Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 10,017, for Mathias Slaght, New Jersey
Page 1

(3-1776)

SERVICE

New Jersey

Slaght, Mathias or
Slaight Matthias

NUMBER
S 10017

Carded
Page 2

(Albany.)  31.808

New York
Matthias Slaight

of Senaca Co, in the State of New York who was a private in the compy. commanded cy Captain Lewis of the Regt. commanded by Col Martin in the New Jersey line for 6 mos: -

Enscribed on the Roll of New York at the rate of 20 Dollars - Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March 1834

Certificate of Pension issued the 31st day of October 1840 and sent to Arad Joy Esq. Ovie, Seneca Co. NY

Arrears to the 4th of March 1841  $200: -
Semi=annual allowance ending             -
                                            [Total]  $200: -

Revolutionary Claim Act June 7, 1832

Recorded by Wm. C. Zantzinger, Clerk
Book E - Vol. 4 - Page 68

Mathias Slaght,  Jan'y 16/05
Records corrected
Page 3

State of New York
County of Seneca

Personally appeared before John Ingersoll one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the county aforesaid & State of New York Matthias Slaight a Revolutionary soldier, and being duly sworn according to law, deposith and saith that he was born in the year 1758 and is at this time 80 years of age, agreeable to the records of his age in his house, that he was born in the County of Sommerset and State of New Jersey but his father soon removing into Morris County, State of New Jersey this deponent resided in that County at the commencement of the war of the Revolution, and that this deponent enlisted int he war of the Revolution, and that this deponent enlisted in the war of the Revolution in May 1776 in the five months service, enlisted and served under Capt. Lewis and Col Samuel Martin, marched to New York, thence to Long Island, was there at the time of this battle of Long Island in the summer of 1776, returned to New York, thence to fort Washington, and a placed called Rye Plains, thence to Hudson or North River and crossed to a place called Haverstraw, thence down the river crossing into New Jersey, serving along at different posts a week or so at a place there  on to Newark New Jersey, Hackensack & so on to New Brunswick in new Jersey where we were, and where this deponent was discharged having served five months at this campaign in the service of the Revolution this deponent was again called out in January 1777 went to Van Muleners and was placed under Capt. Lewis and  Genl. Winance, served at that place and at Spanktown or as it is now called Bridgetown one month, had one engagement during the month near Spanktown New Jersey this deponent has never before made application for a pension and has been herewith in part at least in contiguous of sickness and lameness which has confined him to his bed and room for four years and ten or eleven months, where this deponent is still confined to his bed this deponent removed into the town where he now resides in 1802 and knows not of one living person who can testify to his services in the war of the Revolution
Page 4

he therefore must rely upon his good character for truth and veracity and offers the following witnesses of that face - that this deponent is the identical person that served in the said war of the Revolution

Matthias Slaght

Subscribed and sworn before me this 17th day of August 1839
John Ingersoll ,Judge

State of New York
County of Seneca
Personally appeared before the subscriber John Ingersoll a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County  of Seneca & State aforesaid Rev. Abraham Brokam, and being duly sworn according to law, deposith and saith that he has been a minister of the Gospel for upwards of forty years, and for the last thirty years or upwards has been personally acquainted with Matthias Slaight whose name appears to the above application and affidavit, that he is the identical person who served in the war of the Revolution under his name that this deponent from the long and intimate acquaintance with the said Matthias Slaight confidently believes that all that he has stated is true, that this deponent fully believes the said Matthias Slaght to be of the age stated by him and that this deponent has always  said his acquaintance with the said Matthias Slaight  understood him to have been a soldier of the Revolution, of which fact this deponent can have no doubt, this deponent considers the said Matthias Slaight as a man of truth and veracity, this deponent also confirmed the statement of the said Matthias Slaight as to his confinement to his bed for nearly five years this deponent was a soldier of the revolution and is a pensioner and is of the age of Seventy years

Abm Brokaw
Subscribed and Sworn before me this 17th day of August 1839
John Ingersoll
Page 5

State of New York
Seneca County

Personally appeared before the subscriber a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in and for said county & state David Brokaw, and being duly sworn according to law deposeth and saith that he is personally and intimately acquainted with Matthias Slaight whose name appears to the arraigned affidavit & application for a pension, that from the high opinion he has of the said Matthias Slaght as a man of truth and veracity he fully believes the said statement as made by him, this deponent has been acquainted with the said Matthias Slaight for upwards of thirty years  has and does live a near neighbor to him has for many years understood & fully believed that the said Matthias Slaight was a soldier of the Revolution, this deponent is fully of opinion that the said Matthias Slaight is of the age as stated by him, and this deponent is personally knowing to the said Matthias Slaight being confined to his house and to his bed as stated by him, that this deponent believes the said Matthias Slaight to be the identical person who served under that name in the said war of the Revolution that this deponent is of the age of seventy six years.

