Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 16,277, Gideon Van Aken, New York
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Service: New York
Van Aiken, Gideon
Number S. 16,277
carded
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Pittsburgh Ohio 19.798 
Gideon VanAken 
of Trumbull in the State of Ohio 
who was a private in the Comp. commanded 
by Captain Swarts of the Regt. commanded 
by Col. Livingston in the N York
line for 16 months
 
Inscribed on the Roll of Ohio 
at the rate of 53 Dollars 33 Cents per annum, 
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831. 

Certificate of Pension issued the 16 or 17 day of Sep. 1833 and sent to Richard & Tod Warren 

Arrears to the 4th of Sep '33 	$133.33 
Semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Mar. '34   26.66 
[=] $159.99 

{Revolutionary Claim,}
{Act June 7, 1832.}
Recorded by Go. C. Stiles Clerk
Book E Vol. 8 Page [cutoff]

Right side:
Was placed on the Ohio Book by mistake

Crosswise:
Date of death not acc [?] HB
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The State of Ohio } 
Trumbull County ss. } 
On this second day of October AD 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Court of Common Pleas of said county Gideon Van Aken a resident of Johnson in the County of Trumbull aforesaid aged seventy seven years who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832. That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the year 1775- with _______ and served in the ____ Regiment of the line belonging to the brigade Commanded by [Genl? Col?] George Livingston, (The no. of Regt not recollected) under the following named officers, Lieut. Abraham Van aken, Capt Phillip Swarts (Major ____ Leut. Col _____ names not recollected) Col John Snyder. I served in this regiment I think eight months but am not positive as to the time. I left the service in the fall of the year or fore part of winter. I lived at the time I entered the service in the State of New York, County of Ulster, Town of Esopus. I was in no battle after I enlisted. I went up the river to fort Stanwix, where I was discharged. I had a written discharge but have lost it, I presume the records of the regiment will show my enlistment and the time I served.
That he again entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. He lived at Esopus, County of Ulster, State of New York and was drafted as a private in the militia for five months in the year 1776 and served five months under Captain Phillip Sworts, Col John Snyder. He cannot state the day or month when he entered the service or left. He was engaged in no battle during this period of service. He marched from the place of his residence to the city of New York. He can not recollect the No. of the Continental Regiment or company in which he served. He became acquainted with a Col Drake of the regular Army & with Genls Washington & Green 
That he again entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated - He was drafted into the militia service from the same town County & State above stated. He cannot state the day or month of his entering the service or of his discharge, but states that he entered in the sumer [sic] of the year 1777, and was discharged
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the same fall, Capt Phillip Swart & Col John Snyder commanded the company & Regiment in which he served at this time, Genl Washington commanded the army 
After was drafted this time his company went to New York & there joined the Army of Washington, he was in the battle on the pine plains with the british, & thinks about 200 men were killed, states a ball went through his hat during the engagement. That Col George Clinton was in this battle, and was near him in this battle. That at this time of service he was drafted for eight months, but that Abraham Van Aken was his brother and a Lieutenant in the army & that he hired a man to take his place, and that he then got a discharge or certificate from Genl Washington & returned home. That he has long since lost said certificate. That it was in a chest with a viol [vial] of British Oil & the viol [vial] got broken and spoiled the paper so that it could not be read & he thinks his wife threw it and sundry other papers that sustained a similar injury away. That he thinks he served at this time about three months, but cannot state positively as he is aged & his memory has failed very materially within a few years past. He states that he has no documentary evidence of his service and he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure to prove his actual service. 
After the Revolutionary War he lived at Esopus in the State of New York until sixteen years ago last June when he removed to the State of Ohio, and went into the town of Canfield in Trumbull County & resided in that place three years and then removed to the place where he now resides. He states that he is known to Col Walter Johnston of Johnston in this county and also to the Hon Elisha Whittlesey, of Canfield who can testify as to his character for veracity & their belief of his service as a soldier of the revolution. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the agency of any State
Gideon (X his mark) Van Aken 
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid 
[Signed] George Parsons Clerk 

We Walter Johnston residing in the town of Johnston in the County of Trumbull Ohio and Elisha Whittlesey residing in the town of Canfield in said county hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with Gideon Van Aken who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be seventy seven years of age; that he is reputed and believed
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in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a soldier of the revolution, and that we concur in that opinion. 
[Signed] Walter Johnston 
[Signed] Elisha Whittlesey 
Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid 
[Signed] George Parsons Clerk 

And the said Court do hereby declare their 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 court further certifies that it appears there is no clergyman sufficiently well acquainted with said applicant to enable him to give a certificate upon which reliance ought to be placed. And that it appears to them that Col Walter Johnston and the Hon Elisha Whittlesey who have signed the preceeding [sic] certificate reside as in said certificate is stated, and are credible persons, and that their statement is entitled to credit 
I George Parsons Clerk of the court of Common Pleas for said county do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Gideon Van Aken for a pension. 
[SEAL]
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of Office this 19th day of October Anno Domini 1832.
[Signed] George Parsons Clerk
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The State of Ohio } 
Trumbull County ss. } May 16 AD 1833. This day personally appeared before 
me the undersigned a justice of the Peace in and for said County Gideon Van Aken, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that by reason of old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service, but according to the best of his recollection, he served not less than the periods mentioned below, and in the following grades 
For eight months I served as a private under Capt Philip Swarts and Col John Snyder as stated in the first part of my declaration. 
For five months I served as a private under the same officers in the year 1776, as set forth in the second part of my declaration.
For three months I served as a private under the same officers in the year 1777. we set forth in the last part of my declaration, and for such service I claim a pension 
Gideon (X his mark) Van Aken 
 Sworn to and subscribed [the remainder is missing]
[Signed] Miles J Wilmot Justice of the Pease 

