REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION DECLARATION: Jacob WEISEL, 1837, St. Clair Township, Bedford County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Jerry L. Johnston, Swanton, OH and Joanne Corle, Everett, PA Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/bedford/ ________________________________________________ JACOB WEISEL 22 Feb., 1754- 12 April, 1839 DECLARATION FOR PENSION State of Pennsylvania Bedford County On this first day of September A.D. 1837 personally appeared in open Court before Alexander Thomson Esquire, President and his associate Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Bedford County now sitting Jacob Weisel a resident of St. Clair Township in this County of Bedford and State of Pennsylvania aged eighty three years and upwards, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed the 7th June 1832. That he entered the service of the United States and served as herein stated viz. That in the year 1776 shortly before or after harvest he enlisted in the flying camp in a Company Commanded by Captain Valentine Upp of which Samuel Dean(?) was Lieutenant. That they marched from Bucks County Pennsylvania when he enlisted to Amboy where they encamped. That from Bucks County to Amboy they marched through a number of places of which he can only recollect Brunswick, Elizabethtown & Trenton. In consequence of sickness he did not go further than to Amboy and a substitute having been found for him he was permitted to return home. He cannot, owning to his advanced age, recollect the exact time he went out but knows certainly he was out five months. That in the following spring he was drafted in the militia of Bucks County and recieved a commission as a first Lieutenant of a company of foot in the 3rd Battalion of the militia in Bucks County aforesaid, dated the 6th day of May 1777 a few days after which date he marched with his company commanded by Captain Jacob Shoop and under the command of Colonels Robert Robertson and Dooms (cannot recollect the name of the major). That they went first to Bristol where they remained one month after which they marched up the Delaware River to Corill's Ferry guarding boats where, they also remained one month and were then discharged and he returned home, having been out two months. That he was again called out in the militia but whether in the latter parts of the same year 1777 or the next year he cannot now tell. They were called out to guard prisoners who were captured with Burgoyne in the north in the latter part of the above year. That he again acted under his commission of Lieutenant and served as such. The captain of the company was David Mellinger and they were two months. That he afterwards received another commission in the second Battalion of militia of Bucks County but was never called out afterwards. Applicant states that he cannot remember the names of the general officers but he knew Genl. Washington. He further states that owning to his advanced age his memory so much impaired that he cannot distinctively recollect the periods of his service, but is certain as to the time of service above stated. He is also very hard of hearing and in consequence does not converse much with any person and for this reason his application was not made sooner as he never heard of the pension law until his brother told him of it a few days (?). Applicant also states that he was born on the 20th day of February 1754 in Bucks County Pennsylvania and that he has in his possession a record of his age which he copied from a record left by his father. He was living in Bucks County aforesaid where he was called into service- which he entered the first time by enlistment and the other times by draft. He lived in Bucks County a number of years when he went to Bedford County, where he now lives, and where he has resided for nearly forty years past. He does not know whether he has a discharge but he has at home a great many old papers which he will have examined. He had two commissions one as Lieutenant and one as ensign the first of which was signed by Tho Mharton jur President of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania and attested by F Matlack Secretary dated the 6th of May 1777 and the other signed Jos Reed President of the Council aforesaid and attested by F Mattack Secretary dated the 10th of May 1780. That his brother George Weisel and he believes Peter Maun(?) can testify to his service and his character for (?) That he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any agency of any state. Sworn to a subscriber the day Jacob Weisel & years aforesaid John G Martin (Source: Dept of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D.C.)