Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File W. 21,868, for William Oliphant, New York
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(3 - 1776)
SERVICE
New York
Oliphant, William
Catharine
NUMBER
21.868
B.L. Wt. 7573-100
B.L. Wt. 46-60-55
CONTENTS
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1.168
New York A.
=================
William Oliphant decd. in the State of
who was a Private commanded
by Captain of the commanded
in the Revolution
===================
Inscribed on the Roll of Albany at the rate of 80 Dollars Cents per annum, 
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1826 Ending  13 Oct 1831 
=====================
Certificate of Pension issued the 11 day of [illegible] 52 and  Sent to
T.S. Slingerland
East Cobleskill
Schoharie Co N.Y. 
Arrears to the 4th of
Semi-annual allowance ending

Act 15 May 1828
R McRae Clerk
Book A
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5294
New York
==============
Catharine Oliphant widow of William, N.Y.  who served in the Revolutionary war  as a Private for two years.
==================
Inscribed on the Roll at the rate of
80 Dollars 00. Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1848.
====================
Certificate of Pension issued the 10th day of Jany 1850 and sent to
Hon J.I. Slingerland
Bethlehem
New York
=================
 Recorded on Roll of Pensioners under act February 2, 1848, Page 163 Vol. 4
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To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled.
The Petition of Catharine Oliphant, of the town and County of Schoharie and State of New York, aged 76 years
would most respectfully represent to your Honorable Body, that she is the widow of William Oliphant, who was a
Revolutionary Soldier during the War, and died about 20 years ago. That on his hearing, in his lifetime, that  an act had been passed, by Congress, in 1818, granting pensions to Revolutionary Soldiers, he applied to
a man to assist him in getting his pension, who, she believes, did not understand the business for it was
delayed from time to tim, till the man finally died without, she believes, ever presenting Oliphant's claim to the War Department. That there was no one, at that time living near where Oliphant then lived that knew any thing about pension business, so that the
that matter, remained in that condition till Oliphant died-
That after the act of 1838 was passed, allowing pensions to widows of Revolutionary Soldiers, who were married previous to the first of January, 1794, She applied for a pension for the Revolutionary
services of her said husband William Oliphant; that she stated in her Declaration that he was, as she had been informed and believed, an enlisted soldier in the Revolutionary War, but what company and Regiment he served in she did not know, but heard that he served in Capt. Graham's comp.,  in Col. Van Schank's Regt.
That she understood he entered the service as early as in the spring of the year 1777. That her maiden
name was Garner, and she proved that she was married to William Oliphant, on the 2nd day of January, 1793, at Schoharie aforesaid, by a priest of the High Dutch Reformed Church of that place.
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she has been able to ascertain are all dead; and her claim having been decided as above Stated, made it discouraging for any one to make any further efforts in her behalf, and being
entirely destitute of means, he was  any thing towards defraying expenses, to the business rested
till a man by the name of John Kline was lately found who knew of Oliphants being in the service, and his
affidavit was therefore obtained, and  which materially corroborates the other evidence in the case, and induced a further effort to obtain her
pension; and instead of submitting  War Department, for further consideration, it was thought best, at once, to submit it to your Honorable Body, feeling confident that under the evidence adduced in the case her claim would be allowed.
She has often heard her husband relate over incidents of the War, and speak of the privations and sufferings be bore during the war; and although he drew six hundred acres of land, it did him but little good, as Soldiers
lands, at that time, were considered of little value, and were generally disposed of for a mere trifle, and as
her husband died without sharing, with his fellow soldiers, in the bounty of his country, she trusts that the
pension which he was entitled to will be given to her; as the evidence in the case, she believes, will satisfy your Honorable Body that she is Justly entitled to a pension of eighty dollars per annum, from the fourth of March
1836 during her natural life pursuant to the act of Congress passed the 7th day of July, 1838, and of the subsequent acts in relation to widows pensions. And your petitioner prays your Honorable Body to grant her the pension asked for
Catharine her X mark Oliphant
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It appears from the facts stated in the foregoing petition, that it was decided by the Pension Department that the Widows claim could not be admitted because it was supposed that "her Declaration, with respect to her husbands services, was founded upon a certificate obtained from the Secretary of State of New York, unless her husband was identified as the soldier described in the certificate".
Now, this could only be done by some one who served with him, in the same company, and was well acquainted with him; and from the best information that can be had, they are all dead, and from the evidence in the case, can there be a reasonable doubt but that the Petitioners husband was the identical William Oliphant described in the annexed certificate? Yet if it should be doubted, is there not satisfactory evidence of more than two years service independent of the certificate, to entitle the widow to a pension? Andrew Slowler testifies that Oliphant enlisted and went off into the Revolutionary service in the latter part of the year '76 or in the spring of '77.
John Kline testifies that Oliphant was an enlisted soldier in the Revolutionary service in 1781 & 1782, and understood at the time and believes, that Oliphant had been
in the service as an enlisted soldier before Burgoyne Surrendered, and from what he has heard and believes, and from what he knows, he should say Oliphant was in the service through almost the whole War.
Now, it is humbly conceived that this evidence, independent of the certificate, proves more than two
years service, which is sufficient to entitle the Widow to a pension of $80. per annum from the 4th of March, 1836.
All of which is most respectfully submitted.
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State of New York
Secretary's Office
I certify that it appears by the Military Register in this office that William Oliphant enlisted as a soldier in the first New York Regiment Captain Graham's Company on the 16th of December 1776 for the war and that he was mustered to the end of the War. The said Regiment was commanded by Col. Goose
Van Schaick.
Archd Campbell
Dep. Secretary
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36843
Catharine Oliphant
Application for Bounty Land Act March 3, 1855.
T.S. Slingerland
East Cobleskill
Schoharie Co,
N. York
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William Oliphant
Act May 15, 1828
Returned or a War's man

