this time, as near as he can recollect. In addition to the service above enumerated he was out five or six times during the Revolution in service to Albany in the militia Company to which he belonged, commanded by Philip Smith, Bartel Hendricks, Lieutenant, but at what times or how long he does not recollect, but believes the whole time during which he was thus engaged amounted to at least six months. The whole time during which he was actually engaged in service amounted, as he believes, to at least two years. He was born in the Manor of Livingston in that part which is now Clermont on the 17th day of December in the year 1751. He has no record of his age in his possession, but finds the record in the church book of the German Reformed Church of Germantown, Columbia County. He was living in the Manor of Livingston in that part which is now Clermont when called into service. After the Revolutionary War he removed to Rensselear County where he lived about two years. Thence he removed to Germantown in Columbia County, where he lived about eight or nine years. Thence he removed to Red Hook in the County of Dutchess, where he lived about three years. Thence he removed to Clermont aforesaid where he lived about three years. Thence he removed to Germantown, where he has resided ever since. He received but one written discharge which was at the expiration of the nine months service above set forth. Who signed the discharge he does not recollect & it is now lost. The following persons to whom he is known in his present neighborhood can testify as to his character for veracity & their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution, Reverend Agustus Wackerhagen, ****** ******, George A. Sagendorf, James ******. He does not recall the names of any of the officers with whom he was acquainted except those above stated under whom he served and Major Samuel Ten Broeck under whom he also served. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever 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. His /s/ Adam X Ryfenburgh mark Sworn to & subscribed The day & year aforesaid. (Joint affidavit of the Reverend Wackerhagen & George Sagendorf omitted. ) (Certification omitted.) (Note: The Regiment he was drafted into for nine months in the Spring of 1777 was the 3rd NY Regiment of the Continental Line. His name is in the Muster Roll in Robert's "NY in the Revolution as Colony and State" for that Regiment. That Regiment was relieved from the Highlands Department on May 12, 1777 and assigned to the Northern Department. Lineages, US Army Military History Center.) _____________________________________________________________ State of New York} }Ss.: Columbia County } Adam Clum of Clermont in said County being duly sworn, says that he is well acquainted with Adam Ryfenburgh of Germantown in said County, & has been acquainted with him at least sixty years. And deponent further says that he & the said Adam Ryfenburg were drafted to go to Fishkill in the County of Dutchess in the service of the United States in the Revolutionary War, but in what year he does not recollect, and they went accordingly in a Company commanded by Captain Joseph Allen, ********* on foot from the Manor of Livingston where they resided to Fishkill aforesaid, and remained in service there about two months, when they were discharged and returned home. The said Adam Ryfenburgh returning in company with this deponent. At another time this deponent recollects that said Adam was out in service in company with this deponent to Albany, but for how long he does not remember. Deponent further knows that said Adam was absent from home in the service at the north, but to what places he went or how long he was engaged deponent does not know nor does he recollect at what time. And deponent further says that said Adam is a man of veracity. /s/ Adam Clum Sworn & subscribed before me The 18th day of January 1833 and I certify that I am well acquainted with the above named Adam Clum & that he is a man of truth & veracity & his statement entitled to credit. /s/ Wm. Overbagh, Justice of the Peace in & for Columbia County.