Pension Application

S.19272
State of New York
Allegany County XX.
            On this 9th day of January 1834 personally appeared before me Andrew C. Hull Esq. first Judge of the County Courts of the County of Allegany aforesaid John M. Dake aged seventy four 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 7, 1832.
            That he entered the service of the United States in the Revolutionary War under the following named officers and served as herein sated, April 1, 1781, he enlisted as a private soldier in the State Troops of the State of New York under a recruiting officer by the name of Jesse Hubbell a Lieutenant – that he enlisted for the term of three years or during the war, that he joined a company under the command of Captain Job Wright, and that he belonged to a Regiment commanded by Colonel Marinus Willett—that he continued to serve under the same officers, until he was discharged at the close of the war, that he first joined the army at Fort Herkimer on the Mohawk River, staid there until the fall of the year then marched with the Regiment to Fort Plain, staid there until the spring of 1782—while there he was one of sixteen men who were stationed as a guard at the ferry opposite to fort Plain, while there they were alarmed by the approach of a heavy scouting party of the British and some Indians, that they were then ordered to Fort Plank and then to Fort Herkimer, in the spring of the year 1782 as before mentioned—staid at Fort Herkimer until the last of the summer, land then went to fort Timmerman, staid he thinks three or four weeks, and then went back to Fort Herkimer, that in the months of November 1782 a part of the companies [companies] went to fort plain and a part to fort plank for winter quarters that in the course of the winter they were ordered to many places those at fort Plain was ordered to fort Plank and those at Fort Plank were ordered to fort Plain this maneuver was said to be for the health of the soldier. . . that while at the least mentioned places they were employed a part of the time in building additions to the forts—that some time in the summer of 1783—they marched to fort Stenwyx and staid until fall that while at fort Stenwyx they built two heavey block buildings for securing and mounting the Artillery—that then in the all of 1783, they went to Fort Plain and were received by Generals Washington and Knox. That after they went away they were ordered back to fort Stenwyx staid there a few days and then marched down to Schenectady for winter quarters, that soon after they arrived at Schenectady and in the month of November 1783 at the close of the war he received his discharge that he cannot recollect by whom it was signed, thinks by Colonel Willett. That his said discharge was destroyed by the burning of a dwelling house where he made his home and kept his papers, immediately after he was discharge, that the first summer after he entered the service he was in a skirmish with a scouting party of British and Indians at a place or field in the woods called Orisca. That also the first summer after he enlisted he drew one months pay and a suit of cloaths, that he drew no more cloaths, and does not recollect of receiving any more pay that in the same Regiment was the following named officers—Major VanCowden and Phink, Captains Newell and Cannon, Lieutenants Hubbell, Shaver, Bingham Thornton, Campbell, Rose. Ensign Trotter, in the company with this declarant was orderly sergeant Ichabod Coon, andother Sergeants Bidwell & Dake, that he cannot recollect the names of any of the field officers of the other Regiments that he has no record of his age but from what he has always understood from his parents when he was a child and ever since he was born at Charlton in the State of Rhode Island in the year 1759, that when he enlisted in the service, he lived at the town of Baltown Saratoga County, New York, that since the close of the war he has lived in Charlton Saratoga County NY six or seven years, that then he went to Cambridge Washington County NY lived there about 16 years—that then he went to Mayfield Montgomery County and staid one year that there he went to Penfield in what was then Ontario now Monroe county NY and lived six years, that then he removed to Almond Allegany County where he now lives and has lived a number of years—that he enlisted bur for one engagement and continued to serve until the close of the war that from the day he first joined the regiment until he was discharged he was continually employed as a soldier and was continually in the field or in camp and employed in building and repairing forts and was no part of the time engaged in any other business, that he knows of no person now living who was a soldier with him in the army whose testimony he can procure, that two of his brothers are living who were knowing to the time he enlisted and that he served as a soldier until the close of the war that their names are Bartlett Dake and Augustus Dake—that the former lives in Almond Allegany County and the latter in Cattaraugus County NY that by reason of age and loss of memory he cannot now recollect the precise day of the month of November [sic] on which he was discharged, that he served in all at least two years seven months (and some days over).
            He hereby relinquishes every claim what ever to a pension except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. (Signed) John M. Dake
            Sworn and subscribed before me the day and year aforesaid. Andrew C. Hull. First Judge Allegany Com. Pleas.

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