David Brokaw

Subscribed & sworn before me this 17th day of August 1839
John Ingersoll Judge

I Certify that I am personally acquainted with the applicant for a pension Matthias Slaight and with both of the annexed witnesses Rev. Abraham Brokaw and David Brokaw, and I can cheerfully recommend them all to be men of truth and veracity not of ordinary character but near all of them of extraordinary character for truth & veracity, and I fully believe the statements made by all to be true.  I certify that I took the affidavit of the Said applicant for a pension Matthias Slaight in his house & where I found him confirmed to his bed - John Ingersoll
Dated this Agust 17th 1839
Page 6

State of New York
Seneca County
ss

Personally appeared before the subscriber a justice of the peace in and for said County Arad Joy & being duly sworn according to law deposeth & saith the within papers or this paper was not forwarded at the time it was made out for the following reasons, in that this deponent before obtaining the Clerks seal & certificate received information that the within named applicant Matthias Slaight had hope of obtaining a witness, that as soon as it was convenient this deponent rode some 25 or 30 miles & obtained the witness of James Skinner as will appear upon the paper now in your office, that the distance from the witness to the Judge Induced this deponent to recommend the course then taken of having that paper executed before Justices of the peace & that this paper in consequence the one last made out & forwarded was withheld & for no other reason, the filing he as appears above was put on at the time the former paper was forwarded
Arad Joy

Subscribed & Sworn before me this 26th day of Oct 1840
James Foster J. Peace

Matthias Slaight Pensioner Papers

Papers of which this is a copy were sent to Washington Oc. 26 39

State of New York
Seneca County
Clerks Office
ss
I Halsey Sandford clerk of said county do hereby certify that Hon John Ingersoll was on the 17th day of August 1839 a Judge of the court of common pleas aforesaid county duly commissioned & qualified.  I also certify that James Foster Esquire was on the 26th day of October 1840 a Justice of the peace in and for said county duly commissioned & sworn and further that I am well acquainted with the handwriting of the said John Ingersoll Judge & James Foster Justice of the peace aforesaid & that their respective signatures to the claimants of the foregoing depositions and certificates are irrevocably genuine.  Witness my hand & the seal of said court & County this H. Sandford, Clk 
26th day of October A.D.1840
S by C. D. Hanks of dep. Clk
Page 7

Mr. Glenn S. Skinner
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Dear Sir:
March 13, 1939
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
MATHIAS SLAGHT
S. 10017
BA-J/MMHF:MLB
Reference is made to your letter in which you state that the
James Skinner who made affidavit in behalf of Mathias Slaght (S. 10017),
Revolutionary War soldier, you know now, was your ancestor and you
desire to know if his signature is shown in that pension claim, or
any hint of his exact residence, also the meaning of a citation from
the Office of the Adjutant General of the State of New Jersey in
regard to a certificate No. 281, dated February 29, 1780, received
by James Skinner from Sidney Barry, QMG Department, for a certain
amount of pay and was deposited in the State Treasury, also when it
was paid eventually to James Skinner and his residence at that time,
etc., or any other information in regard to him.
This office has no record of the payment cited above. As the
Adjutant General in Trenton has record of the payment and it was,
according to the citation, deposited in the State Treasury, it would
seem that the withdrawal would have been recorded in that department,
which department, also, might inform you in regard to the exact
meaning of the whole transaction.
The papers in the claim for pension cited above have been reexamined
and no further information in regard to James Skinner's
military service found. In regard to any residence at any time, the
nearest described is a statement which was made by one Arad Joy, a
merchant, October 26, 1840, whose post office then and in 1839, was Ovid,
Seneca County, New York, that in order to obtain the affidavit of James
Skinner (which was made, you will recall, December 21, 1839), he, Joy,
rode some twenty-five or thirty miles, but did not state in which
direction. Mathias Slight stated that he was a resident of Morris
County, New Jersey, when he enlisted, exact place not shown, and
James Skinner stated that Mathias Slaght's being so young at enlistment
created some talk, particularly in his (Skinner's father's family,
hence, it may be assumed that they were neighbors.
Page 8