Died October 13
He died October 13. 1831
T. S. Slingerland
East Cobleskill
N. York
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Form VAM-51
12-5-41
Division  of Veterans' Administration Archives
BOUNTY LAND WARRANT RECORD CARD*

NAME Oliphant, William
GRADE Private
LINE New York
WARRANT NUMBER 7573 and Wt. No. 46-60-55
ACREAGE  100
ISSUED Oct. 20, 1790
to --- not shown---
The information concerning the issuance of warrants carded on this form is found in volumes 2 to 4 of ""Land Warrants Issued Prior to 1800"" which are registers of bounty land warrants issued to non-commissioned officers and privates under congressional resolutions of September 16, 1776, and subsequent dates. Other records relative to the applications for warrants appear to have been destroyed in the War Department fire of November 9, 1800.
Information concerning warrants surrendered to the Federal Government is to be found in General Land Office records in The National Archives.
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Rev
WIDOW, &c.
File No. 21,868
Catharine Oliphant
Widow of 
William Oliphant
Pri Rev War
 
Act Feb 2d 48
Index: Vol. M, Page 99
[Arrangement of 1870.]
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N. York
Catharine Oliphant
let. to E. Holliday 19 Feb 1840
(to same 19 March 1839)
Letter to T. S. Slingerland Apl 30/49.
   "       Elias Holladay 5th Oct 1849
    "      Same 22d Nov 1849
    "    T.S. Stingerland 22 Dec 1849

Act July 1838
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8729     A
New York
============
Catharine Oliphant widow of William
who was a Private in the
Revolution for two years
============
Inscribed on the Roll at the rate of
80 Dollars 00 Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1843.
===============
Certificate of Pension issued 10th[?] day of Jany 1830 and sent to
Hon J. I . Slingerland
Bethlehem
N. York
[Acts of March 3, 1843 & June
17, 1844.]
Recorded in Book A Vol 2 Page 110
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10810.   A
New York
======================
Catharine Oliphant Widow of 
William who was a pensioner under the Act of       and who died in the year 1829 of      in the State of 
who was a Private in the company 
commanded by Captain Graham
Regt commanded by Col. Van Schaick in the       line for 2 years. 
========================
Inscribed on the Roll of Albany at the rate of 80 Dollars 00 Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of March, 1836.
======================
Certificate of Pension issued the 10th day of Jany 1850 and sent to
Hon J. I. Slingerland, Bethlehem, N.Y.
Total amount,  $   
[Act July 7, 1838.]
Recorded by J.P. Chase Clerk, 
Book D Vol. 1 Page 173
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Copy
Schoharie N.Y.
May 1850

