REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION - CHRISTIAN HAYNES ************************************************************************ 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. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Transcribed by Paulette Haynes Anderson, IN chrishayne@aol.com CHRISTIAN HAYNES R 20139 Declaration In order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. State of Ohio, Lorain County SS: On this 4th day of November 1834 personally appeared in open Court before the Hon. Edzra D. Eanand associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Lorain in the State of Ohio now sitting: CHRISTIAN HAYNES, a resident of Spencer Township in the County of Lorain and State of Ohio aged seventy nine years of age, who being first 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 7th 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated that he entered the service as a drafted Militiaman in Schoharry in the County of Schoharry in the State of New York having been drafted out and served from the 1st of April 1777 to the first of July 1777 and served during the months of April, May, & June and served said three months in the Militia of said county of Schoharry in the State of New York that this applicant served said three months under the command of Captain George Richtmeyer, and the Lieut. of the company was one John Sawyer, the sergeant of the company was one Markus Bellinger and the corporal of the company in which this applicant served was one Peter Shaver, and the Major of the Regiment in which this applicant served was Major Zeeley that this tour of duty was served as a guard in the Forts or stockades created in Schoharry as a shelter to shield and protect the inhabitants from the cont! inued encroachments and attacks from the Indians, the tories and the British. That whilst this applicant was on this tour of duty of three months the Indians frequently skulked into the village of said Schoharry and killed and murdered a number of the people there and oftened took off a number of prisoners and that the Indians caught a number of small children hung them up by the feet and ripped open their bellies and left them in this cruel and barbarous situation as a spectacle of horror. That this applicant after having served out his said tour of three months duty as a drafted militia soldier he was verbally discharged from the service by his commanding officer Capt. Richtmeyer. And the applicant was again in the service as a drafted militiaman of the County of Schoharry in the state of New York that he was drafted out to serve in the militia of said Schoharry County, N. York to serve for a tour of six months. that his applicant served from the first of July 1777 as a drafted militiaman in the county of Schoharry under the command of Captain "John Groat" and the name of the Lieutenant was "John Ecker" and the name of the Ensign of the company to which this applicant belonged was "John Van Allen" the sergeant of the company was William Maremus?, the drummer was one "Nicholas Dancer" who officiated as drummer for the three Forts or Garrison Stockades, the fifer was a coloured man of the name of "Jack" all of whom served with this applicant during the said Garrison duty of six months under the command of Capt. John Groat as above set forth. that Peter Zelley was the Col, of the Regiment in which this applicant served this said tour of six months - ! that this six months was served during the months of July, August, September, October, November and December 1777 as a guard stationed in the said forts at Schoharry aforesaid, that during this tour the soldiers in the garrison would sometimes kill or shoot some of the Indians who were secreting themselves in the vicinity of the forts & were trying to murder and scalp the inhabitants in and about Schoharry, that the duty was actual, arduous and severe on account of the "Tories & the Indians" who were constantly watching to destroy the lives and the property of the people, that the most severe part of the duty was performed during the night time, that this applicants clothes were often froze stiff as ice by being exposed to the cold severe night watching, that the roll of the company was called regularly mornings and evenings, that this applicant after having served out the said tour of six months as a drafted militia soldier he was verbally discharged from the servic! e by the commanding officer. And this applicant was again drafted out to serve a tour of six months, that he served this said tour under Capt "John Meyers" and the Lieutenant 's name was Abram Becker and the major of the Regiment was Major Bineough? who was a doctor) and he was called by the soldiers sometimes Dr. Bineough? and served in this Regiment of Col. Vrooman as a drafted militia man under the aforesaid officers during the spring and summer of the year 1778, that this applicant joined a company of militia under the command of Capt. John Meyers in Schoharry County in the State of New York in the month of June and served until the 14th of December 1778 as a drafted militia man for said six months as a private soldier the whole period of said time - that this applicant served said six months commencing on the 10th or 12th of June 1778 and served till the 14th of December 1778 making a tour of six months and two days. That this duty which this applicant performed was actual arduous and doubly se! vere - that at one time the "Tories" and "indians" combined in a large body and fired a bombshell into one of the Forts which struck a feather bed and whirled the feathers about so furiously that the soldiers in the fort for a time could not distinguish each other - the circumstances of the shell's falling into the feather bed prevented its destroying any lives. That this applicant performed garrison duty in said Schoharry County, N York for said six months and at the expiration of said period of time he was verbally discharged from the service by his officer under whom he served the above tour of service. And this applicant was again drafted out to served a tour of three months in the militia of the county of Schoharry in the State of New York - that this applicant was placed under the command of Capt. Peter Shaver of Albany Co. New York - the Lieut was Laurence Schoolcraft - that this applicant was marched from said Schoharry Co. N. York to the Albany and from thence to a place near Albany called at that time "Albany Hill" where there was a considerable body of militia men stationed doing Garrison duty- that there were some barracks in which the soldiers were quartered that this applicant served said three months at Albany Hill aforesaid - that this tour of duty was served after harvest in the year 1779 commencing on the 1st of September 1779 and ending on the first of December 1779 making a tour of three months as aforesaid - that this applicant after having served out the said tour of three months was verbally discharged from the service by his commanding officer. And this applicant further declares that he was out as a volunteer for a period of one month in the year 1780 shortly after harvest in the month of August and September from the 16th of August till the 17th or 18th of September 1780 - that this tour was served under Capt. George Richtmeyer