In order to confirm James Skinner's affidavit in 1839, in
support of Mathias Slaght's application for pension, Nathan
Wakeman, a justice of the peace in Seneca County, New York, stated
that he was personally acquainted with James Skinner, strictly a
man of truth and veracity, of more than common good character, so
good that he was called Deacon Skinner and that he was an excellent
old man.
It is suggested that information in regard to James Skinner
might be obtained from vital statistics in the county seat in each
county in which he is shown to have lived. It is suggested, also,
that further information in regard to his military service might
be obtained from the Adjutant General, War Department, this city.
It is hoped that some item herein will aid you in your research.
A tracing of the signature of James Skinner is attached
herewith.
Very truly yours
A. D. HILLER
Executive Assistant
to the Administrator
Page 9

NY
[illegible] Arad Joy Esqr.
May 16, 1840
to same 20, October 1840
Act 7 June 32
Page 10

[left side:]
1938 Nov. 5 Mr. Glenn
Skinner furn. inf. rel. to
Jas. Skinner.   MCS
1939 - Mch. 13- Glenn S.Skinner
fur. further in rel.
James Skinner. MNS

[right side:]
Revy War.      INVALID.
-------
File No. __10.017___
__Matthias Slaght___
__Pri. Rev. War______
Act: ____June 7th 1832.___
Index: --Vol. __1__, Page __344__

[Arrangement of 1870.]

Mathias Slaght
Records corrected Jany 16, 1905
Page 11

Mr. Glenn S. Skinner
University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

November 5, 1938
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
BA-J/MCS
Mathias Slaght, 8, 10017

Dear Sir:
Reference is made to your letter of October 17, 1938, requesting
information relative to the Revolutionary War service of the James
Skinner who is referred to in the Revolutionary War pension claim of
Matthias Slaight. You also wish information relative to the battle of Spanktown.
In the papers on file in pension claim, S. 10017, based on the
Revolutionary War service of Mathias Slaght (personal signature) is a
deposition made by James Skinner in support of Mathias Slaght's claim.
The following data relative to James Skinner is given in said deposition.
On December 21, 1839, James Skinner, a resident of Seneca County, New York, stated that he was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, January
1, 1752, and resided for many years in that county and in Morris County,
New Jersey; he stated that Mathias Slaght enlisted in January, 1777, and
was in the battle "at Spanktown" and that he (James Skinner was also in
that battle and that the term of service was for one month.
There are no further data in said claim relative to James Skinner
and there is no pension claim (disability or service claim) on file based
on the Revolutionary War service of this James Skinner or any James Skinner who served from New Jersey or who lived in New York State after his service.
In the papers on file in his pension claim, S. 10017, Mathias Slaght
stated in 1839 that during his month's enlistment, beginning in January,
1777, he was in the engagement "near Spanktown" which place was in 1839 called " Bridgetown".  Spanktown was in New Jersey but the exact date of the battle is not shown and there are no further data on file relative to this battle or engagement.
Very truly yours
A. D. HILLER
Executive Assistant
to the Administrator
Page 12

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
December 8, 1933.

U. S. Veterans Administration,
Washington, D. C.

Gentlemen:
Your letter concerning James Skinner ( BA-J/MCS, Mathias
Slaght, S. 10017) was thankfully received. I now have another
reference thru the courtesy of the Adjutant General's Office at
Trenton, N. J. Concerning James Skinner.

Received from Sidney Barry, QMG. Dept., certificate
No. 281, dated February 29, 1780, for 100.00, Continental, 1: 0: 0,
specie; Interest commenced February 20, 1780; Interest to January
1, 1787, 0: 8: 1, same deposited in the State Treasury.
I would like to know what this means in plain American.
I have my own interpretation but want to be sure I am right.
I am also anxious to obtain all of the information
available from this file. Does his signature appear? Is there
any hint of his exact place of residence? When was this paid back
and Where was he at the time? Etc.
I now know that the James Skinner mentioned in the
above pension claim was my ancestor.
Very truly yours,
Glenn S. Skinner
Page 13

Stamp

Received 11:00
Dec 9 1930
Mail Sub-Div
Vets. adm.
Reader 17
Page 14

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware,
October 17, 1938.
The Veteran's Administration,
Washington, D. C.

