Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 10020, for Joseph Smith, New York
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SERVICE
New York
Smith, Joseph
NUMBER
S10020
Carded
CONTENTS
[illegible] in 1763 at Fishkill, Dutchess Co. N. Y. 
during his res. in Saratoga Co. & Dutchess Co. N. Y. 
In 1834 res. of Waterford, Saratoga Co. N. Y.
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[Left side of document, written in- 20779]
30303
Albany NYork
Joseph Smith 2d
of Saratoga Co in the State of New York who was a private in the comp commanded by Captain Tayler of the Regt commanded by Col [blank] in the [space with the image of a star] line for 6 months private 
[image of a star] New York Line  Jan'y [illegible]
Records completed 
Inscribed on the Roll of New York at the rate of 20 Dollars [blank] Cents per annu to commence of the 4th day of March, 1831. 
Certificate of Pension issued the 21 day of Dec 1835 and sent to Hon J Cramer [illegible]
Arrears to the 4th of March 1835 $80.00
Semianl. allowance ending 4 Sept $10.00 
$90.00
{Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by Danl Boyd Clerk
Book E [illegible] Vol. 4 Page 66 
[lightly written in at an angle - 31375]
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Joseph Smith's
Declaration for Pension
Hon. J. Cramer H. of R
admd
6 mo pre 
20$
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State of New York
County of Saratoga ss
On the twenty third day of [illegible] A. D. 1834 personally appeared before me Nicholas B. Doe one of the Judges of the County Courts of the County of Saratoga Joseph Smith a resident of the town of Waterford, County of Saratoga & State of New York aged seventy one years last January, 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 as a volunteer in the militia under Captain Ezekiel Taylor, in Colonel Gorden's Regiment, that he then resided in the town of Halfmoon, County of Saratoga and entered the service at that place, was there in the fifteenth year of his age, was with the Regular Troops, most part of the time acted as guide they were employed in traversing the country and protecting it & in apprehending the Tories.  That he entered the service in the fore part of April 1777 and was discharged the fore part of September following.  This term of service was about five months.  That applicants parents then moved to Poughkeepsie in the County of Dutchess & applicant went with them, after their arrival at Poughkeepsie in the Fall of 1777 the militia were called out to watch the British Shiping there in the Hudson River, applicant again volunteered to go
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out in the militia, he was in Captain Hugh Vaukbilk Company and Colonel Freyers Regiment, were marched from place to place in the neighbourhood of Poughkeepsie, engaged in watching the British Shipping applicants term of service at this time was one month.
In the month of December 1777 or January 1778 the militia the militia in & about Poughkeepsie were called out to protect the Public Stores back of Fishkill about twenty miles from the Hudson River.  applicant volunteered and was out on this service about six months under Captain Garman in Colonel VanDenberghs Regiment  was discharged from this service some time in June A. D. 1878.
Applicant then returned to his Parents in Poughkeepsie and immediately or in a very few days thereafter volunteered again in Captain Hugh VanKleck's Company in Colonel Freyer's Regiment of Militia & was employed in  watching the movements of the British about two months, was then discharged and remained home until July 1779 when all the Militia of that part of the Country were called & applicant with them & was employed in the same service & under the same officers as in the preceeding years.  His term of service at this time was six weeks then returned home on being discharged.  In the month of June in the 1780 applicant was again out in the militia of Poughkeepsie & that part of the country and was employed in watching the movements of the British as in the two preceeding years and under the same officers, his term of service
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at this time was one month, applicant was then discharged & returned home & remained there until the 1sr March 1781, then resided about seven miles east of the village of Poughkeepsie, the several Regiments of Militia in that part of the Country or neighbourhood were then called out and classed each class were to serve nine months, when classed they were called Rangers.  Applicant was in one of the classes and served in Captain Dunscomb's Company.  Captain Dunscomb was a Captain in the regular service.  They were employed in protecting the Country from depredations by Robers, who infested the mountains in that part of the country & in watching the movements of the British.  Applicants term of service at this time was nine months, he was then duly discharged.