Dear Sir

I wrote to you under date of Decem
7, '49, that Mrs Catharine Oliphant applied for a Pension for the revolutionary services of her deceased husband William Oliphant. That she proved her marriage - death of husband- his services by record evidence and by two credible witnesses. Yet her claim was rejected
by J. L. Edwards Com. of Pensions. She petitioned Congress to grant her a pension, setting forth all the evidence in her petition. I enclosed the same to Senator Dix, the latter part of Jany 1849. He informed me
it was presented by him to the Senate
and was not acted on for want of time
That the papers were on the files of the Senate. I requested you to cause the same to be submitted to the appropriate Committee. Was there any thing done with it? [sentence underlined]
The reason I trouble you with this
inquiry, is because there has been a
system of fraud practiced by the
Pension Department, for a long time
past, by which means widows and others have been defrauded of one half of their pension.
There is some one belonging to the
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Pension Department who is in some way connected with the issuing of pensioner certificates, who has agents in different parts of this State, and in other States, to whom notice is given of all rejected claims. On receiving such notice these agents, or
some one in their behalf, call upon these applicants, and offer their services, on condition of being paid the one half of the amount obtained; and on this being agreed to pensions are allowed without any further
difficulty; and the money drawn by the Agent, and the half only paid to the applicant, the other half is divided between the Agent and his accomplice, belonging to the Pension
Department. And it has finally come to this, that a widow need not hope to obtain a pension short of giving the one half unless it be some small pension. I have had a number of cases in which the proof was abundant, but each claim was
rejected by Mr Edwards; and each claim was afterwards allowed so soon as the business got into the hands of one of these Agents; who took the one half.
Now the case of Mrs Oliphant, above
referred to, I was determined should not
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go into the hands of any of these agents, so a petition to Congress was resorted to, yet it seems the commissioner of Pensions
was determined the business should go into the hands of one of these agents anticipating no doubt that Congress would allow the claim, it was therefore allowed by the Department and the Pension
Certificate was sent to one of these agents that had done nothing in the case, and he obtained a power from the old woman, and drew on the 29th of Jany 1850 $919.25; and on the 26 of March, drew $40, making $959.25; of this sum the widow received about a fortnight ago, $320, this is all she has received; and she did not know
how much had been drawn, nor did
she know the name of the person who
drew the money. I have ascertained
from the Albany Agency that the money was drawn as above stated, by one John H. Wetsel. Now who John H. Wetsel is, or where he lives,  I have not, as yet, been able to find out, nor does the widow know; but knows
now that she has been shamefully
imposed upon.
There is deep villany in this transaction,
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[the image is missing and so cannot be transcribed; below is the AI extracted text]

cased in
each
Ed
as in several other
had been employed
I
drew all the proceedings obtain
all
the testimony and bore all the expense
and have received nothing, by means of
this base conduct of the Department
According to
the rules of the Department
the
certificate of Pensions are required
to be sent to the attorney or agent who
does the business; but rules are disregarded
You will please excuse me for troubling
you with so long a letter
I am very respectfully
Your obedt Sert
signed) Elias Holliday
1
Hon. William H. Seward
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Brief in the case of William Oliphart,dcd Schoharie County and State of New act May 15, 1828

Claim ("original," or for increase.")
Proof exhibited, (if original)
Is it documentary, traditionary, or supported by rolls? If either, state the substance, 
Returned as a War's man-
Received Land, &c
(If for increase.)
Has additional evidence been filed since the admission of the claim?  If so, what? 
Name and residence of Agent
T.S. Slingerland 
East Cobleskill N York
Examining Clerk.
Ogden Niles
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Schoharie N.Y.
Nov. 18th 1849.
Sir. 
Your letter of October5th,  in relation to Catharine Oliphants claim to a pension, was declined. You state in that letter that William Oliphant of
Col. Van Schank's Regt, enlisted in 1774. The records in the Secretary's office of this State, how that Oliphant
of Capt. Graham's Comp. 1st N. Y. Regt. enlisted December 16, 1776. Again you say "if the claimant be the widow of this soldier, the should find no difficulty in establishing her husband identily by the Records in the County in which the land was situated, as well as by the testimony of persons of the highest respectability, who were themselves
engaged in the same regiment with him."
Lot No 80 in Homer, now Cortland County, containing Six hundred acres was granted to Oliphant who sold the same, and the deed, I understand, is recorded in that county, and how that record can be used to establish the identity of the claimant's husband, I am not able to discover. And further, your idea that "she should find no difficulty in establishing her husbands identity, by persons of the highest
respectability who were themselves engaged in the same regt. with him." to me appears unreasonable, for in all
probability not a soul of them is now living, for if they enlisted at the time you say Oliphant enlisted in 1714
they would now be at the lowest calculation between 90 and 100 years old, and the bigger part, no doubt, would be over a hundred
Again, you say that some further evidence in
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regard to the date of their marriage is required, that if there be no record proof attainable, the testimony of respectable and intelligent persons, based upon records about the
period of its consummation, should be produced."! [last sentence underlined]
If you had taken the trouble to examine the evidence before you rejected the claims, you would have had no occasion to make this last objection, for the marriage is proved by an extract from the church Records, sworn to by the priest who had charge of the Records from which it appears that the applicant was married the 2d of January, 1793.
You conclude by saying that "the witness William Kline (John Kline) has no personal knowledge of Oliphant's service, consequently cannot identify
him with the wars man of the 1st N.Y. Regt." Kline swears that Oliphant was an enlisted soldier in the revolutionary service in 81 o [&?] 82  and understood at the time that Oliphant was in the service as an enlisted soldier before Burgoyne surrendered, and from what he has heard and from what he knows, he should say Oliphant was in the service through
almost the whole war, and thinks he belonged to Van Schank's Regt.
Now whether he belonged to Van  Schank's Regt. or to any other Regt, is of no consequence so long as he was in the service, and that he was in the service is proved by Andrew Slowters testimony and the testimony of John Kline. Both of these witnesses are very intelligent and sensible old
gentlemen, men of respectability and candor,
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and there is not the least doubt but what they have sworn to is true.
Very respectfully yours
Elias Holliday


