Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S. 10,764, Henry Greninger, Penn.

SERVICE
Penn.
Greninger, Henry
NUMBER _____
S 10764
carded.
CONTENTS

N. 11967 Pennsylvania
Henry Greninger Son of Centre Co. in the State of Penn a who was a Private in the company comm d by Captain Sheffer of the Regt. comm d by Col. Hosterman in the Penn a Troops here for 14 months
Inscribed on the Roll of Pennsylvania at the rate of 46 Dollars 66 Cents per annum to commence on the 4th day of March, 1831.
Certificate of Pension issued the 16. day of July 1833 and sent to James Gilliland Bellefonte Pa
Arrears to the 4th of March 1833 73.33 Semi-ant. allowance ending Sept. 1833 23.00
$116.65
{ Revolutionary Claim Act June 7, 1832.
Recorded by D. Brown
Clerk
Book E. Vol. 5 Page 21

Declaration In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7th 1832
State of Pennsylvania } ss. Centre County }
On the 24th day of June, 1833 - Personally ap- peared in open Court, before the Court of Common Pleas of Centre, county now sitting Henry Gren- ninger, Sen. resident of Logan Township, in the said county of Centre, and state of Pennsylvania, aged sixty-five years, to wit, last October who being duly sworn according to law, doth on his solemn oath make the following Declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Con- gress passed the 7th day of June, 1832
For the year 1777 in December  as a private Christopher Snyder was taken Benjamin Weiser's Christopher Snyder was my first Lieutenant. We met in Mahonoy Town- ship, Berks township county, in the state of Penn- sylvania. We marched from this place to Read- ing, where we lay some time - then  then  then  then to Reading , we then marched to Ber- mantown, where we again lay some time; we were then marched to Shippensburg, where we encamped for a considerable length of time, and then returned home. The tour was for two months, which we served in full. We got no charges in either or printed form.
After we returned home, Sam Shear- fer was elected Captain of our company, and we were marched up the West Branch of the Susquehanna to Wallis' Ferry, in the Muncy set- tlement, to guard the frontier from the ravages of the Indians. This tour was commenced in the month of May, 1778. I served six months in full during this tour and got a discharge which I have lost. I was a private
I was again out in 1779 in July  as a private  my Captain was Peter Freestle - we were during that tour kept as a scouting party between Sunbury and Muncy on the frontier as a guard against the Indians. This tour lasted six months. I got no discharge this time. I was a private. I was a private I have no documentary evidence that I can produce, nor any person that I can procure who can testify to my services, except one

Adam Sheffer, who was my second captain, and at another time my lieutenant (his depoi- tion is annexed)
And I do hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension, or annuity except the pre- sent, and declare that my name is not on the pension roll of any Agency of any State. I never was engaged in any civil service during my time.
Interrogatories 1, When and in what Year By the County were you born?
Answer. In Germany - I do not recollect the year, but to the best of my knowledge I am seventy-five years of age, that since the old test.
2- Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?
Answer - I have not.
3- Where were you living when called into service; when have you lived since the Revolu- tionary War, and where do you now live?
Answer. In Berks county, No home town- ship, State of Pennsylvania. I lived there until I removed to Logan township, Lehigh County, the aforesaid, where I now live.
4- How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute; and if a substitute for whom?
Answer. I was a volunteer my time that I served.
5 State the names names of some of the Regular officers who were with the troops where you served, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your service
Answer. My Colonel was named Reichard, in the first campaign - when we went up the West Branch of the Susquehanna to guard the Fron- tiers, at Wallis Farms in Muncy Settlement, we were

under the command of Col. Peter Hosterman. I have no recollection of the name of any battal- mental Regiment
6 Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given, and what has become of it?
Answer. I got a discharge the first time I was out; I do not recollect from whom. I have took it. I got no discharge the second time. I have the deposition of my Captain proving my service. (Deposition shown to the Court.) The third time I was out I got no discharge
7 State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighbor- hood, and who can testify to your character for veracity and their belief of your ser- vices as a soldier of the Revolution.
Answer - George Hime (a clergyman) and Ludwig Friedly his sworn and subscribed the year of Henry & Gruninger Esq. of said the Gilliland Clerk mark
We George Hime, a clergyman, re- siding in the county of Union, (and preacher to the congregation in Logan township) and Ludwig Friedly residing in Logan township in the county, state of Pennsylvania, hereby certify that we are acquainted with Henry Gruninger who has subscribed the above declaration, that we believe him to be seventy-five years of age, that he is reputed in the neighborhood where he lives to have been a soldier of the Revolu- tion and that we concur in that opinion sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. J. George Hime Ludwig Friedly

