DEPOSITION OF THOMAS LYON FOR REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION
Transcribed by Valerie Lyons
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