PENSION: Henry Vandercook; Schagticoke, Rensselaer Co., NY
surname: Vandercook, VanNess, Francisco

Copyright (c) 1999 by Linda Wilbur (lwilbur@dmci.net).

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SURNAMES: VanDerCook, Francisco, VanNess, Wool, VanAntwerp

Henry VAN DER COOK, son of Michael and Cornelia (VanNess) VanDerCook, settlers
of Schagticoke, Upper Albany Co., NY, first volunteered as a minuteman at the
outbreak of the Revolutionary War. He later served as a private, corporal,
then sergeant in the 14th Regiment of Albany County Militia, which was
recruited from the Hoosick-Schagticoke area. An outline of his service can be
found in the successful pension application of his widow, Anna FRANCISCO
VanDerCook VanNess (W.26,615), with portions given below. Henry VanDerCook was
my 4th great-grandfather. In 1991, I was the first of his many descendants to
file for DAR membership on his Revolutionary War service.

Widow's Affidavit

State of New York)
Rensselaer County) Ss: On this twenty seventh day of June, eighteen hundred
thirty seven, personally appeared before the justices of the Justice's court
of the city of Troy in & for said county Anna VanDerCook (or Anna VanNess) a
resident of the town of Pittstown in the county of Rensselaer of the State of
New York aged eighty one years, who being first duly sworn according to law,
doth on her oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit
of the provision made by the act of Congress passed July 4, 1836. That she is
the widow of Henry VanDerCook who was a private, afterwards a corporal and
also a sergeant in Capt. Henry VanderHoof's company and Col. Peter Yates
Regiment of the New York Militia which was raised in Rensselaer County in
1776. My said husband first entered the service as a minute man at
Pittstown, then called Schagticoke, at the breaking out of hostilities in the
Revolutionary War. We then had three children. He first marched to Fort Howard
in Col. Yates Regt. and was absent about four weeks & was brought home sick.
During the same year he went to Fort Edward two or three times in the same
company and regt. and was gone about the same time as the first. During the
next year, he was called out oftener than the first, went to Fort Edward, to
Lake George & to Palmerstown at different times & was gone four, five & six
weeks at a time. He was also at Saratoga during the same year, but how long he
was there I cannot distinctly recollect. At the same time he acted as Sergeant
& held that rank during the remainder of the war & of his service. In one of
the seasons following he marched to Saratoga and was there and other places
in the vicinity in the service, about three months. At another time after that
he was ordered to Saratoga & after being absent about 5 or 6 weeks came home
sick in consequence of a cold taken while on guard. During the same year or
next, he went with the rest of his regiment to Lake George & Fort Ticonderoga
but how long he was absent I cannot recollect. In this manner he served during
the whole period of the war, being called out four & five times a year and
being absent from two to six weeks at each time except when once at Saratoga
three months as above stated. He always went when called on & was considered
among the most forward & active in the prosecution of the war in our section
of the country. I have no documentary evidence of his services and after
diligent inquiry believe there is none existing. I cannot say with certainty
the whole amount of his services. But am sure that it could not have been less
taken together than twelve months & verily believe that eighteen would not be
too high an estimate. My family was often sick while he was absent in the
service and I endured much suffering. She further declares that she was
married to the said Henry VanDerCook on the sixteenth day of August in the
year seventeen hundred and seventy one; that her husband the aforesaid Henry
VanDerCook, died on the twentieth day of January eighteen hundred & thirteen.
That she was again married to Jacob VanNess in the month of October, 1816, and
that her last husband, said Jacob VanNess died in the month of December 1826,
and that she had remained a widow ever since that period as will more fully
appear by reference to the proof hereto annexed. She was married to said Henry
VanDerCook by a minister of the Reformed Dutch Church within the parish of
Schagticoke and she has a family record of said Vandercook marriage as above
stated but believes that there is no other record of the same except so far as
the same is proved by the record of Baptisms of their children as deposed by
the Rev. Mr. Boyd, now pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church in Schagticoke, in
his affidavit annexed and which is correct.

Sworn to & subscribed on the day & year above written before the Justices of
the Justice Court of the City of Troy the said Anna being unable to write her
name, having never learned to write.