That during the year 1780 and 1782 applicant was employed a great portion of the time in guarding the goals & in patroling, but the precise times when called out & when discharged & the exact length of time he was in the service during the two years last mentioned, he is now from sickness & the infirmities of age unable to state but verily believes it was not less than six months.
Applicant further states that he was regularly discharged at the end of each term of service, but never received any written discharge and believes it was not customary in the troops in which he served to give written discharges - that he has no documentary evidence of his services and that he knows of no person now living
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now living whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services.  He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension role of the agency of any state. 
Joseph his X mark Smith
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
N. B. Doe
Judge of Saratoga Co Court
To the Interagatories put by the Judge the applicant returns the following answers.
1st.  That he was born in the year A.D. 1763 at Fishkill in the County of Dutches in the State of New York.
2d.  That he has no record of his age except one that was entered in his Grandfather's Bible, but his Grand Father has been dead many years and who now has the Bible or where it is applicant has no knowledge. 
3d.  The several places where applicant resided when he was called into the service is correctly stated in the foregoing Declaration.  that since the Revolution he has resided in the town of Waterford (formerly Halfmoon) County of Saratoga for the last forty seven years where he now resides and previous to that he resided in Fishkill, Dutches County. 
4h.  That the manner in which he was called into the service at the several different times is correctly stated in the foregoing Declaration.
5h.  The names of the officers who were with the troops were applicant served and the circumstances
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circumstances attending his service are as before stated. 
6th.  That he has before stated that he never received a written discharge from the service.
7th.  That he is known to the Honourable John Cramer, General Guert Van Schoonhoven  & General Samuel Stewart all of whom reside in the same Village where applicant resides & have resided there for more than thirty years and are all personally acquainted with applicant and can testify to his character for veracity and their belief of his services as a Soldier of the Revolution. 
Joseph his X mark Smith
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
N. B. Doe
Judge of Saratoga Co Courts.
We Reuben Smith a clergyman, residing in the Village & Town of Waterford County of Saratoga, and Samuel Stewart residing in the same place hereby certify that we are acquainted with Joseph Smith who has subscribed & sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be Seventy one years of age; that he is reputed & believed in the neighbourhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution & that we concur in that opinion.
Reuben Smith
S. Stewart
Sworn & subscribed the day & year aforesaid
N. B. Doe
Judges of Saratoga County Courts
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and the said Nicholas B. Doe Judge of County Courts of the County of Saratoga doth hereby declare his opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states. - and the said Judge further certifies that it appears to him that Reuben Smith who has signed the preceeding certificate, is a Clergyman, resident in the town of Waterford County of Saratoga, and that Samuel Stewart who has also signed the same is a resident of the same place and is a creditable person and that their statement is entitled to [belief crossed out] credit - and the said Judge further certifies that the applicant resides at Waterford and that no court of record is held nearer than Ballston which is about twenty miles from Waterford, that said applicant is in poor health infirm and very feeble and in the opinion of the said Judge cannot from bodily infirmity attend Court without endangering his life.
N. B. Doe
Judge of Saratoga County Courts
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State of New York
Saratoga County ss
I Alpheus Goodrich Clerk of the County of Saratoga do certify that Nicholas B. Doe before whom the foregoing proceedings purport to have been had & before whom the foregoing affidavits purport to have been sworn was at the date of the said proceedings and affidavits one of the Judges of the County Courts in and for said County, and that I am acquainted with his hand writing and verily believe his name subscribed to the said proceedings and affidavits to be his proper handwriting & signature. 
Witness my hand and seal of office the 23d day of June 1834
 A. Goodrich Clerk
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No 31.375
Joseph Smith
of New 
Hon. J Cramer.
