State
of New York
Livingston
County
On
this eleventh day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and thirty two, (1832) personally appeared before
Matthew Warner, one of the Judges of the county court of Common
Pleas in and for the county of Livingston in the state of New
York, Thomas Lyon a resident of the town of Avon in said county
of Livingston aged eighty-two years and upwards, who being first
duly sworn according to law, doth, on his oath make the following
declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the Act of Congress
[indecipherable word] June 7th, 1832.
That
he entered the service of the United States as a volunteer in
the month of December 1776 under Captain William Douglas of
the town of Hancock in the county of Berkshire and state of
Massachusetts in the regiment commanded by one Colonel Simonds
whose christian name he does not recollect - that he marched
with the company to Ticonderoga where he joined the regiment,
the whole force there assembled was under the command of General
Anthony Wayne - that he remained at Ticonderoga until sometime
in March 1777, he cannot recollect the day of entering the service,
or of his discharge, but says he served out his term of his
engagement which was three months when he was discharged - that
he did not receive a written discharge, that he was discharged
at Ticonderoga - that afterwards, and he thinks in July 1777
he volunteered under on Amariah Babbit as captain of the town
of New Ashford in the county of Berkshire aforesaid, and was
attached to the regiment commanded by Colonel (Seth) Warner
and the brigade commanded by General (John) Stark, that after
enlisting he was marched through the following places, towns:
New Ashford (MA), Williamstown (MA), Bennington (VT), Shaftsburg
(VT), Arlington (VT), and so north to near Lake Champlain, -
that they were kept the most of the time on the march to cover
and defend the country and watch the enemy's movements until
the sixteenth (16th) of August of that year, when deponent was
engaged with the enemy at Bennington (VT), the deponent does
not remember who commanded the enemy, but thinks that the commander
was reputed to have been killed there, he remembered that they
had a severe and bloody battle, and were victorious, that the
enemy threw two brass field pieces into a mill pond, and that
Colonel Warner ordered the waste gates to be opened to let off
the water, and placed a sentry for the night, and on the following
morning they recovered the pieces from the pond, that he was
occasionally at home in New Ashford to see his family, and give
directions as to his family business, and after remaining at
home sometimes for half a day, at other times one day, and thinks
at no time over two days at a time, he then returned and found
his company, and his this manner he was engaged in the public
service during that year for the space of five months or more,
he thinks over five months, but cannot be certain, that he continued
in such desultory service until sometime in the fall, and after
the surrender of Burgoyne, and says he was discharged he thinks
about the first of November of that year, at some place in the
neighborhood of Saratoga, the name of which he does not recollect
with certainty, be thinks the place was called Stillwater, (NY)
- that no written discharges were given to his knowledge and
that he did not receive any, and the deposed further states
that he cannot at this distance of time, recollect so as to
be able to state with any certainty the times and occasion of
this afterwards being in public service, but says that he well
recollects to have turned out repeatedly during the several
years of the war for short terms of duty upon occasion of alarms,
upon occasion of requisitions from the Officers of the Continental
Army, - he recollects that Major Satterlie frequently made such
requisition - that such tours were frequent and lasted sometimes
two or three days, sometimes a week or more - that he kept no
record of the number of times he was out, or the length of time
he was sent out, but he will recollect that he always turned
out upon the occasion of alarm as a volunteer (excepting one
time when deponent was absent from home) - that he recollects
that he served as orderly sergeant a part of the time at Ticonderoga
and during a part of the five months service in 1777 - that
according to the best of his recollection and judgement he served
in all as a volunteer in the militia during the war for a period
of or near two years, and is confident that the whole would
amount to a period of eighteen months - that he always served
as a volunteer - and the deponent in answer to the particular
enquires of the said judge saith that he was born in the town
of Fairfield in the state of Connecticut on the ninth day of
October old style in the year of our Lord 1749, that he is not
in possession of any record of age, but says that a record of
his age was made and kept in the family bible of his father,
which record he supposes is in the family of his deceased brother
at Plattsburg in the county of Clinton in this state - that
when called into service he lived in the town of New Ashford
aforesaid, and continued to live at New Ashford, until about
the year 1792 when he removed to the town of Scanesborough in
the same county of Berkshire & state of Massachusetts where
he resided for about nine years when he removed to the town
of Lima in the county of Ontario where he resided nine or ten
years, when he removed to Avon, aforesaid in the county of Livingston,
where he has resided ever since, being about 20 years past -
that he never served otherwise than as a volunteer - that his
recollection does not serve him to state the names of the regular
officers who were with the troops where he served, more particularily
than he has stated - That he was always regularly discharged
by his commanding officer, but never received any written discharge
- that he is known to Lewis Beecher, Justice of the Peace, Curtis
Hawley and Augustus (indecipherable) Post Master, (name indecipherable),
District Attorney of Livingston County all resident in said
town of Avon and generally to all the principal men in said
town and the surrounding towns, to whom he confidently appeals
to testify as to his character for veracity and their belief
as to his service in the war of the revolution - And the deponent
further states that his son-in law-Seth Lyon now residing in
Lima aforesaid is aged as he thinks about sixity-two years and
was old enought to remember the fact of his going into the public
service during the period before stated - said that he resided
in New Ashford aforesaid at those several periods, and that
he does not know of any other living witness by whom the fact
of his service can be proved except the mother of said Seth
Lyon who residing in Lima aforesaid, who is very infirm of mind and body, by reason of her great age - and he hereby
relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or anuity except
the present, and declares that his name is not in the pension
roll of the agency of any state - and the said deponent further
states that owning to his advanced age, and a rheumatic complaint
with which he is afflicted he cannot attend in open court for
the purpose of making the aforesaid declaration without great
bodily suffering and pain.
Sworn
and subscribed
the
eleventh day of
Aug
1832 before
Matthew
Warner