Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 2,895, James Depuy, New York

SERVICE
New York
Deputy James
NUMBER
R 2895
CONTENTS
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✓

James Depuy
Pension Application
George Pettit of Fabius, Onondaga County,
N.Y. his Agent
Hon W. C. [?]
[Faint, mirrored bleed-through text from the reverse side of the page]

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress , passed June 7th 1832 State of New York
Onondaga County On this 27th day of May 1834 personally appeared in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting at the Courthouse in the Town of Salina in said County, James Deyo a resident of the town of Salina in the County of Onondaga, State of New York, aged Sixty nine 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 Act of Congress passed June 7th 1832 - That he en- tered the service under the following named Officers & officers herein stated - That during the whole revo- lutionary war he resided on the frontier settlements in a place called Peen Packer, precinct of Mamaroneck County of Westchester, State of New York, on the Neuse- river, that all the inhabitants on that frontier, able to bear arms, without regard to age or color, were or- ganized into a company of Militia which was commanded by Captain Abraham Cuddick, & Lieutenants King & Harding & Ensign Samuel Deyo, the said Captain & Ensign then lived on that frontier & said Lieutenants lived about four miles north east over the Shawangunk Mountains, that in the years 1777 & 1778 the said Company were called upon while they then had yet lived in the mountains to build forts for their own safety, & built a fort on said river around the house of an Esopus Germans & was called Fort Gannan, this was in 1777, & another fort was also built around the house of Benjamin Deyo, a mile higher up the river, and was called after his name, which was burnt by the Tories & Indians in October 1778, & was again burnt in the spring of 1779 & about the same time, Fort Deyo

was built about two miles above Fort Gurnea including the house & buildings of Capt Jacob B Des- -uitt. That the declarant was enrolled in Captain Guddback's company, which was constant & regular in doing guard duty in said posts from the time they were erected as aforesaid, till the War closed in 1783 - that during said period declarant answered to daily roll call in said company & stood his turn on guard patrolling, & watching the Enemy - that declarant also assisted in making said posts early & late - that said company depended on themselves for their own safety & protection, during that entire period, excepting in Summer time when they were sometimes assist- ed by Minnecoutha men from the East - that in 1777 they were there, & (Gurnea) commanded by Captain Dunit as the declarant believes - & his subalterns were John English & one Bull - that in 1778 Capt John New- -kirk came there with a detachment of the Min- -necoutha men, stationed at Fort Dunit where the declarant then was also stationed, & remained nearly all Summer - that the year following, 1779, the Minnecoutha men were commanded by Captain Wood & there were two Sergeants by the names of Cas- -sidy & Ingalls - that the Minnecoutha Captains took command when they were there, & Captain Wood furnished the declarant with a gun & cartridge box - That Captain Guddback's company was provided reg- -ularly with the Minnecoutha men, answered to roll call & took their turn on guard night & day, with them & were furnished with rations in the same way with them all the time any of them were there.

That declarant was stationed at Fort Defiance from the time it was built till it was burnt in Oct 1778, & on the same day he was ordered with the other men that were burnt out, to Fort Dewart where he remained till Fort Defiance was rebuilt in the Spring of the year 1780, when he returned & remained at Fort Defiance till the end of the war - The declarant further states that he was so confined to military duty as aforesaid, that he but very seldom did, or attempted to do any other business for the five last years of the War of the revolution, & when he did go into the field he worked with his arms in his hand or at his side that he has no documentary Evidence - That the declarant was in no battle excepting when the Enemy attacked, and burnt Fort Defiance as aforesaid, from which the garrison escaped to Fort Dewart, which was attacked by the same Tories & Indians, with great vigour, but they desisted & went in pursuit of the hays & Cattle destroying & carrying away the same, & before they went away they found & killed four or five of the neighbours whose names declarant now recollects - The declarant further states that he was born in Rich Park aforesaid, that he has no learning & does not recollect that any body ever told him, the year he was born in, but according to his best information he calls himself twenty years old - & has so little knowledge of calculation that he cannot count back & tell the year he was born - he has no record of his age - That he lived in Rich Park when he entered the service - and removed from there into the Town of Pompey in the County of Onondaga & has lived in Pompey, Manlius & Salina since & until since - That he volunteered when the war broke out - That in addition to the