And now to wit - The 24th day of June, 1833 - and the said Board as herby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories presented by the War Department, that the above named person which was a Revolutionary soldier and servant as he states. And the Board further certify that George Brine and Indiana Fridley who have signed the preceding cer- tificate, are residents of this state, and are credible persons and that their state- ments is worthy of credit and that Adams whose deposition is hereto attached like  like  the  the  above  above  is  is  worthy  worthy  of credit  of credit  to us  to us , & worthy of credit.
Richard Adams  Judge Jacob Krueger

To whom it may concern
State of Pennsylvania, Centre County ss: Personally came before me the Subscriber, one of the Justices of the Peace in and for said County, Adam Shefer, a respectable Farmer and Citizen of Miles Township, in the said County, and on his solemn Oath, according to Law, doth depose and say: That in the Year One thousand seven hundred and seventy eight, the said Deponent was a Captain in the Militia of Northumberland County, in a Regiment, commanded by Colonel Peter Hosterman, duly elected and commissioned, that he was ordered for a two Months Tour, to guard the Frontier Settlement, and protect the frontier Inhabitants of the Savages, that he performed the full Tour, and that Henry Groninger, of the Township of Logan in Centre County was one of the private Soldiers of his Company, and served under the said Deponent said Term, honestly and faithfully in full.
Adam Shefer
Sworn and Subscribed.
the 22 d January 1833
before me.
Jno M. Beuck

State of Pennsylvania Centre County
I James Gilliland Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for the County of Centre, Do hereby certify that M c Reynolds Esq. before whom the above deposition of Adam Shaefer was taken, and who has signed the same in his own proper hand, writing is a Justice of the Peace in and for the County of Centre duly commissioned and sworn and to all whose official acts as such full faith and credit is and ought to be given
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said Court at Bellefonte the 24 th day of June A.D. 1833 Jas. Gilliland Clerk
I James Gilliland Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in and for Centre County do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the Second Application of Henry Greninger for a pension
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office this 24 th day of June 1833 Jas. Gilliland Clerk

824297 Henry Greeniger Cantrick Pennsylvania
Admitted
14 months
$46.15
James G. Leland Bellefonte Cantrick Pennsylvania

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Pension Office,
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 subjocined 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.
Pennsylvania
A Statement, shewing the Service of Henry Groninger Centre County
   Period when the service was rendered. Duration of the claimant's service. 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.   Years. Months. Days.     Vol 1777 2 Private Captn Weis 75 Years Witness Adam Sheffer for the year 1778 for 2 months service Traditional evidence   79 - 6 Captn Sheffer Berks County   80 not stated Captn Fristen Col Bruchat Col Heatman Pensyl.  
I am, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J. L. EDWARDS, Commissioner of Pensions.