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State of New York
County of Saratoga ss
On the nineteenth day of November A. D. 1834 personally appeared before me Nicholas B. Doe one of the Judges of the County Courts of the County of Saratoga Joseph Smith who subscribed & swore to the Declaration hereunto annexed & who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following explanatory Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832.  That the first term of service mentioned in the annexed Declaration was performed by him in consequence of his having volunteered in the militia in Captain Taylor's company as stated in said Declaration.  that the service for which he volunteered was the usual and ordinary service of the militia. that he acted as guide a portion of the time by order of his commanding officer but did not belong to that particular service.  That the third term of service mentioned in said annexed Declaration of six months in Captain Garman's Company & Colonel Van Denbergh's Regiment was continued constantly from the time he volunteered until discharged as stated in the said Declaration - the service in which they were engaged did not allow any respit.
That the applicant can give no better explanation of the seventh term of service of nine months mentioned in the annexed Declaration in Captain Duncomb's Company than that given in the annexed Declaration, he is certain that the service was performed & that it was a very hard service, and applicant understood & believes that the Militia were classed & that each class were to serve nine months & were called Rangers.
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That applicant in explination of the objections that some of the terms of service mentioned in the annexed Declaration are not sufficiently definite, can only say that he has no written Dockuments to which he can refer to ascertain the precise time when he entered or when he was discharged from the service at any one time and therefore cannot state to a day when he entered or was discharged there from, but had in every case been careful not to state the time longer than he was actually engaged in the service in any one instance and has no doubt the whole time will very considerably exceed the time as stated in his said annexed Declaration - and applicant further states that he is too infirm & too feeble in body to leave the house more than a few Rods and has no means of employing any other person to go into that part of the State where most of his services were performed to look up witnesses to prove the facts set forth in his said annexed Declaration and know not that any witness could be found if search were made. 
Joseph his X mark Smith
I certify that the above was sworn to & subscribed by the said Joseph Smith before me this 19th day of November 1834 and that the said Joseph Smith is in too feeble a state of health to attend Court without endangering his life
N. B. Doe
Judge of Saratoga County Court
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10.020,
Rev War [check mark]
INVALID. [illegible]
File No. 10.020 
Joseph Smith
Priv. Rev. war
Act: June 7th 1832
Index:--Vol. 1, Page 347
[Arrangement of 1870.]
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Joseph Smith
New York
Suspended
Let. Nov 27, '34
To Hon. J Cramer
Admitted 
Act 7 June '32
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Washington
Dec. 18, 1835
I hereby certify that I have an intimate knowledge of the character of Joseph Smith an applicant for a pension under the act of 7 June 1832 - that he has uniformly been esteemed a man of scrupulous integrity - that he is utterly destitute & extremely infirm and therefore incapable of seeking among his [illegible] neighbors & community any surviving evidence of his service 
that I am perfectly convinced from all I know of his & from conversation with him & others that he has faithfully endeavored to recite his service in the Rev[illegible] war and that I am willing to receive in full satisfaction of his claim under said act a certificate for 6 mo service as a private in consequence of the difficulty of obtaining & embodying testimony at a distance 
Jo Cramer
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Joseph Smith's papers
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War Department
Pension Office
30 June 1834
Sir
I have the honor to inform you that the claim of Joseph Smith has been examined, and his papers are herewith returned.  The first item of his service as a guide at the age of 15 years is not the military service contemplated by the Act of 7 June 1832.  The third term of "about" six months to protect the public stores "at Fishkill" would appear to require some explanation as he appears to have been a militia man of Col. Vom Derburgh's regiment and not likely to have been kept this long in continuous service. - The fourth term is indefinitely stated as "about" two months. - The 7th term of service [illegible] he alleges was rendered in [illegible] Co. of Rangers in consequence of the "several regiments of
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of militias in that part of the country being called out and classed, each class to serve 9 months," There is no information in this Department that any part of the militia of New York were ever classed for a 9 months tour of service, and the service of Rangers was a peculiar one, distinct from the militia service imposed by law. - 
The last term of his service described as guarding and in patroling, is not provided for by the act. 
The regulations require the best evidence in the power of the claimant to produce, and as this claimant resides in the State where the alleged service was rendered, it is a fair inferrence that his service is susceptible of proof
I have the honor to be your obt svt
J. L. Edwards
Hon. J. Cramer
House of Representatives. -