(3) to the Officers already named the declarant mentioned Serant Steward and Col Newkirk who was some- times on that frontier, & was in Fort Dacotah when the Enemy attacked it - He never received a written discharge from the service - The de- clarant further states that there is no clergyman acquainted with him, that can testify as to his character as a revolutionary soldier, that he can procure without great trouble & expense, if at all, but he gives the names of William Gib- leon, (the) Proprietor Burnett, Defrey, & Cornelius Wallace as persons in his (recent) neighborhood, to whom he has been known for more than twenty years and who can testify as to his character for ver- acity & their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution - He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the pen- sion roll of the agency of any State sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid Interlineations & Erasures were made at the B. C. D. E. F. G. H. and I before signing James F Defrey mark  R. S. Hef clerk of Onondaga County
"Robert" was interlined before signing We Cornelius Wallace and Robert Burnett Defrey residing in the Towns of Pompey & Lafayette in Onondaga County, but within half a mile of each other, hereby certify that we are now, & have long been acquainted with James Defrey who has very lately removed into the Town of Salina but has heretofore lived within a mile of us, & who has sub- scribed and sworn to the above declaration - that we be- lieve him to be Sixty nine or Seventy years old, that he is re- spected and believed in the neighborhoods where he has re- cently & heretofore resided, to have been a soldier of the re- volution & that we concur in that opinion - Cornelius his Wallace sworn to and subscribed the day & year aforesaid R. S. Hef clerk of Onondaga County } A. B. D. Defrey mark

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 applicant was a revolutionary soldier and served as he states. - And the Court further certifies that it appears to them, that Cornelius Wallace who has signed the preceding certificate, is a resident in the Town of Pompey, and that Robert B. Depey who has also signed the same, is a resident in the Town of La Fayette, in the same neighborhood, and are credible persons that their statement is entitled to credit. Further, state & certify that, in their opinion, the said applicant is very poor, & cannot procure without too much expense and inconvenience to him, any clergyman to certify as prescribed by the War Department.  "Bureau" was interlined before signing  John Watts George Pettit J. M. Allen } Judges
I Richard L. Hef clerk of the County Courts in and for the County of Onondaga do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of James Depey for a Pension - In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and Seal of office this 27th day of May in the year 1834 -  R. L. Hef clerk

State of New York } Onondaga County } On this 29th day of May 1836 personally appeared before the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting at Salina in said County, George Pettit, who being duly sworn in open Court, deposes & says that he drew the foregoing declaration, & examined the declarant James Defrey for that purpose, & deponent found him to be very conscientious in stating the facts therein set forth, but at the same time so dull of apprehension & weak in intellect as to be unable to calculate the year he was born from any supposed or given age that he appears to have no learning, born & brought up in the lowest grade of Dutch ignorance & entirely without intellectual cultivation. & further says not known & subscribed the day & year aforesaid before - R. D. Heff clerk of Onondaga County  George Pettit
State of New York } Onondaga County } I, Hansan Edwards Jr. Deputy Clerk of the said County & of the off the County Courts in and for the County and State afore- said do certify that George Pettit esquire & James Defrey esquire were respectively Judges of the Onondaga County Courts on the 29th day of May 1836 - and that I am well acquainted with their hand writing & can verify the foregoing declaration to be the true and correct affidavit to be genuine Witness my hand & Seal of Office this 29th day of May 1836 Hansan Edwards Jr. Dep. Clerk

