JOSEPH NEWMAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION APPLICATION

SERVICE FOR MASS. AND NEW YORK # R7626

Declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the Act ofCongress passed June 7, 1832. State of New York}

Herkimer County} On this Twelfth day of October [no year waswritten] personally appeared in open court before Michael Hoffman first Judge,John Mahon & A. Beardslee judges of the Court of Common Pleas now sitting,Joseph Numan a resident of Manheim in the county Herkimer & State of NewYork 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 ofthe Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.

That he enteredthe Service of the United States under the following named officers and servedas herein Stated; that he was born in the year 1763 as he calulates by his agewhich is 69 years in the town of Coldrain in the State of Massachusetts as hehas always been informed & believes true, that there is not nor never hasbeen any record of his age to his knowledge.- That he entered the Service ofthe United States in the revolutionary war under an enlistment for three yearsthe latter part of winter in December of the year 1776 at Colerain in the Stateof Massachusetts in the fourth regiment of Continental troops, in a companycommanded by Capt. Olvard, Chapin was Ensign. Garns was first Sergeant-deponent does not recollect the name of the Lieutenant, nor the Christian namesof the Capt.-Ensign nor Sergeant- deponent has also forgotten the name of theColonel who commanded the Regiment to which his Company was attached- TheBritish had possession of Boston at the time deponent enlisted & evacuatedit in the month of March following, General Washington Commanded the army atthat time- the company to which deponent belonged continued at Boston till thespring shortly after the British when two Regiments as deponent believes leftBoston & come to the city of Albany in the State of New York by water-deponent & his company came off in two regiments to Albany but he does notrecollect the Colonel's or other officers that had command of the troops. Saw Gen'l Schuyler who was along- thecompany to which deponent belonged was commanded by the Same officers abovementioned- the detachment stayed at Albany two days & then marched to Saratoga- where a part of the troops took charge ofBoats loaded with provisions for Ticonderoga-& the remainder of the troopswent by land- This deponent was on that had charge of the Boats- deponent was stationed from this time in thegarrison at Ticonderoga till that fort was evacuated by the American Army whichthe deponent believes was before harvest next Summer following in the year1777- the American Army under the command of St. Claer & he believes Gen'l.Schuyler had chief command, continued to retreat before the enemy into theState of Vermont- deponent was in the Battle between the Americans &British at Hubbleton and at the next battle at Beamis highths. Before this battle deponent was wounded& taken off through the woods towards Montreal, the Indians continued theirmarch till about midnight as deponent believes- where they halted & buildta fire & while they were engaged deponent heard them say-"they wouldmake him dance". Deponent ran fromthem. It was very dark & escaped deponent got lost & wandered in thewoods four days subsisting on roots & other vegetables- (Note: after beingvery confident that he was wounded and taken prisoner before the battle ofBemis hights, & before taking Bugoyne was pointed out his inconsistency tohim, the deponent says with considerable confidence that he was taken prisonerat that Battle- as his deposition had been drawn up out of court.) he came to aSettlement in Bennington in the State of Vermont where he Stayed a few days& then went to Colerain & remained there about a week he here went to theColonel in Chelsea & told him about his being made prisoner & hisescape & offered to go on to Albany to the army but the Colonel told him heneed not but he then went to Albany in the State of New York with a view ofjoining his company again- deponent was told that the American Army had goneSouth,& he then came up the mohawk river to the place where he now residesat that time called Snyders Bush in the county of Montgomery it was in the fallof the year 1777 when deponent arrived at the now town of Manheim now &Soon after was enrolled in a company of Militia commanded by Capt. John Keyser,Lientenant Marks Bellinger, John Smith was Ensign & John Miller firstSergeant, deponent was frequently out on scouting parties to different parts ofthe town & county- he helpt build two block houses & picket them- theSpring after deponent came to Manheim being the spring of 1778 he was out on ascouting party of militia of his neighborhood, they went north into what is nowcalled Jerseyfield in pursuit of Indians & Tories- they were out five orsix days- the Scout was commanded by Sergeant John Miller, his next service wason a scouting party to Anderstown, about Six miles west of fort Herkimer &about Sixteen miles west of Manheim, the Indians & Tories had burnedAnderstown a neighborhood on or near the Mohawk river, deponent was out at thistime about a fortnight, he was a part of the time at fort Herkimer which wasCommanded by Col. Bellinger- deponent has forgotten the season of the year inwhich this service was rendered- deponent cannot recollect all the Scouts hewas out on but ordered to hold himself in readiness at all times, & wascalled out quite often & was Some times out one day, sometimes two &sometimes a week or more, sometimes work a few days & then obliged to runto fort- deponent had his home alittle more than two years in Manheimdischarging the aforesaid duties when he was taken prisoner by the Indians- Itwas the 2nd day of April but he cannot state the year- knocked one Indian down-the deponent was taken prisoner of war- his _____ by two Indians, whoimmediately commenced stripping him- deponent had a whip in his hand &knocks down one of the Indians & the other raised his tomahawk to strike,when deponent clinched him & threw him down & would have killed himwhen, Capt. Sefrenus Casleman A tory came up & Said he would blow himthrough if he did not desist- deponent was then forced to go with Casleman& the Indians about three miles north where they found another party ofIndians & Tories, of about 60, & Several prisoners. They all startedimmediately for Canada- Deponent was compelled to Carry a load of provisions,as much as he could walk under, till it was consumed- the Indians gave him butvery little to eat, & he had to subsist on bark & twigs of trees- theywere five days in the woods when they came to a place called by the IndiansCarlton Island on which was a fort occupied by the British- when the Companycame near the fort the Indians & Tories formed two lines & deponent& the other prisoners were compelled to run between them and each Indian& Tory gave them a blow- deponent was knocked down twice & then hismaster called out to the Indians & Tories not to kill him & he ranthrough the line without much more injury- deponent was kept at Carlton Islandabout three weeks & was then removed to Niagara where he Stayed till he wasexchanged, which was about three years from the time he was taken prisoner-while at Niagara he saw Stephen Eysamler there who was also a prisoner-deponent & other prisoners were exchanged at Saratoga to which place theywent under a British guard & deponent then returned to Manheim, during thetime deponent was a prisoner he Suffered great hardships for want of food &Clothing- he was compelled to labor very hard & was often whipped &abused- that deponent has resided in the said town of Manheim ever Since thewar- That he was born in Colerain in Massachusetts in the year 1763- That hehas no record of his age-That he lived at Colerain where he entered the servicefirst, then in Manheim in the State of New York he served in the militia- andsince the war he has continued to reside where he now does in Manheim- That hewas called into service first by enlistment & in the previous part of hisstatement mentioned- and then he was in as a minute man in the militia- That hecan name as some of the regular officers who were with the troops where heserved, viz: General Schuyler; General Arnold- Major Coffin, General Herkimer,Colonel Bellinger, Major Eysler, Colonel Cox- That he never received adischarge in writing from the Army or service- That he is unable to obtain awitness to state in detail his services tin the State of Massachusetts- as heis poor & very infirmed & unable to go to that state & he has notseen any of his company in that service in twenty years or more- that hebelieves his name is on the roll of state troops or the continental troops atthe War department as he has been informed, but of this he is not certain- Thathe is not able to obtain a witness to give detailed statement of his servicesin the militia in Manheim, all of his company being dead, but he has theaffidait of Henry Ritter who was with him a part of the time, which are theproff he is abel to make on that subject-