Gentlemen:
I am searching for records of James Skinner and especially
of his service in the War for American Independence. His son
Reuben was born in Morris County N. J., December 8, 1774. He is supposed to have daughters named Frances and Deborah. I have never
heard of any other children.
The other day I found a record in the Adjutant General's
office at Trenton, N.J. as follows: James Skinner, private
Morris County militia was at the battle of Spanktown, January 5,
1777, resident of Morris County, born January 1, 1752. Resided in
Seneca County N.Y. in 1839. ( Invalid No 10017 -- Matthias Slaight).
W. S. P. 5 - 12 -- 33. Note: There is not other reference to the service
of this man than the pension claim given as a reference.
My ancestor was supposed to have lost a leg in the service
and to have moved to New York State. He is supposed to
have come from England according to family legend. I am writing
to Seneca County and I intend to go to Morristown later.
I would like to know if you have any other records of
this James Skinner or any other from New Jersey. What possibilities
of search might be open thru his being wounded? Any other information
or advice will be thankfully received
What and where was the Battle of Spanktown?

Very truly yours,
Glenn S. Skinner
Glenn S. Skinner
Page 15

Jan 6 1840
NY
Matthias Slaght
Oct 1832
Hon J.L. Edwards 
Washington DC
Page 16

Oct 30 1840
NY
Matthias Slaight

Hon J.L. Edwards
Pension Agent
Washington D.C.
Page 17

Ovid Seneca Co. N.Y.
Oct 26th 1840

Hon J L Edwards

I have recd yours, and
enclosed you have the required paper executed before a Judge of the Court, with
the deposition of the causes & you will
please return your answer to me, from your
of the 20th I should judge the enclosed paper
on biaces all that you acquire, as it covered
Six months services, taking the one now in your
office, together with the enclosed or
have all the facts established, or you
have them all in the enclosed paper
Respectfully
Arad Joy
Page 18

35.142.
Matthias Slaight
N. Y.
Act 7 June '32
admd
Cma pri
--------
20$
--------
Arad Joy Esq
Ovid
Seneca Co N.Y.
Page 19

State of New York
County of Seneca SS
Personally appeared before the Subscriber a justice of the peace in and for said County
Matthias Slaight a Revolutionary soldier, being sworn according to
law deposeth & saith that he was born in the year 1759
agreeable to the records of his age that he was born in the
County of Summersette and State of New Jersey but that
his father soon removed into Morris County State of New Jersey
where he resided at the commencement of the war of the
Revolution, and that this deponent enlisted in the war
of the Revolution in May 1776 in the five months service
enlisted and served under Capt Lewis and Col
Samuel Martin, marched to New York, thence crossed to
Long Island was there at the time of the battle of Long
Island in the summer of 1776 returned to New York,
thence to Fort Washington and to a place called Rye
thence to White Plains & was there at the battle of White
Plains thence to the Hudson or North River and crossed to
a place called Haverstram, thence down the River crossing
into New Jersey serving along at different forts a week
or so at a place & on to Hackensack, & to New Ark &
on to New Brunswick in New Jersey where we were at
the time this deponents five months ended and where he
was regularly discharged having fully served the five months
service in this campaign in the war of the Revolution
This deponent was again called out in January 1777
went to Van Muleners and was places again under
Capt Lewis & General Winance served at that place
and at Spanktown, now called bridgetown one month
was at the engagement at or very near Spanktown
all in New Jersey, that this deponent served one full
month in that campaign in the war of the Revolution
This deponent further saith that he has never
before made application for a pension, that he has
Page 20

The answer to the within, you will please
address to Arad Joy Merchant Ovid
Seneca County New York as soon as
possible
Page 21

been confined by sickness & lameness to his house and even to his bed for more than five years last part, and is still confined to his bed, this has prevented an earlier application for a pension, or at least had he been able to have been about he should doubtless long before this time made an application for a pension knowing as he does that he is lawfully and
legally entitled to it, this deponent removed into the town of Ovid where he now resides in 1802, that he is the identical person who served in the war of the Revolution as set forth by him in the foregoing application

Mathias Slaght

Subscribed and Sworn before me
this 20th day of December 1839
Charles Kelly J.P.

State of New York
Seneca County } ss Personally appeared before the Subscriber a justice of the Peace in and for said County James Skinner & being duly sworn according to law deposeth  Saith that he is a Revolutionary Soldier ,was born in Hunterdon
County New Jersey in the year 1752 on the 1st day of Jany. and resided for many years in that County and Morris County New Jersey, that he was personally acquainted with Matthias Slaight the identical person whose name is affixed to the above application for a pension & affidavit when the said Matthias Slaight was a boy and this deponent recollects of the squad of troops being raised for the five months service and of the said Matthias Slaight enlisting in the said five months service, that his being then young & enlisting it created some talk, particularly in his fathers family, that after the performance of this service of five months, the said Matthias Slaight as this deponent has no doubt entered the service in January 1777 and was in the battle at Spanktown, as this deponent was
in that battle also, this was one month service-
Page 22

that he has ever kept up his acquaintance with the said Matthias Slaight and that he is the identical soldier, the identical person who served in the war of the Revolution as set forth by him -

James Skinner

Subscribed and sworn before
me this 21st day of December 1839
Nathan Wakeman J.P.

