Paul Ewer Pension Application, Tompkins, New York SUBJECT: Paul Ewer Pension Application SUBMITTER: Cheryl Stanfield EMAIL: wimcheryl@voyager.net DATE: Jul 23, 1999 SURNAMES: EWER The following was transcribed from the Revolutionary War Pension Application of Paul Ewer, National Archives file #S2891. State of New York County of Tompkins On this 18th day of September 1832 Paul Ewer a resident of the town of Dryden in the County of Tompkins and State of New York aged 80 years on the 9th day of September, who by reason of great bodily infirmity is unable to appear in court personally appeared before Andrew D. W. Bruger First Judge of Tompkins County Court and being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath makes the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of congress passed 7th of June 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein after stated - vis - In the spring of the year 1775 he thinks [ it may have been 1776, he is not confident as to the year] he voluntarily enlisted for the term of three months at Sandwich in the State of Massachusetts where he then resided in a company commanded by Captain Joshua Tobey (Col. Heath?) in the troops of the State of Massachusetts - The company mustered at Sandwich thence marched to a village called Scituate on the coast where they were stationed to guard that coast and continued there until the expiration of his term of three months and was discharged There were no other troops at Scituate during his term of service - The next year 1776 in the month of August (at Sandwich aforesaid - crossed out) he voluntarily enlisted again for the term of four months in the town of Lee Berkshire County Massachusetts - in a company commanded by Capt. David Porter in Col. Brewer’s regiment of Massachusetts State troops The company mustered in the town of Barrington and marched thence to Mount Hope near Ticonderoga and there built a fort -he remained stationed at Mount Hope until the expiration of his term of enlistment four months & was discharged - The Jersey Blues and Pennsylvania troops were stationed at Ticonderoga at this time under command of General Gates- General Arnold was also at Ticonderoga at this time General Arnold he thinks had command of the water craft on the lake during this time - at least he had command of the engagement which took place on the lake at this time in which the enemy destroyed and captured most of our water craft he thinks only two out of thirteen escaped - Deponant was in the engagement he having volunteered on board of the fleet for the engagement- This was in the fall of the year before the capture of Burgoin (The British General Burgoyne. Paul is describing the battle at Valcour Island on Lake Champlain that occurred October 11, 1776.) He next enlisted at Sandwich aforesaid for the term of six months in Capt. Palmer’s Company under command of Major Dimmick Massachusetts State troops in the spring of 1777 The company was mustered at Falmouth in the State of Massachusetts and were stationed there to guard the town the district of which had been threatened by the enemy - after serving out his time of six months he was discharged he recollects Scott Dimmick who was a Lieutenant in the same company recollects (no?) other troops stationed at Falmouth during this time - While in service at Falmouth the town was attacked by a ship and nine small craft (supposed to be manned by refugees?) after firing upon the town an engagement ensued and the enemy was driven off - our ____ a ____ of the British ship was captured at a town where he had landed and put up - In the following year 1778 he enlisted again at Sandwich for six months in a company commanded by Mathias Tobey of the Massachusetts State Troops - They mustered at Cambridge Massachusetts - where they were stationed to guard the prisoners who were taken at the surrender of Burgoin (General Burgoyne) he remained and served out the term of his enlistment at Cambridge and was discharged - Capt. Tobey’s company was stationed at Prospect Hill in Cambridge ______ recollect of any other troops but those nor of any other superior officers having commanded over him during this term of service on reflection he thinks Col. Garish was at Cambridge at this time and that the company was attached to his command - Among the prisoners were ___ Hessians He also recollects that a Lieutenant of the prisoners in attempting to pass the guard was ____ upon and shot by one of the guard The occurance gave great _____ and (deep?) satisfaction (Scott Corbett in his book "Cape Cod's Way", page 135, seems to be describing this same event. Sir Richard Brown, the British officer who was shot, had several times ignored the guards and traveled into Boston for entertainment. William Green of Falmouth, the guard who fired the fatal shot, had been ordered not to let it happen again.) And finally in the year following he enlisted again at Sandwich for the term of three months in a company commanded by the aforementioned Mathias Tobey in Col. Jacobs regiment of Massachusetts State Troops - he enlisted in the spring of the year - The company mustered at Rowland’s Ferry in Rhode Island (& was?) stationed there doing duty in ____ & guarding the Ferry and after serving out the term of his enlistement he was discharged - Col. Jacobs was stationed at Britts Hill two or three miles distant where a fort was building at the same time - Col Thayer was at Britts Hill at same time During this service he recollects seeing several deserters from the American army who had been stationed on the Island - they had mutinied against their officers and were on their way home - They were stopped at or near the Ferry & prevailed on to return to duty by Col. Thayer deponant thinks that he can not find any surviving witness * (written in margin) * by whom his services can be proved except Jesse Clark of the town of Groton in the State of New York whose deposition is hereunto annexed & that he has no written or better evidence of his enlistment service or discharge than is herewith provided - He 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 in any state - That he has been confined to his bed by bodily infirmity and continued disease for the last five years that his mind and particularly his memory is much impaired - (signed) Paul Ewer Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid before me A. D. W. Bruger First Judge of Tompkins County Court Upon being interrogated by the said judge the said Paul Ewer answered as follows That he was born in the town of Sandwich in the County of Barnstable in the State of Massachusetts on the 9th day of September 1752 - he has no record of his age - that he lived in the town of Sandwich aforesaid when he entered into the service - that he volunteered -- Generals Gates and Arnold were with the troops at Ticonderoga also General Waterbury of Conneticut - Waterbury was in the engagement on the lake - He can not state the circumstances of his service more minutely than he has already set forth in his declaration - That he never received a written discharge he was always discharged by the company officer without any writing or other formality at the expiration of his term of service He mentions the names of Rice Weed - Capt. George Robertson - Henry Weaver - Abel Haskins - Daniel McArthur - Timothy Car [the two last elders in the Baptist Church] - George Rhodes - Nathan Dunham - Henry L. Beach - to prove his representations Since the Revolutionary War he has lived in the following places - at the close of the revolution he lived in the town of Lee in the State of Massachusetts - from thence he moved into the town of Scipio in the County of Cayuga in the State of New York about 28 years ago - thence he moved into the town of Dryden where he now lives about 15 years ago (signed) Paul Ewer Sworn to and subscribed this day and year aforesaid before me A.D.W. Bruger First Judge (of Tompkins County Court) ----------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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