that this applicant was marched with two other companies of the Schoharry militia up as far as Saratoga where this applicant was stationed & where the said militia were ordered to make a Fort. this applicant thinks it was the order of General Sterling sometimes called Lord Sterling. That the said militia for some cause which this applicant does not now know did not build the Fort as they were ordered to do but that after having spent some time at Saratoga in the said state of New York he was at the expiration of the said one month verbally discharged from the service by his old Capt. George Richtmeyer. And this applicant was again in the service as a volunteer for a period of two months and one half of a month, that he joined a company under command of John Groat of Schoharry County Militia in the State of New York and served said tour as a guard in one of the stockades at Schoharry aforesaid. one of the Forts was built on one "Vrooman's" land, the other two were built at the extremities of Schoharry - they were called "the upper; middle, and lower" Forts. That during this tour of duty the indians were very troublesome and did much damage & destroyed a number of lives - that the indians prior to this last mentioned tour together with the Tories set fire to and burned all the houses down in Schoharry aforesaid - and afterwards went to a place called Beever Dam and there murdered a whole family - not leaving one alive. That a part of the company to which this applicant belonged went in pursuit of some indians who had been committing depredations - that they in their ! pursuit discovered a great tall indian sitting down on the top of huge rock with his rifle and tomahawk. That one of the pursuers cocked his gun and in the act of so doing alarmed the indian who jumped off the rock - put his hand to his lips and gave an indian yelp and then run for his life leaving his rifle, tomahawk behind him - that his applicant served said two and half months in the fall of the year 1780 and was at the expiration of said time verbally discharged from service by his Capt. John Groat under whom he served said tour of duty as above specified - And this applicant further declared on his oath that he was again in the service as a volunteer for a period of six months in the spring and summer of the year 1781 - That he joined a company under command of Capt. "Vrooman" of the Schoharry Count Militia in the state of New York and served from the 1st of April 1781 till the 1st of October 1781 making a tour of six months during the months of April, May, June, July, August & September, of said year 1781. That this applicant was stationed at and performed Garrison duty at one of the Forts in Schoharry Co. N. York during said tour and that at the expiration of this said six months duty as a guard at said station he was verbally discharged from the service - And this applicant further says that he was once more called out and drafted to serve a tour of four months in the Schoharry County Militia in the State of New York - that he entered upon this tour of duty under the command of Capt. "Vrooman" of the Schoharry Co. Militia in the month of June of (ink blot) 1782 and served from the month of June till the first of October 1782 during the months of June, July, August and September - making a period of four months, service in the Schoharry Co. Militia in the State of New York - that this duty was served out in the Garrisons or Forts at Schoharry in said county & state that during this said tour this applicant was ordered after a party of indians who had murdered some of the women and children in and about Schoharry - that they gave them close pursuit but was unable to overtake them that this applicant after having complied with the requisition of his draft as a drafted militia soldier of said Co. of Schoharry he was verba! lly discharged by his commanding officer - Capt. Peter Vrooman who commanded the militia in the middle Fort in said Schoharry & Col. Zeely ? had the principal company of all the troops stationed at Schoharry & in the county of Schoharry in said state of New York That this applicant served the above mentioned periods of duty as above in the capacity of a private soldier except three months during which he served as a quarter master sergeant as a substitute for his brother who was sick & unable to discharge the duties of his station - that this applicant was sent from the Upper Fort to the middle Fort for provisions for his company while he served in the capacity of a quarter master sergeant, that this applicant served the full and complete period of thirty one months and an half, as above stated in the militia of the county of Schoharry in said state of New York - and this applicant further says that no living witnesses can be (ink blot) procured by whom he can prove his services as above set forth and that he was not at any time engaged in any Civil pursuit but was wholly devoted to the army and the service of his country as above mentioned. That this applicant served the above tours under Col. Zeely of the Schoharry Co. Mil! itia and under Col. John Rice who commanded the Regiment of Militia stationed at Albany Hill. That no living witness can be produced except the annexed deposition of John Bissard? to prove the above service. Interrogatories- 1st When and in what year were you born- Ans. I was born in Schoharry County in the state of New York in the year 1755 and am now seventy nine years of age. 2nd Have you any record of your age and if so where is it- Ans. I had a record of my age kept in my family Bible but my house was burned down and the Bible lost, but I know my age from the record kept in said Bible. 3rd. Where were you living when you entered the service, where have you lived since the Revolutionary War and where do you now live- Ans. When I entered the service I lived in the county of Schoharry in the state of New York and since the Revolutionary War I lived in Northumberland Co. in the state of Pennsylvania and in Wayne County in the state of Ohio and in Lorain County in the state of Ohio where I have lived for nine years past- 4th How were you called into the service- Ans. I was drafted and volunteered as I have above stated- 5th Did you ever receive a written discharge from the service- Ans. I never did receive any written discharge from the service. 6th. Did you ever receive a commission in the service at any time- Ans. I never did, but served the period of two years and seven months and one half month as a private soldier (except three months duty as an (ink blot) sergeant.) in the Schoharry County Militia, N. York. 7th State the names of some of the officers who served with you during the time you served- Ans. Col. Zeely, Major Peter Vrooman, Capt. George Richtmeyer, Capt. John Meyer, Lieut John Ecker, Capt. Peter Shaver, Capt. John Groat, Genl or Lord Sterling and General George Washington had the command of the whole army. 8th State the names of persons in your neighborhood who can testify to your character for truth and veracity and their belief of your services- Ans. Samuel --- Esq. Philip Bizzard, Abel Wood, Henry Wood, John P. Marsh and John Spaci ?, Reverend John More Jr. Richard West. Sworn to and subscribed Christian (his mark X) Haynes this 4th day of Nov. 1834 in open court E--Leonard, Clerk