Gideon SALISBURY
Pension Application for Gideon Salisbury -- http://morrisonspensions.org/salisbury.html

1835
State of New York


County of Yates SS.


On this day of January in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty five (1835) personally appeared in open court before the Judges of the court of Common Pleas of the said County of Yates now sitting, being a court of Record—Gideon Salisbury a resident of the town of Middlesex in the said County of Yates and State of New York aged seventy three years the fourteenth day of January instant—who being first duly sworn according to same 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 has been informed by his mother and believes that he was born in the month of January in the year one thousand seven hundred & sixty two (1762) at Salisbury Plains in England—that he was brought by his parents, at the age of three or four years, Emigrated to this country, and settled in Rhode Island—that when he was about eight years old he left Rhode Island with his parents who removed to Dutchess County in the State of New York fourteen miles from Poughkeepsie—that when he was about thirteen years of age he left Dutchess County with his parents to removed to Nobletown then in the county of Albany—now called Hillsdale in the County of Columbia in the State of New York, near the line of Massachusetts—where he resided until after the close of the Revolutionary War.


That he has not now in his possession any original Record of his age but that his brother Benanuel Salisbury now living in the town of Ledyard in the County of Cayuga in the State of New York, has in his possession the original record (kept by his father Gideon Salisbury, now deceased, in his family Bible) of the line of the birth of the above named applicant and of his brothers and sisters—that he has frequently seen the said family record and that by the said record he the said Gideon Salisbury was born the year 1762 as above stated.—


That he the above named applicant entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated—That in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven (1777) at Nobletown then in Albany County now called Hillsdale in the County of Columbia—in the State of New York in the month of October about the time of Burgoyne’s surrender, he enlisted as a private soldier in Captain Thomas McInstry’s (or McKinstrys) Company of Infantry—in Colonel John McInstry’s Regiment (Samuel Mallory was his Lieutenant) for nine months—was sent as one of the Guard of Burgoyne’s Army to Boston Massachusetts—and remained at Boston under the said Captain McInstry during the winter and spring of 1778—and then returned in said company under said captain McInstry to Albany in the State of new York, and was then discharged by the said Colonel John McInstry, by a written discharge on the last day of July in the year seventeen hundred and seventy eight (1778) After having service as such private soldier in said company for the whole of said term of nine months—which said discharge was been lost.—


That in the year one thousand seven hundred and Eighty (1780) in the month of August or September he the said Gideon Salisbury the above named applicant again Enlsited at Nobeltown aforesaid as a private Solider in Captain Joseph Harrisons Company of infantry in Colonel Marinus Willetts Regiment, for one year—was immediately marched in said company to Tapan [Tappan] Bay, on the North [Hudson] River and there joined the regular American Army of twenty five thousand men, under General Washington—was there put under the command of General Wayne, four days after he had taken Stony Point from the British—while at Tapan Bay,the said Company belonged to Colonel Morris Grahams Regiment about time Major Andrew, was taken as a spy about this time—After remaining at Tapan Bay about three weeks, General Wayne ordered the said Regiment to March, under Colonel Willett, up the Mohawk River—was stationed a part of the time at old Schoharrie [Schoharie] where he was engaged in a battle against the Indians in which four[?] once Indians were killed—this was in the fall of the year (1780) seventeen hundred and eighty-- some seven or eight of the American Army were killed in this engagement—was stationed in said Regiment during the following winter at Fort Stanwicks, now called Rome in the County of Oneida and State of New York—that in the spring of the year seventeen hundred and eighty one (1781) was marched in said company to Herkimer and there built a fort called Fort Herkimer, and he was verbally discharged at Fort Plain by the said Captain Harrison in the month of August or September in the year last aforesaid (1781)—after serving as such private solider in said company for the full term of one year—that during said year, said company was at different times under Col. Willett—Col. VanSchaick—and Col. Dubois—that there upon he the said Gideon Salisbury went home to Nobletown aforesaid and in the winter or spring of the following year (1782) he again enlisted as a private soldier at Nobletown aforesaid in Captain Wrights Company of Infantry in Colonel Martinus [Marinus] Willetts Regiment, for the term of nine months—marched thence to Albany—thence up the Mohawk River to Old Schoharies Middle Fort—was then under Captain or Colonel Dubois, when the Fort was attacked by the British & Indians under Colonels Butler & Brandt who were repulsed and we followed them to Oneida Lake where they got out of our reach—Afterwards at Stony Arabia [Stone Arabia] in the State of New York he the said applicant was in said company engaged in a Battle against the British and Indians when Captain Butler of the Brittish Army (the son of the said Col. Butler) and Colonel Brown of the American Army were killed—In that Engagement there were six American Soldiers belonging to the same company with the said Gideon Salisbury to wit—Cole—Spareback, Lyon—Loomis and two other were killed—and he the said Gideon Salisbury had five ball holes made through his garments in said Engagement – and have the belt of his cartridge box shot off by a Musket ball—[NOTE: this man is very confused and is mixing the events of 1780 and 1781.]