State of New York
County of Seneca }
Personally appeared before the Subscriber a justice of the Peace in and for said County
Rev Abraham Brokaw a Minister of the Gospel &
a Revolutionary Soldier & Pensioner & being duly sworn deposeth and saith that he has been acquainted with Matthias Slaight who is herewith applying for a pension and whose name is subscribed to the foregoing affidavit
that he is the identical Soldier and person who served in the war of the Revolution under his name and as set forth by him, that he has been acquainted with him for upwards of thirty years, and that he has great confidence in him as a man of truth and veracity and confidently believes that all he has stated is fully true, that he has no doubt that he is of the age stated by him & that he has been confined to his house and to his bed for five years and upwards as stated by him this deponent is a witness to that fact, that this deponent is and has long been a neighbour to the said Matthias Slaight above named

Abm Brokaw

Subscribed & Sworn before me
this 21st day of December 1839. }
Charles Kelly J.P.
Page 23

State of New York
County of Seneca } SS
Personally appeared before the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace in and for said County
David Brockam & being duly sworn according to law deposeth & saith that he is Seventy Six years of age, that he lives a neighbour to Matthias Slaight whose name is affixed to the within affidavit & application for a pension, that the said Matthias Slaight is & has been confined to his bed as set forth by him & that from a partial acquaintance with the said Matthias Slaight & from his recollection of the troops raised for the five months service, and the partial recollection that he has of the said Matthias Slaight enlisting & serving as one of that campaign, he can pronounce the facts set forth by the said Matthias Slaight as true, and that the said Matthias Slaight is the identical person, the identical Soldier that served under his name in the war of the Revolution that this deponent from the long & intimate acquaintance which he has had with the said Matthias Slaight considers him a man of sterling truth and verasity [veracity] & recommend that full credit be given to all the representations made by him in his application & affidavit, that he can have no doubt that the said Matthias Slaight is of the age stated by him, that his good character is such as to cause the people of the town in which he resides to place him in public office & keep him there for some twenty or thirty years

David Brokaw

Subscribed & Sworn before me this
2st day of December 1839
Charles Kelly J.P.
Page 24

I certify that I am formally acquainted with
James Skinner the witness within named and that
he is strictly a man of truth and veracity and
of more than common good character and is fully
to be believed in his statement, that he has the
name and the appearance of being of the age set
forth by him, so good is his character that they
call him Deacon Skinner and I can sat that he is an
excellent [illegible]
Dated this 21st day of December 1839 Nathan Wakeman J.P.

I certify that I am personally acquainted with
the applicant for a pension Matthais Slaight and
Rev Abraham Brockam and David Brockam the
witnesses within named that are all of these men
of extra good character, men of truths and 
veracity, men of sterling integrity and worth and
all that they have stated I fully believe to be
matters of fact and truth and I recommend that
full confidence be placed in all of the statements
made by all of the above named persons.

Dated this 21st day of December 1839 Charles Kelly

State of New York Halsey Sanford Clerk of the 
Seneca County Court of Common Pleas of said
county do hereby certify that Charles
Kelly Esquire before whom the foregoing first, third 
and fourth depositions were made and sworn to.
was on the several days of the dates of said
Page 25

several Depositions, or the Jurats thereof, and still is a Justice of the Peace in and for said County of Seneca, duly commissioned, sworn and authorised to take, and certify said depositions and I do hereby certify that Nathan Wakeman Esq. before whom the foregoing second deposition was made and sworn to was on the day of the date of said Deposition or the part thereof, a Justice of the Peace in and for said County duly commissioned and sworn and authorized to take & certify said Deposition.  And I do further certify that I am acquainted with the handwriting of each of said two Justices of the peace & that their several signatures to the Jurats of said several
Depositions are severally genuine & in their
proper handwriting severally and that the
signature "Nathan Wakeman J.P." and Charles
Kelly J. P." respectively signed to the two last
certificates above written are severally Genuine.