James L. Edwards Esq
Com. of Pensions
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James L. Edwards, esq.
Washington D.C.
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Schoharie N.Y.
May 21, 1850.
Sir:
Will you be so obliging as to inform me why you sent the pension certificate of Catharine Oliphant
Tennis Slingerland of Cobleskill in this county, instead sending them to me? You know that I was the Agent who drew all the proceedings and proved all the evidence; and from the length of time I had been engaged in the business, and from the various
affidavits and certificates which I obtained and forwarded to you, you must have seen that I had devoted much time and attention to the case, besides being to much expense, for which I have received nothing, and Slingerland has received $639.00 for doing nothing but knavery.
Now according to the Rules of the Department, the certificates should have been sent to me. But rules I see
are not always regarded, for this is the 4th case in which I have been served in the same way.
Slingerland and never done any thing in the case - had never procured a particle of evidence, and could have upon no principle been considered the Agent in the case. He however, it would seem, served notice of the situation of this claim, and immediately called upon the old widow and told her, as I am informed, that I would never succeed in obtaining a pension for her, and represented to her the great success he had had in obtaining pensions on rejected claims, and of his influence with the Department, or something of like import: and that if she would give him the one half of his pension, he would get it for her in less than a month. And she
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confiding in his statement, agreed to give the one half upon which, it seems, all your objections vanished, and you granted her a pension of $80. perannum, knowing at the time that her petition was before Congress, and would be allowed beyond doubt.
Now, why did you interfere, and why did you send the certificates to Slingerland? You issued the certificates the 10th of January, and it appears you sent them to him by which means he [illegible: received?] on the 26th of January $19.25 and in March [illegible-awarded?] $39.70. making in the aggregate $959. that in April he paid to the old widow $320. this she affirms is all that she has received, and it appears that she was not aware that she was entitled to any more, till I informed her how much had been received by Slingerland. 
If she received but $320, which I have no doubt is true, he must have kept $639.00 and the interest of the money while in his hands, before he paid any to the widow, amounted to
more than ten dollars. The widow has been most shamefully cheated, and by means of your sending the 
certificates to Slingerland. And I now repeat my request to be informed why you sent the certificates to
Slingerland? If you answer my inquiry
i wish to have it done in the course of 10 days, signed by your self, for certain reasons, and if I receive no answer in that time, I shall consider it a refuse to answer.

Yours respectfully
Elias Holliday

James L Edwards Esq
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Barnerville, N.Y.
August 28th 1848.
Sir: 
At the request of Catharine Oliver
widow of William Oliver, who appears
to have been a soldier in the War of the Revolution, I desire to be informed what evidence is now required by the Pension Department in order that her claim may be allowed.
She applied for her pension through
Judge Holliday of Schoharie, under the act  of 1838 &c, but did not obtain her pension and has not been able to procure the original correspondence with the Office in her claim. You will confer a favor by informing her through me what is necessary to be
done that she may be pensioned, or what additional evidence is now required.
I am Very Respectfully
Your Obt Servt
T.S. Slingerland
Barnerville
Schoharie Co
N.Y. 

Hon. J. L. Edwards
Commissioner of Pensions
Washington D.C.
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Catharine Oliphant
Applicant
Affidavit of John Kline