REGULATIONS UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832.
The following regulations have been adopted:
This law has been construed to extend, as well to the line, as to every branch of the Staff of the Army, and to include under the terms "Continental Line," "State troops," "militia," and "volunteers," all persons enlisted, drafted, or who volunteered and who were bound to military service, but not those who were occasionally employed with the army upon civil contracts, such as Clerks to Commissaries and to Store Keepers, &c., Teamsters, Boatmen, &c. Persons who served on board of private armed vessels are also excluded from the benefits of the law, as well as persons who turned out as patrols, or were engaged in guarding particular places at night, and were not recognized as being in actual military service.
Four general classes of cases are embraced in this law:
 1. The Regular Troops.  2. The State Troops, Militia, and Volunteers.  3. Persons employed in the Naval Service.  4. Indian Spies. 
As rolls of the regular troops in the Revolutionary War exist in this Department, all persons claiming the benefit of this law as officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians or privates, will, in the first instance, make application by transmitting the following declaration, which will be made before a Court of Record of the County where such applicant resides. And every Court having by law a seal and Clerk is considered a Court of Record.
DECLARATION,
In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress of the 7th of June, 1832.
State, Territory, or District of } ss. County of }
On this day of personally appeared (a) before A. B. a resident (b) of in the county of and State, Territory or District of aged (c) 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 7th, 1832. That he enlisted in the Army of the United States in the year (d) , with and served in the (e) regiment of the line, under the following named officers :
[Here set forth the names and rank of the Field and Company Officers; the time he left the service; (and if he served under more than one term of enlistment, he must specify the particular period, and rank and names of his officers;) the town or county and State in which he resided when he entered the service; the battles, if any, in which he was engaged, and the country through which he marched. [This form is to be varied so as to apply to the cases of officers and persons who belonged to the militia, volunteers, navy, &c.]
He hereby relinquishes every claim (f) whatever to a pension or an annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of any Agency in any State, or (if any) only on that of the Agency in the State of
Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. A. B.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion (g) that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier, and served as he states.
I of the Court of do hereby certify (h) that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office (i) this day of &c.
If, on examination of the proper record, the names of applicants, making such declaration, cannot be found, they will produce such proof as the rule given in note (j) points out.
Every applicant who claims a pension by virtue of service in the State Troops, Volunteers or Militia, except those who belonged to the New Hampshire Militia and State Troops of Virginia, will make and subscribe a declaration similar to the foregoing, with the following additions, viz:
(k) We, A. B., a Clergyman, residing in the and C. D. residing in (the same) hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with , who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be years of age; that he is reputed and believed, in the neighborhood where he resides, to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Sworn and subscribed the days and year aforesaid.
[And then will follow the certificate of the Court.]
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 to them that A. B., who has signed the preceding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the and that C. D., who has also signed the same is a resident in the and is a credible person, and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I, Clerk of the Court of do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court, in the matter of the application of for a pension.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office, this day of &c.
Every applicant will produce the best proof in his power. This is the original discharge or commission; but if neither of these can be obtained, the party will so state under oath, and will then procure, if possible, the testimony of at least one credible witness, stating in detail his personal knowledge of the services of the applicant, and such circumstances connected therewith, as may have a tendency to throw light upon the transaction.
If such surviving witness cannot be found, the applicant will so state in his declaration, (l) and he will also, whether he produce such evidence or not, proceed to relate all the material facts, which can be useful in the investigation of his claim, and in the comparison of his narrative with the events of the period of his alleged service, as they are known at the Department. A very full account of the services of each person