And that he the said Gideon Salisbury during the time of the said last enlistment at different times was under different captains to wit. Captain Wright and afterward Captain Miller—that the said Captain Wright belonged to Connecticut—and the said Captain Miller resided at Claverack about five miles from Hudson, in the state of New York—and that during the said last mentioned campaign a Captain Harrison—Captain Clark & Major Rowley belonged to the same regiment with said applicant.


That by reason of old age & consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the dates and times of his services above set forth but according to the best of his recollection he served as a private soldier in the war of the Revolution—in the American Army—not less than the period herein after mentioned to wit: Nine months under Captain [Joseph Harrison is crossed out] Three as McInstry in the years 1777-& 1778—One year under Captain Joseph Harrison in the years 1780-& 11781—Once nine months under Captains Christopher Miller and ---Wright—Making in the whole two years and six months service as a private soldier for which he claims a pension—


That he remained in such service under the said last mentioned enlistment until the month of December in the said year seventeen hundred and eighty two (1782) when he was discharged by the said Colonel Dubois by a written discharge either at Albany or at Fort Plain but does not recollect at which place it was that he received said discharge—which said discharge is lost—


That he has no documentary evidence and that he knows of no person, whose testimony he can procure as to his said services—except Truman Spencer and Benanuel Salisbury whose affidavits accompany this declaration and the affidavits of Archibald Armstrong which was some years ago forwarded to the war department and which he presumes now remains on file in the Pension Office.—


That there is no clergyman residing in his neighborhood whose evidence he can obtain in relation to his age and general belief in the neighborhood relative to his Revolutionary Service.


That he is personally acquainted with Chester Loomis, who is a senator in the Legislature of the State of New York—Enos P. Resmer & Hiram Torry, Merchants—and Augustus Torry a Justice of the Peace who are all his neighbors—and with R. M. Bailey of Geneva N. York who has been an agent for procuring pensions—and with Joshua Lee of Milo in said County of Yates—who is elected to Congress whose names are subscribed on a certificate which is hereunto attached. That he is also well acquainted with Truman Spencer of Benton in said County of Yates—


That at the September term of the said court in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty two he presented to the said court his declaration in this behalf together with such proofs as he can’t then procure—that the said court then passive? His claim and then papers were sent by R.M. Baily Esqr of Geneva to the Pension Office and they have been returned as incomplete—and then some he now presents as new declaration & proofs which he supposes are complete—


That his brother Benanuel Salisbury whose affidavit is hereto attached resides in Cayuga County, a distance of sixty miles from the court house in said county of Yates by the road which is most frequently traveled, that the said Benanuel Salisbury is seventy four years of age and by reason of infirmity is unable to attend the said court in the said county of Yates.


He the said Gideon Salisbury hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.


That he the said Gideon Salisbury about the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty four (1784) removed from Nobletown aforesaid to Wyoming in Pennsylvania—About three or four years. Thereafter he removed from Wyoming to the head of Seneca Lake in the State of New York—and about the year one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine removed to Big flats in the State of New York—and thence in three or four years thereafter he removed into the town of Benton then in the county of Ontario, now in the said county of Yates—where he resided until about the close of the last War, say about twenty years ago he removed to the said town of Middlesex where he has ever since resided and where he now resides.

(Signed) Gideon Salisbury


Sworn and Subscribed the day and year aforesaid in open court—George Thearmus? Clerk



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