MILITARY: John SELL, December 28, 1836 Revwar - Pension, of interest in Somerset County, PA File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lynn Beatty klbeatty@redrivernet.com September 6, 2006, 4:13 pm Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/somerset/ ________________________________________________ John Sell R.9374 State of Pennsylvania} Indiana County } S.S. On the twenty eighth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six personally appeared before me in open Court of Common Please for said County, to bring a ___ of ___ before the Honorable Thomas White___ and his ___, judges of the said Court, John Sell, a resident Washington Township, in the county of Indiana aforesaid in the state of Pennsylvania, aged eighty seven years, who being duly sworn accourding to law ___ make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That he was born in Frederick County in the state of Maryland, on the 12th of December 1749, that he entered the service of the United States not as a substitute under the following named officers and served as ___ stated. That whilst working in Frederick County Maryland on the tenth of June 1776, he enlisted for the term of six months in the flying camp in the company commanded by Captain Jacob Good, Ins. John Thompson, Lieutenant in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Shyock. He enlisted at Levingston, that in about two weeks after he enlisted he marched with the company to Chespeake, they were ___ and small march and sailed for the head of Elk, where they ____ and disembarked, & encamped for two days, then marched for Newcastle, & this march on ___ & sailed up to Philadelphia, where they remained about four weeks. Then marched to Trenton, ___ & Princeton & ___ to Mangork (?) where then arrived five days after the battle on Long Island. The ___ & fame stacks were still on fair, the English ___ lay in the Harbor. They continued then about five days, during those times the British frequently called from their vessels to see ___ to go & enlist ___ times, as___ past with nothing but ___, where they___ pay Silas___, but knows of us, one according to the enemy. Then marched to Fort Washington. The fort was not fully ___. They helped to finish the works & to haul in five of the ___, and were at the first year 8 weeks. General Washington ___ the fort ready every day. From Fort Washington he marched to the White Plaines on the twelfth of November 1776 ___ followed. The second day after our arrival at the White Plaines, declarant & others of his company ___ Wm. Bow Godias Thurmeier (?) & ___ fortress went out of the camp to ___ about a question of ___ off they also marched from the enemy under ___ of ___ while this concealed, saw a light horseman running from the enemy leading his horse with the bridle over his arm, in ___ about 70 or so, and ___ the buttock, & about the same distance from the cmap, he stopped about150 yards from us & squat down with his back toward us, not knowing any one was around him, declarant said he ___ at him, the ___ said no, it was too far. Declarant replied he wanted by him, & ___ singly, ___ high seas, find, the fellow turned over dead. Same bow immediately ___ while the other lay still, more than a dozen of the enemy fired at him while running, & a ball took him in the shoulder & ___ on the shoulder blade, he dropped his gun, but escaped to the camp, taking proper opportunity ___ to the camp ___, by the enemy, taking Billy Bows fun along with ___ White Plaines we ___ received another discharge signed by Captain Jacob Good. That he was in the battle between New York and Fort Washington where a body of the enemy attacked on___ and think fear as six hundred ___ of the Americans were engaged, the fighting lasted about half an hour, saw many of the enemy perhaps more than a hundred lying dead. None of his company were killed. a few wounded ___. Abram W. Craft was shot through the thigh. John Snyder was shot through the arm. John Duffman had one of his fingers shot off & he was ___ on a small skirmish with the enemy at the White Plains exchanged only three or four rounds ___. That at the time he received his discharge in Philadelphia, he enlisted again for the term of three years under Captain Andrew Repord or Repot. Abram Magnuson (?) was either Ensign or Sergeant. Peter Banst was one of the Lieutenants, William Dodson and David Han belonged to the company & were officers. It was about Christmas when he enlisted shortly after his enlistment they ___ ___ 1776. They suceeded the Delaware in ___ & about back of dry hauled at trenton and ___ out to the prisoners a body of ___, about 900, then ___ by our own ___ of the body to which he ___ called by the ___ who shot a Hessian, a Colonel, he thinks as he was attempting to escape from a window. The next day they marched back to Philadelphia with the prisoner. That he served the full term of three years under said enlistement & at the end of the term he was honorable discharged at Philadelphia by Captain Andrew Repot while in the ___ from Trenton to Philadelphia with the ___ as prisoners by a ship on the ice. He located his ___ by which he was confined in the ___ in Philadelphia for along ___ and was unfit for duty except in helping to cook & the like for near six months after his ___. He returned to his company & was marched ___ to Philadelphia as where ___ ___. That