will be indispensable to a favorable action upon his case The facts stated will afford one of the principal means of corroborating the declaration of the applicant, if true, or of detecting the imposition, if one be attempted; and unless, therefore, these are amply and clearly set forth, no favorable decision can be expected. All applicants will appear before some Court of Record in the County in which they reside, and there subscribe and be sworn to, one of the declarations above provided, according to the nature of his case.
The Court will propound the following (m) interrogatories to all applicants for a pension, on account of service in the Militia, State troops, or Volunteers, except the Militia of New Hampshire and the State troops of Virginia.
 1. Where and in what year were you born?  2. Have you any record of your age, and if so, where is it?  3. Where were you living when called into service; where have you lived since the Revolutionary war, and where do you now live?  4. How were you called into service; were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute? And if a substitute, for whom?  5. State the names of some of the Regular Officers, who were with the troops, where you served; such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect, and the general circumstances of your services.  6. { To a Soldier. } Did you ever receive a discharge from the service, and if so, by whom was it given, and what has become of it?  { To an Officer. } Did you ever receive a commission, and if so, by whom was it signed, and what has become of it?  7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your present neighborhood, and who can testify as to your character for veracity, and their belief of your services as a soldier of the Revolution. 
The Court will see that the answers to these questions are embodied in the declaration, and they are requested to annex their opinions of the truth of the statement of the applicant.
The applicant will further produce in Court, if the same can be done, in the opinion of the Court, without too much expense and inconvenience to him, two respectable persons—one of whom should be the nearest clergyman, if one lives in the immediate vicinity of such applicant, who can testify, from their acquaintance with him, that they believe he is of the age he represents, and that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood to have been a Revolutionary soldier, and that they concur in that opinion. If one of these persons is a Clergyman, the Court will so certify, and they will also certify to the character and standing of other persons giving such certificates.
The traditional evidence of service is deemed very important, in the absence of any direct proof, except the declaration of the party. And the Courts are requested to be very particular in the enquiry whether the belief is general, and whether any doubts have ever existed upon the subject.
Applicants unable to appear in Court, by reason of bodily infirmity, may make the declaration before required, and submit to the examination, before a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record of the proper county, and the Judge or Justice will execute the duties, which the Court is herein requested to perform, and will also certify that the applicant cannot, from bodily infirmity, attend the Court.
Whenever any official act is required to be done by a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or by a Justice of the Peace, the certificate of the Secretary of State or Territory, or of the proper Clerk of the Court or County, under his seal of office, will be annexed, stating that such person is a Judge or Justice of a Court of Record, or a Justice of the Peace, and that the signature annexed is his genuine signature.
No payments can be made on account of the services of any person, who may have died before the taking effect of the act of June 7, 1832; and in case of death subsequent thereto, and before the declaration herein required is made, the parties interested will transmit such evidence as they can procure, taken and authenticated before a Court of Record, showing the services of the deceased, the period of his death, the opinion of the neighborhood respecting such services, the title of the claimant, and the opinion of the Court upon the whole matter.
[a] The declarant must appear in open Court, unless prevented from doing so by reason of bodily infirmity; in which case the declarant will follow the rule laid down for his guidance.
[b] The declarant must make his declaration in the county where he resides. If he should fail to do so, he must assign a sufficient reason for not conforming to the rule.
[c] The age of the claimant must invariably be mentioned.
[d] The declarant must mention the period or periods of the war when he served.
[e] Every continental officer or soldier must give the name of the Colonel under whom he served; otherwise a satisfactory examination of the claim cannot be had. Every claimant must state, with precision, the length of his service, and the different grades in which he served, in language so definite as to enable the Department to determine to what amount of pension he is entitled. In a case where the applicant cannot, by reason of the loss of memory, state precisely how long he served, he should amend his declaration by making an affidavit in the following words:
"Personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, &c. A. B. 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 _____ year _____ months, and _____ days, I served as a _____. For _____ months and _____ days, I served as a _____; and for such service I claim a pension."
It is important, in all cases, to determine with precision the period for which each applicant served, and the particular rank he held, as the law directs the pension to be paid according to the grade of the pensioner and the length of his service. The use of the phrase about three or four months , is too indefinite, and all such qualifying expressions are objectionable. Some persons who apply for pensions merely state that they served two years in the militia, &c. without specifying the tours, the names of the officers, and other particulars respecting their service. This form of a declaration is highly objectionable. It must, in every case, be clearly shown under what officers the applicant served; the duration of each term of engagement ; the particular place or place- where the service was performed; that the applicant served with an embodied corps called into service by competent authority; that he was either in the field or in garrison; and for the time during which the service was performed, he was not employed in any civil pursuit.
[f] The law makes the relinquishment indispensable.
[g] The opinion of the Court is always required.
[h] The Clerk must give his certificate in every case.
[i] The Clerk must affix his seal, and if it has no device or inscription by which it can be distinguished from any other seal, or if he has no public seal of office, the certificate of a Member of Congress, proving the official character and signature of the certifying officer, should accompany the papers.
Mode of authenticating papers.
In every instance where the certificate of the certifying officer who authenticates the papers is not written on the same sheet of paper which contains the affidavit, or other papers authenticated, the certificate must be attached thereto by a piece of tape or narrow ribbon, the ends of which must pass under the seal of office of the certifying officer, so as to prevent any paper from being improperly attached to the certificate.
Proof of Service.
[j] In a case where the name of the applicant is not found on the records of the Department, he must prove his service by two credible witnesses who are required to set forth in their affidavits the time of the claimant's entering the service, and the time and manner of his leaving the same, as well as the regiment, company, and line to which he belonged. The magistrate who may administer the oaths must certify to the credibility of the witnesses, and the official character and signature of the magistrate must be certified by the proper officer, under his seal of office.
The notes from [a] to [i] are all equally applicable to the case of Militia men, Volunteers and State Troops. The proof required by rule in note [j] applies to continental troops only.
[k] This traditional evidence is indispensable in militia cases.
[l] If a witness cannot be found, the declarant must state the fact.
[m] The answers to the interrogatories must all be written, and sent to the War Department, with the declaration.
John C. Ashmun

Rev. Adams
10764 INVALID.
File No. 10,764
Henry Grinstead Col. Rev. War
Adam Phelps
Act: June 1 st 1832.
Index:—Vol. 9 , Page 152
[Arrangement of 1870.]