Geo. Wheeler, Clerk

Anna Vanness X Her Mark

And the said court do hereby declare their opinion after investigating the
matter & hearing the annexed affidavits the above named Henry VanDerCook was a
Revolutionary soldier & served as above stated. That said Anna the above named
applicant was married to said Henry VanDerCook, that he died, and that said
Anna is now & since the death of the above named Jacob VanNess as above
stated, has remained unmarried as stated in the foregoing Declaration. I,
George Wheeler clerk of the Justices court do hereby certify that the
foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said court in the matter of
the application of Anna VanDerCook or Anna VanNess for a pension. In testimony
whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this 27th day of June,
eighteen hundred & thirty seven.

Large wax seal and ribbon
George Wheeler, Clerk

This file contains a record of the granting of a pension, stating that Anna
VanNess (formerly Anna VanDerCook) was initially given the amount of $140, and
crediting the late Henry VanDerCook with service in the New York line as a
private for 6 months.

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Unselected Affidavits

The following two documents are UNSELECTED affidavits (NOT included with the
above file sent from The National Archives) from Anna VanDerCook VanNess's
widow's pension file W.25.615, attesting to the Revolutionary War service of
her first husband, Henry VanDerCook. These were transcribed from LDS
microfilm.

Affidavit #1

State of New York ]
Rensselaer County ]

I, James Wool of Lansingburgh in the County of Rensselaer and State of New
York, depose and say that I was well acquainted with Henry VanDerCook previous
to and during the Revolutionary War & knew him to be the husband of Anna
VanDerCook, now Anna VanNess of Pittstown in this county. That during that
period that period, I lived in their immediate neighborhood. I well recollect
said Henry VanDerCook entered the service in the Revolutionary War in the year
seventeen hundred and seventy six in Capt. Henry Vanderhoof's company and in
Col. Peter Yates' Regt. of Militia. That he soon after marched to Fort Edward
and several weeks after came home sick. He was also called out several times
afterwards during the same year and during the year following as often as four
or five times a year. He marched at different times to Fort Edward, Lake
George and Palmerstown. In 1778, he went to Palmerstown where there was a
garrison, one third of Col. Yates Regiment being stationed there by turns and
said VanDerCook always went out at his turn. In 1779, I joined the same
regiment and the same company and we marched to Fort Edward. Said VanDerCook
was our Sergeant and had been Sergeant for some time previous.

The next year 1780, the Regiment was ordered to marched to Lake George to cut
off the Retreat of Sir John Johnson said Henry VanDerCook went with us. We
also went to Fort Edward during that year. In 1781, we marched to Saratoga
(said Van DerCook being with us and our Sergeant.) I well recollect we were at
Saratoga when the news arrived there of the defeat of Cornwallis. I cannot
positively state the whole period of his service, but I well know that he was
out by turns during the whole war, being called out four or five times a year
& being out three, four, five or six weeks & in one or two instances much
longer at each time. He was considered to be among the most active & foreward
in the cause of the Revolution in the vicinity and always went when called
upon.

I well remember the marriage of Henry VanDerCook with Anna Francisco now Anna
VanNess in the summer of the year 1771 and that said Anna VanNess is the same
person who was the wife of said Henry VanDerCook previous to and during the
Revolutionary War.

Said Henry VanDerCook died in Pittstown in the winter of 1813. His widow said
Anna was again married some few years after to one Jacob VanNess who died
about the year 1826 and said Anna has remained a widow since that period.

Signed James Wool

Subscribed & sworn to before this day of June A.D. 1837 and I certify James
Wool to be a credible person.
M.S. Filley, Justice of Peace

Affidavit #2

State of New York ]
Rensselaer County ]

I, John VanAntwerp of Schagticoke in the County of Rensselaer declare and say
that I was well acquainted with Henry VanderCook who was a soldier of the
militia in the Revolutionary War. We both belonged to the same Regt. which was
commanded by Col. Peter Yates. The said VanDerCook belonged to Capt.
VanderHoof's company and I to Capt. Yates' company. I remember having often
seen him out in the service. He was with us when the Regt. marched to
Ticonderoga, Crown Point and Whitehall to cut off the retreat of Sir John.

He was during the same year at Fort Edward four or five times, and also to
Palmerstown. During the next year, he was at Saratoga four or five times. He
was out as often and as long as the rest of the Regiment and I know that he
was in Col. Yates' Regt. as long as I was.

Signed John VanAntwerp

Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of June, 1837 and I certify that
said John VanAntwerp is a credible person.

M.S. Filley, Justice of the Peace