The State of Ohio }
Trumbull County ss } 	
I George Parsons Clerk of the Court of Common pleas within & for said county do certify that Miles J. Wilmot Esquire whose name in his own proper hand writing is affixed to the above certificate is and was at the time of subscribing the same an acting Justice of the peace duly commissioned and sworn agreeably to the Laws of said State 
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office at Warren in said County this seventeenth day of May Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirty three
[SEAL]
[Signed] George Parsons Clerk 

Crosswise:
Gideon Van Aken
aed. 77 yrs
Application for Pension
Johnson -- 77
Filed Oct. 2, 1832
Page 7

23576
Gideon Vanaken
Trumbull Co.
Ohio

Adm 1 year & 4 months

10666
2660
13333

Birchard & Tod, agts
Trumbull Co.
Warrin P.O. Ohio
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WAR DEPARTMENT. 
Pension Office, 
19th April 1833 

Sir:
The evidence in support of your claim, under the act of June 7, 1832, has been examined, and the papers are herewith returned. The following is a statement of your case in a tabular form. On comparing these papers with the following rules, and the subjoined notes, you will readily perceive that objections exist, which must be removed, before a pension can be allowed. The notes and the regulations will shew what is necessary to be done. Those points to which your attention is more particularly directed, you will find marked in the margin with a brace, (thus: }). You will, when you return your papers to this Department, send this printed letter with them; and you will, by complying with this request, greatly facilitate the investigation of your claim. 
A Statement, shewing the service of Gideon Vanaken Trumbull Co Ohio 
Period when the service was rendered | Duration of the claimant's service  (Y-M-D) | Rank of the claimant | Names and rank of the Field officers under whom he served | Age at present, and place of abode when he entered the service | Proof by which the declaration is supported. 
Enlisted 1775 | 0-8-0 thinks | Private | Col. Livingston, Cap. Swarts, Col. Jno Snyder | 77, Ulster Co, N. York | blank
drafted 1776 | 0-5-0 | " |  "    "     " | blank | blank
drafted 1777 | about 0-8-0 | " | Gen Washington, Col. Clinton | blank | blank
I am. respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
 J. L. EDWARDS, 
Commissioner of Pensions.
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[Regulations Under the Act of June 7, 1832.]
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[Regulations Under the Act of June 7, 1832.
p.2]

Handwritten notes in the footnotes:
[e] "first term of service not sufficiently definite"

Geo. B. Whiting [written at bottom]
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February 12, 1931 
Rev. & 1812 Wars Section 
EEL [initials- ow?]
Mrs. D. R. Gilbert 
269 Seneca Avenue 
Warren, Ohio 

Dear Madam: 
You are advised that it appears from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, S.16277, that Gideon Van Aken, while residing in Esopus, Ulster County, Ohio [s/b NY], enlisted and served as a private with the New York Troops as follows: from sometime in 1775, eight months in Captain Phillip Swart's Company, Colonel John Snyder's Regiment; from sometime in 1776, five months under the same officers, and from the summer of 1777, three months under the same officers and was in an engagement on the "pine plains." No specific dates are given for any of the above services. 
After the Revolution, he continued to live at Esopus, New York, until 1816, when he moved to Canfield, Ohio, resided there for three years, and then moved to Johnson, Trumbull County, Ohio. 
He was allowed pension on his application executed October 2, 1832, at which time he was aged seventy-seven years and resided in Johnson, Ohio. 
In 1832, he referred to his wife, but did not give her name or the date of their marriage, or whether she was then living, and there is no reference to children. He stated that Lieutenant Abraham Van Aken was his brother. 
Very truly yours 
E.W. Morgan
Acting Commissioner.

Date of sol's death not on AB

Abraham
G. Van Aken
St. N.Y.
pen. cl.
W. 16454
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IN REPLY REFER TO 
Rev. and 1812 Wars Section. 
EEL / MLB

3 - 2027 
(April, 1930) 

VETERANS ' ADMINISTRATION
BUREAU OF PENSIONS 
WASHINGTON January 31, 1931  

Mrs. D. R. Gilbert 
269 Seneca Avenue 
Warren, Ohio 

Dear Madam: 
I advise you that this bureau is unable to furnish the history of a soldier of the Revolutionary War unless a claim for pension or bounty land has been made to the United States on account of his services. 
A careful search of the records fails to show such a claim on file on account of the services of Jacob Van Aker. 

It is possible the name may have been written Gideon Van Aken or Gideon Van Aiken. Do such names appear ?

Very truly yours, 
[Signed] E W Morgan
E. W. MORGAN 
Acting Commissioner.

[Stamp] Revolutionary & 1812, Wars Bureau of Pensions, FEB 9 -1931
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16,277
INVALID.
File No. 16,277 --- 
Gideon Van Aken 
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7" 32
Index:--Vol. 1, Page 448 
[Arrangement of 1870.]

Right side: 1931 - Feb 12- Hist to Mrs D. R. Gilbert- EEL