That he is knownto Henry Ritter, Peter Woolaver and William Feeter residing in his presentneighborhood & who can testify as to his character for truth & veracity& their belief of his services as a soldier of the revolution.

He hereby relinquishes any claim whatever to a pension or annunityexcept the pursuit & declares that his name is not on the pension roll ofthe agency of any State-

Sworn to &subscribed the day of year aforesaid-

Julius C ____ Clerk his

Joseph X Numan

Mark

Declaration to obtain the benefit of the act of Congresspass July 4, 1836

State of New York

Oneida County:

On the 21st day of April A. D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty three personallyappeared before the Honorable Ralph McIntosh Special Surrogate in and for theCounty aforesaid, David Newman a credible person aged 53 years, a resident ofVerona in the county and State of aforesaid, who is the child and one of thelegitimate heirs at law of Joseph Newman & Elizabeth Newman bothe deceased,and who being duly sworn according to law make oath to the followingdeclaration in order to obtain the benefits of the 3rd section of the Act ofCongress passed July 4, 1836- That Joseph Newman his father was a resident ofthe Town of Menham in Montgomery County & said State of New York when inthe latter part of the war of the Revolution or in the year of Our Lord 1779 orearly in the year of 1780 he enlisted into the military service of said war andwas at one time a guard of General Herkimer that early in the spring of 1780 hewas a private in the company commanded by John Kuff in a regiment of the NewYork militia commanded by Colonel Jacob Klock and continued under said Klock insaid town of Menham when in the month of March or April at Menham aforesaid hewas taken prisoner by the Indians who were friendly to the British government& was kept prisoner by the British for the full period of three years &upwards until the close of the said war, when the government interceded andobtained his freedom. That after he wasreleased as aforesaid he received from his said Colonel his pay as a privatefor all the time he remained in captivity aforesaid at the rate of $6.66 permonth it being about $250., for the time he remained a prisoner aforesaid- Thathe received an honorable discharge from Col. Klock which he kept in hispossession during his lifetime, that since his death this declarant is unableto set forth what ever became of it, but he says it had been lost or destroyed-