declarant knew General Washington ___ at Fort Washington in Philadelphia at harbor & various other places. He also ___ General Wagner & Lee saw Genl Wayne in Philadelphia when he enlisted for the three year term in Dec. 1776. That he had a ___ of the time of his birth taken from his fathers Bible by which he is enabled to state his age. That he had no documentary evidence of his said services nor is thereno longer any person that he knows of what testimony he can ___ who can testify to his services. That his two discharges from the above mentioned service were destroyed by fire in the house of his son which was accidentally burned in Stoystown Somerset County Pennsylvania in the year 1816. This declarant is known to Moses Miller of Washington township Indiana County to George Hileman of Washington township Indiana County aforesaid & George (?) Shaffer of the same place and many others who can testify to his character for truth ___ and his belief of his services. This declarant acting ___ any claim whatsoever to a pension or annuity except this first out and discloses that he is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. Interrogations proounded by the ___ to the applicant which are ___ shown. Where and in what year were you born & ___ in the foregoing declaration have you any proof of your age as ___ as above. Where were you living when called into service or how long have you served in the Revolutionary war & where do you now live? ___ after the war of the Revolution he enlisted about three years in Frederick County Maryland. He then moved to Franklin County Pennsylvania where he lived about five years ___ what times he___ he then moved to Stoystown Somerset County Pa. where he resided about 42 years till the year 1833 when he moved to Washington Township Indiana County where he had since resided and still continues to reside. When were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer or were you a substitute? Answered as in the foregoing declaration. State the names of some of the regular officers who were with the troops when you served such as you can recollect & the general circumstances of your service. Answ. as above. Did you ever receive any discharged from the services, if so by whom were they given, & what have became of them. Answered as above. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood & who can testify as to your character for verity & good behavior & your services of a soldier of the Revolution. Answ'd as above. John (his X mark) Sell Sworn & subscribed in open court aforesaid the 28 day of December A.D. 1836. T. Laughlin, Crk Mr. Moses Miller residing in Washington Township Indiana County hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Sell who has subscribed and sworn to the foregoing declaration said Moses Miller having been acquainted with him for about thirty five years and said George Helman having been well acquainted with him for nearly fifty years. That we believe him to be eighty seven years of age. That he is respected and believed in the neighborhood where he resides & __ when he has formerly for many years resided to have been a Soldier of the Revolution and that we can in that opinion and the he is, & has always, since our knowledge of him, been respected to be a man of truth and veracity. Moses Miller George Hellman George Shaffer And the said court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter, and after __ttling the interrogatories furnished by the war department. That the above named applicant was a Revolutionary soldier and served as he states ad the Court further certifies that it appears to them that Moses Miller, George Hellman and George Shaffer are residents in Washington Township in said County of Indiana are ___ persons and that their statements (end of page) ----------------------------- State of Pennsylvania} Indiana County } S.S. On this fifteenth day of ___ 1853 personally appeared before me a Justice of the Peace within and for the County and State aforesaid Magdalene Miller (formerly Sell) aged sixty nine years a resident of Indiana County in the state aforesaid to be well known as a person of good repute for truth and honesty who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath, make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions ___ by act of Congress passed June 7th 1832. That her father John Sell last of Indiana County and state aforesaid deceased and, ___ ___ to believe a soldier in the Revolutionary war. That she often heard him say that he had served in service when in the Flying Camp and afterwards in the Maryland line and she also heard him say that he was present at the Battle of Brandywine. She further states that having often the said John Sell had made application to the ___ Department for a pension in the spring of 1837, but before any action was taken upon it, he died of the artery. She further states that her father the said John Sell died in Washington Township Indiana County and State of Pennsylvania on the 8th day of May 1837 and that she still resides in Indiana County aforesaid. She hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that her name is not on the Pension Roll of any agency in any state. Magdalen (her X mark) Miller Sworn & Subscribed before me the day and year first above written. L. N. Brewster J.P. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 11.2 Kb