State of New York Orange County
On this 27th day of May 1834 before me
George Pettet a Judge of County Courts in & for said County, personally (A) appeared Cornelius Wallace of the Town of Pone- pey in said County, who being duly sworn according to Law, deposes and says, that he was a Soldier in the Revolutionary War, when he resided in Pine Brook precinct of Marmakating County of Ulster (B) now Orange County and was then & there acquainted with James Depey (C) of the Town of Depey who then & there resided with Elias Gurnea on the Nevers- ink river, which was on the extreme frontier of the settlements west of the Hudson river, having the wilderness West & North west towards Canada - that the inhabitants on that frontier were few and weak, & depended on (D) themselves themselves, with occasional assistance of the Home mounted men, from the North river country, for protection & defence - & erected on said river three forts a short distance apart The lower fort, called Fort Gurnea, was burnt in 1778 & the middle fort, called Depey was burnt in Oct 1778 and rebuilt in the Spring of 1780 & the upper one, Fort Davis was burnt in the Spring of 1777, all of which were built by the inhabitants of that frontier, who resided within the same for safety & lived there through the War - that these forts were guarded by the people therein including old Men & boys, until the and were converted into a company of Artillery commanded by Captain Abraham Stuyvesant that after the War the said forts were abandoned and the materials were used to build the timber for the new house of Cornelius Wallace into Fort Gurnea and that the said Cornelius Wallace is about 80 years of age

at the building of said Forts, & him in Fort Defiance till it was burnt by the Enemy in 1778 & he then went into Fort Dequitt, till Fort Defiance was rebuilt, when he went again to the latter Fort & remained there till the close of the war in 1783. That said Forts were guarded day & night by said Capt. Doddridge's Company of militia, in which deponent & said James Defiance were enrolled, that deponent knows that said James was regular & constant on guard duty from the time said Forts were built as aforesaid till the war closed as aforesaid, & was daily mustered during said period and answered roll call, that Newkirke nine months men from the North river came in the Summer for the relief of the frontier inhabitants, - that deponent does not know of said James being called away from guard duty for any other business, but surely believes he was not - that deponent is now in his seventieth year of age & believes said James to be about the same age -
Sworn to & subscribed the day & year above written before me & I certify that I am acquainted with Cornelius Wallan the above deponent - & that he is a man of good reputation for truth & veracity and his statements are entitled to credit & belief - George Pettibone Judge of Probate Augusta County
Interrogations & Examinations were made at A. B. C. D and E. before signing
Cornelius Wallan

State of New York
Onondaga County On this 27th day of May 1934 / personal appeared before James Mitten, a Judge of County Court in & for said County, James Tomillinger of the Town of Skaneateles, in said County, aged seventytwo (a) years who being duly sworn according to law by and before the said Judge declares and says that he has been acquainted with James Deyo of Salina in said County, who is an appli- cant for a Pension here since before the revolution War, that claimant & said James were both born in a place called Pine Brook, Ulster County State of New York on the Hudson river, and were both enrolled in a company of local militia of that place, commanded by Captain Abraham Goodrich, and composed of all men able to labor or do military duty, and in 1777 said company were called together to build forts for the safety & protection of said inhabitants and their wives & children and were employed, erecting three forts around the habitations of Ezekiel Green, Jr., Benjamin Deyo, and Jacob Deyo, which were called after their names, and extended two miles up the Hudson river, and guarding the same from that time to the end of the war in 1783, excepting that claimant was absent about two months when captured by the Enemy, that said company was detached from time to time by detachments of New York troops under Captains Deyo, Deyo, Goodrich & others who commanded in said parts when there, that Captain Goodrich's company served with them during the war when they were in the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie - and altogether they were there in the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie and surrounding country for a period of about two years.

and performed the same duties above when they were without the aid of help from the north river country that his company was recruited & paid for all regularities and received rations with said time months over, when all were together aforesaid and that the said James Dofrey was con- stantly employed in said service, with little or no interruption for periods of any kind from the time said boats were fitted till the close of the revolutionary war in the year 1783 - before mentioned not excepting [a] written on an envelope before by me & subscribed the day and year above written before me I certify that I am acquainted with the above deponent, James Dofrey believe him to be a man of good reputation for truth & veracity & that his statement above is en- titled to credit and belief - - -
his James Dofrey mark
My Allegiance pledge of veracity
James Dofrey Congress Application Petition of Service Pensions Equity his Agent
W. H. Allen
...the year 1821...

Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
MEJLILL
2895
P. O.
James Deprey
Service:
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract.
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18