Town of
Hornby
Steuben County, New York
Transcribed
from Revolutionary War pension file of Peter Fero by George Rogers:
Declaration
in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th
1832
State of New
York
Steuben County
On this sixth
day of February 1834 personally appeared in open court before the Judge
of the Court of Common Pleas of the said county now sitting Peter Fero
a resident of the town of Hornby in the county and state aforesaid aged
seventy five 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 under the following named officers and
served them as herein stated.
That he was
born in the town of Rhinebeck in the county of Dutchess and state of New
York on the 15th day of February 1759. That he has no record
of his age except a memorandum in his bible. That he was residing about
four miles from the city of Albany in the county of Albany when his brother
Henry Fero was drafted as a private in Captain Sansiegs company in Philip
Schuylers[i]
regiment. That this was in month of April and in the year 1781 as the deponent
thinks but is not sure his memory being frail of having nearly lost the
same. That his brother procured this deponent to go as his substitute and
that as such he went. That he joined said company in the city of Albany
and a few days after which he with said company marched to Saratoga. That
they there met Captain Henry Astroms company and Captain Sansiegs company
was stationed there under the command of Philip Schuyler. That they stayed
at Saratoga four months. That during that time nothing transpired to them.
That after being there four months they received news that the tories and
Indians were moving toward German Flatts and they under the command of
Philip Schuyler marched toward Fort Dayton to join Colonel Willet who was
there stationed and assist him in opposing the tories and Indians. That
before they arrived at Fort Dayton they met Colonel Willet on his way to
Albany with tories and Indians he had made prisoners[ii].
That they went on to Fort Dayton and then continued under the command of
Colonel Willet for two months. Colonel Willet did not go himself to Albany
with the prisoners but sent a guard. General Gansevoort[iii]
was at Fort Dayton when this deponent arrived there. That at the end of
the two months Captain Astrom and Captain Sanseigs companies went under
the command of Colonel Schuyler to Schenectady and were there billeted
out for three weeks. That said companies under Colonel Schuyler from there
marched to the Beaver Dams where they took fifty tories and some families
and brought them to Albany. That they were engaged about two weeks in that
expedition. That said companies were discharged after they arrived at Albany
and went to their respective homes. That this deponent was during all the
said time with the said Sansiegs company. That he received no certificate.
That all his service amounted to seven and a half months. That he has no
documentary evidence or knows of no person who can testify to his service.
That this deponents memory is frail and that minute particulars he does
not recollect. That after his discharge he returned to his residence in
Albany county and there resided for twenty years. From there he moved to
Charleston, Montgomery County and there resided until he moved to Hornby
in Steuben County aforesaid and has there resided for thirteen years. That
Andrew B. Dickinson and Samuel Oldfield are his neighbors and can testify
to his character for ----- and their belief of his service as a soldier
of the revolution.
He hereby relinquishes
every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares
his name is not on the pension rolls of the agency of any state.[iv]
his
Peter + Fero
mark
Sworn and subscribed
6th
day of February 1834
William H.
Bull, Clerk
of Steuben
Com. Pleas