 In Testimony Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court and County this 25th day of December 1839.
Halsey Sandford Clerk
By Cyrus D. Hanks
Deputy Clerk
of Seneca Co

[seal of SENECA COURT stamped at left]
Page 26

State of New York
Seneca County  } ss Personally appeared
before the Subscriber a justice of the peace in & for said County Arad Joy & being duly sworn
according to law, deposeth & saith the following
is a copy of a paper addressed to him, viz

Pension Office, May 16. 1840
Sir In consequence of an endorsement on the paper of Matthias Slaight under the act of June '32,. I address you upon the subject of the claim. The failure to apply before this, and the apparent unwillingness on your part to assume the responsibility of "transmitting his papers to this Dept. are calculated to inspire considerable distrust. The claim for appears to have been asserted in private before a Justice instead of before a Court of record.

This deponent further declares, that the failier [failure] of Matthias Slaight to apply before for a pension, was as this deponent verily believes, in consequence of the confinement of the said Matthias Slaight to his bed for about five years preceding the time that this deponent called at the house of the said Matthias Slaight and made out the writings whilst the said Matthias Slaight was confined to his bed, that this
deponent had been requested to call at the house of the said Matthias Slaight for that purpose, having at the same time been informed that the said Matthias Slaight was confined to his bed: the confinement
of the said Matthias Slaight was (as this deponent verily believes) verified by his oath in his application and this deponent further saith that the said Matthias Slaight (as this deponent believes) is still and probably always will be so confined to his bed as he becomes more & more feeble & helpless -
Page 27

and that there is to all human appearance
no probability of the said Matthias Slaight ever
being better or recovering, or of his ever being able to help himself, or get up, or walk, this conclusion is strengthened by a reference to his six years & upward confinement already, to his bed, so believes this deponent and that this deponent verily believes that the said Matthias Slaight will never be able, that he is not now able to appear before a court of record to make
his application for a pension, that this deponent
found the said Matthias Slaight to all appearance, perfectly sane of a sound mind, and an inteligent [intelligent] understanding Gentleman like old man, candid, Frank, honest, open, in all the answers to interogations [interrogations] and in his history of his said services, and that this deponent has no earthly reason & cannot & does not in the least
doubt the truth of all the allegations made in the
said application of the said Matthias Slaight, that they all fully true this deponent has no doubt-

The supposition of "the apparent unwillingness to assume the responsibility of transmitting
his papers to the Dept" by this deponent is entirely incorrect, that this deponent had not in
any respect an unwillingness to assume the responsibility of transmitting the referred to papers, that a thought or impression of this kind never entered his bosom, but on the contrary this deponent had & still has more than common confidence in the strict the most perfect truth of the statements made by
the said Matthias Slaight in his application and
that the delay was caused only from the hurry or press of business of this deponent- this deponent further deposeth & saith that he knows of no other possible way than in private, or at least he does not & cannot believe it possible for the said
Page 28

Matthias Slaight to make his application for a
pension in any other way than in his own house and in his own room and whilst laying upon his
bed, in the manner the former application
was made; this deponent further saith that he
has confidence to believe and does believe that
in addition to the affidavits of the good character and of the strict honesty and of the truth and veracity of the said Matthias Slaight annexed to the said application of the said Matthias Slaight executed by the venerable & excellent Rev Mr Brokaw and the most worthy citizen David Brokaw, that he could obtain to the same certificate the names of the Hon Judges of the Court of said County & of probably fifty of other of the first characters of the town in which the said Matthias Slaight resides

Arad Joy

Subscribed & Sworn before
me this 13th day of Oct 1840
James Foster Justice
-
I have had the pleasure of some little acquaintence with V. Luse Esq, who formerly sold goods in Albany to Phelps & Joy of Ludlowville as well as to me, I knew his from 1815 to 1820. I am a brother to Thaddeus Joy of Albany. I hope & trust that this old acquaintance may not lessen the effect, or a belief of the truth of the above affidavit which I have subscribed

My best respects to Mr Luse
Respectfully yours
Arad Joy
Page 29

State of New York
Seneca County ss }
I Halsey Sandford Clerk of said the Common Pleas Court of the County and State aforesaid do hereby certify that James Foster Esqr whose hand writing I am acquainted with and whose signature appears to the within affidavit is a Justice of the Peace in and for said County of Seneca duly commissioned and qualified and that his signature within written is genuine--

Given under my hand and
the seal of said County the
13th day of October 1840-
Halsey Sandford Clk

Answer to be returned to Arad Joy Ovid
Seneca County New York