This declarantfurther says that his said Father died at Menham aforesaid in the said State ofNew York on the 20th day of March in the year of Our Lord one thousand eighthundred and forty three (1843)- Elizabeth Newman the Mother of this declarant,formerly Elizabeth Boyer to whom he was married it is supposed by the Rev.Abraham Rosecrantz on the ___ day of ___1776 [no day or month written], beforehe entered the serviced aforesaid, died at the town of Menham aforesaidanterior to the death of his said father at Menham in said county of Herkimerand said State of New York as will be seen by proof here unto annexed withouthaving applied for a pension on the arrears to which she was entitled as heunderstood & believes true; That as husband and wife the said Joseph andElizabeth Newman raised a large family of Children, whose names were asfollows, to wit.

Nancy, JohnJoseph, Robert, Stephen, Elizabeth, Mary and David Newman, of whom Joseph,Robert, Stephen, Mary and David Newman this declarant are living and thisdeclarant now makes application for the arrears of pension due his said Fatherand Mother as aforesaid for himself and the other children of the said Joseph& Elizabeth Newman both deceased-

Sworn to and subscribed }

Before me this 21st day of April} David Newman

1853 RalphMcIntosh} (L.S.)

Special Surrogate}

State of New York

Oneida County:

I Ralph McIntoshSpecial Surrogate of the County of Aforesaid in my capacity as said Surrogatedo hereby Certify, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings heardbefore me as Surrogate aforesaid in the matter of the application of DavidNewman for certain arrears of Pension, and I do hereby declare my opinion to bethat said David Newman is one of the lawful and legitimate heirs of Joseph andElizabeth Newman deceased & that said Joseph died on the 20th day of March(1843) eighteen forty three-

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the SurrogatesCourt this 21st day of April A. D. 1853-

Ralph McIntosh

Special Surrogate

State of New York

County of Oneida;

Before mepersonally came Conrad Boyea, a resident of the town of Siscox [Sauquoit] inthe county of Madison and state aforesaid. A credible witness aged 82 years andElizabeth Boyer a resident of the same place, a credible witness age 79 yearswho being duly sworn doth depose and say, that they were formerly residents ofMenham in Herkimer County and State aforesaid, where they were well acquaintedwith Joseph Newman, and his wife Elizabeth; that they lived together as husbandand wife a such were generally respected to be, and as they raised a family of8 children, whose names were as follows, to wit, Nancy, John, Joseph; Robert,Stephen, Elizabeth, Mary and David, all of whom these deponents were wellacquainted with. That David the abovenamed declarant is the lawful and legitimate son of said Joseph and of thereown knowledge; that he was born of Elizabeth when she and said Joseph livedtogether as husband and wife, and that they claimed said child as there ownlawful and legitimate offspring. Theyfurther depose and say that said Joseph was a private in Col. Jacob KlocksRegiment of N. Y. Militia, and was a prisoner from the year 1780 to the closeof the Revolutionary War. That it wasgenerally respected in the town of Menham that said Joseph was a private inCol. Klocks Regiment and that he was a prisoner to the end of the war asaforesaid, and that said Joseph (the father of said David) informed thesedeponents that he was such a prisoner and that his wages while he was aprisoner amounted to about $250 or thereabouts, all of which these deponentsverily believes to be true, they further say that said Joseph Newman died onthe 20th day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred andforty three. (1843) these deponents further say that they are informed andverily believe that the only surviving children of said Joseph and ElizabethNewman are Joseph, Robert, Stephen, Mary and David which they verily believetrue- They further say that they are entirely disinterested in the applicationof said David Newman for certain arrears of Pension and further deponents say not-

Witness to Mark his

RalphMcIntosh Conrad X Boyea

mark

her

Elizabeth X Boyer

Mark

Sworn to and subscribed before me the 21st day of April 1853and I hereby certify that I am well acquainted with Conrad Boyea and ElizabethBoyer and their characters. That Ibelieve their affidavits is entitled to the fullest faith and credit.

Ralph McIntosh

Special Surrogate

We the undersigned do hereby certify that we are acquaintedwith Conrad Boyea & Elizabeth Boyer & their characters that we believethem entitled to the fullest faith and credit-

Dated Oneida Apl. 23 1853 Timothy ______