DANIEL GRISWOLD REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION, HERKIMER COUNTY, NEW YORK Contributed by: Wayne Griswold (wgrisw3828@aol.com) ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** New York Pensioners of 1835 County: Herkimer Co. Name: Daniel Griswold Rank: Private Annual Allowance: 40 00 Description of service: Connecticut militia When placed on the pension roll: June 3 1833 Commencement of pension: March 4, 1831 Age: 76 The following is a transcript of an affidavit filed by my gggg-grandfather, Daniel Griswold, in his efforts to secure his Revolutionary War Pension. This testimony was sworn in open court on February 12, 1833. Unfortunately, the first few sentences of page 1 were missing. Page 1 . . . the service sometime in the forepart of November 1775 but received no discharge in writing - He served six months according to the time he enlisted - The officers under whom he served were Capt. Samuel Gale, Lieut Calib Baldwin who was First Lieut. - He does not remember the Second Lieut. Col. Parsons - He saw Gen. Thomas Gen. Wooster - Gen. Putnam, Col. Prescott and several other officers whose names he does now remember - In the winter of 1776 he the said Daniel Griswold went to live in Sheffield in the State of Massachusetts and in the Month of May sometime and in the Year 1776 he the said Daniel Griswold enlisted as a volunteer at Sheffield aforesaid into Capt. Stephen Dewey's Com- pany in Col. Fellow's Regiment in Gen. Fellow's Brigade in the State Service for six months and he was marched with the Company under the Command of Capt. Dewey to New York and Gen. Fellow's Brigade arrived there near the same time and lay near the City of New York for a short time and Gen. Fellow's Brigade retreated back a few miles from the City on the same day that the Brittish forces came in and took possession of New York - Gen. Fellow's Brigade was stationed on the Island a few miles from the City of New York and continued at said station until in the fall of 1776 and he the said Daniel Griswold was stationed with the Company under the Command of Capt. Dewey at the same place with Gen. Fellow's Brigade - About the time that Capt. Dewey's Company arrived at the place where they took a stand on their retreat the Brittish vessels passed up East river and fired upon our men and Joseph Church who was a soldier in Capt. Dewey's Company was killed by a bomb which was shot from the vessels of the Brittish - He the said Daniel Griswold continued to serve at said station under the Command of Page 2 Capt. Dewey through the summer & in the fall of 1776 until his time expired for which he enlisted - He frequently served on sentry & was employed in watching and guarding against the Enemy - The Brittish passed up the North river with a number of vessels of war soon after they took New York and lay in the East river and in the North river near New York most of the summer - He the said Daniel Griswold saith that he served six months at said station near New York under the Command of Capt Dewey and he was then discharged sometime in the forepart of November 1776 but he received no discharge in writing - The officers under whom he served were Capt. Dewey - First Lieut Simon Adams - He does not remember the Second Lieut - Col. Fellows - Gen. Fellows - He saw Gen. Washington there a number of times - Gen Putnam very often - and he saw several other officers but cannot now recalled their names - And the said Daniel Griswold further saith that he has no documentary evidence proving his Revolutionary services and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his service in the war of the Revolution; that he has endeavored to procure proof of his service by some one who was in the service with him but he has not been able to find anyone that was with him in the service who is now living - And he the said Daniel Griswold further saith that he was born in the Town of Old Haddam in the State of Connecticut on the 20th day of August 1757 - He has no record of his age - He was living in Killingsworth in the State of Connecticut when he was called into the service in the year 1775 as herein before stated and he was living at Sheffield in the State of Massachusetts when he was called Page 3 into the service in 1776 as herein before stated - He lived since the Revolutionary War at Sheffield in the State of Massachusetts a number of years and from thence he moved to Ballston in the State of New York and lived there seven years and from thence he moved to Fairfield in the County of Herkimer and State of New York and has lived in Fairfield aforesaid thirty seven years now last past and that he now resides in said Town of Fairfield in the State of New York - He enlisted as a volunteer in both tours of service in the war of the Revolution herein before mentioned He saw Gen. Thomas, Gen. Wooster, Col. Prescott and several other officers whose names he cannot remember when he was in the service at Roxbury in 1775 and in the Year 1776 at New York he saw Gen. Washington, Gen. Putnam frequently and other officers of the regular Army but he has now forgotten their names - He does not now remember that there were any Continental Regiments stationed with him at New York in 1776 - Gen. Fellow's Brigade was stationed with the Company under the Command of Capt. Dewey at New York in 1776 and Capt. Dewey's Company belonged to Gen. Fellow's Brigade - He Never received any discharge from the Service - And the said Daniel Griswold further saith that Hiram Nolton & Miles Beach are persons to whom he is known in his neighborhood and who can testify as to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a soldier of the Revolution and he the said Daniel Griswold further saith that no clergyman has ever lived in his neighborhood and that he knows of no clergyman who has Page 4 any knowledge of his being reputed & believed to have been a revolutionary soldier and that he the said Daniel Griswold is reputed and believed among his neighbors in his neighborhood to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that the above named Hiram Nolton & Miles Beach can testify that he is reputed & believed to have been a revolutionary soldier & that they concur in that opinion - He the said Daniel Griswold 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 - Daniel Griswold Sworen in Open Court Feby 12, 1833 Julius E. Nelson Clerk We Hiram Nolton residing in the Town of Fairfield in the County of Herkimer & State of New York and Miles Beach residing in the same place hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Daniel Griswold, who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be seventy five years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the Revolution and that we concur in that opinion - Hiram Nolton Miles Beach Subscribed and sworn to this 12th day of February 1833 in Open Court