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Tri-County Legal Documents |
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Tri-County Legal Documents |
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[Note from JW] While the files of many Revolutionary War pensioners were lost in a fire, we are fortunate that we have Thomas Keeney’s service record preserved in a letter. In January of 1939, in response to a request for information by Mabel Lyman Knight, the following letter was written.
Reference is made to your letter in which you request the record of Thomas Keeney of Onondaga County, New York, soldier of the War of the Revolution.
The data which follow were obtained from papers on file in claim for pension, S. 9366, based upon the military service of Thomas Keeney in the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Keeney was born May 10, 1751 (Old Style) in East Hartford, Connecticut. The names of his parents were not stated.
While residing in said East Hartford, Thomas Keeney enlisted and served as a private with the Connecticut troops, as follows: from sometime in April, 1775, seven months in Captain Ozias Bissell’s company, colonel George Pitkin’s regiment; from sometime in February, 1776, two months under Lieutenant Richard Pitkin in Colonel Wyllys’ regiment; in the summer of 1776, two months in Captain Timothy Cheney’s company; in the fall of 1777, two months in Captain Richard Pitkin’s company, stationed in Fort Griswold; in the summer of 1778, two months in Captain Amasa Loomis’ company.
Thomas Keeney moved in April, 1781 to Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and his family moved there in August, 1781.
While residing in said Wyoming, Thomas Keeney served at various times until in the month of August, 1783, under Captain Elisha Satterlee, and Colonel Zebulon Butler, dong garrison duty and in frequent scouting parties in pursuit of Indians, this service amounting to about ten months.
He was allowed pension on his application executed September 11, 1832, at which time he was living in Fabius, Onondaga County, New York.
Reference was made to his children, no names were stated, and the members of his family who moved to Wyoming in 1781 are not shown.
The papers on file in this claim contain no further discernable data in regard to family.
In order to obtain the date of last payment of pension, name and address of person paid, and possibly the date of death of this pensioner, you should apply to The Comptroller General, General Accounting Office, this city, and furnish the following data-
Thomas Keeney
Certificate #24206
Issued November 8, 1833
Rate $80.00 per annum
Commenced March 4, 1831
Act of June 7, 1832
New York Agency >Very truly yours
A. D. Hiller
Executive Assistant
to the Administrator
Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed Jun 7th 1832 –
On this 11th day of September personally appeared in open Court before Daniel Mosely E?? Vice Chancellor of the Seventh Circuit of the State of New York at a County of Chancery for said State at the Town and in the County of Onondaga, now sitting Thomas Keeney a resident of the Town of Fabius in said County, aged Eighty one 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 Jun 7th 1832 – That he entered the service of the United States under the following named Officers and served as herein stated - That he first enlisted at East Hartford in Connecticut, in April 1775 under Captain Ozius Bissell, of the same place & Lieutenat Martin of Windsor in Connecticut for the term of seven (7) Months & was mustered in East Hartford aforesaid, and Marched to Boston Massachusetts, that the Regiment was commanded by Col. George Pitkin of the same place, was stationed first at Brooklin, & went from there to Roxburyhill, from there to Dorchester farms, & was there discharged at the end of the seven (7) Months, that he saw the Bunkerhill battle from Brooklyn & that General Washington visited the station at Roxburyhill while he was there – That he was discharged as aforesaid in November 1775 – That afterwards, in February 1776 he went as a volunteer under Lieut. Richard Pitkin of East Hartford, was there mustered & marched again to Boston, & the company joined Wyllys Regiment and took our Station at Dorchester F a house in the Town of Roxbury & remained there two months & was then and there discharged in the month of April of the same year
That in Haying time in the month of July or August there was a general call to go to New York, that he then volunteered & went under Capt Timothy Cheeney, Lieutenant Richard Pitkin and remained in New York till our troops evacuated the city, when he was marched over Kingsbridge & was stationed a short time in that vicinity, where he was discharged after serving two months about the first of October 1776 – That in the early part of the fall of 1777 he volunteered with the Company under Capt Richard Pitkin & went to New London Conn, & was stationed at Fort Griswold & thinks the name of his Col was Allen, but is not confident, that he remained there two months & was discharged in October or November 1777 – That in June or July 1778 he again volunteered under Captain Amasa Loomis of East Windsor Conn, and the company was mustered at Grumpond in New York State, and remained there two months, and was discharged in August or September following – that his duty was to go in scouting parties – Garrison duty Ec – was at Whiteplains, Rye & Valentines hill while stationed at Grumpond as aforesaid – That about the year 1780 in the fall of the year he removed his family to Wyoming in the State of Pennsylvania having been there himself for six months before that time, where the frontier settlements were greatly annoyed by the Indians for a long time after the proclamation of peace – during all which period the inhabitants collected in & around the Fort in that place, that they were almost constantly compelled to take turns in Garrison duty, & pursuing Indian parties who came there to plunder, burn, & destroy – that he belonged to a company of young men in minute service whose duty was to be ready to go at any & Every call, who were under the command & direction of Col Zebulon Butler – there was a Captain by the name of Elisha Satterlee, that during a period of Eighteen months or more, he was confined to this service, frequently went in pursuit of Indian Parties, & constantly slept with his arms, in readiness to turn out at a moments warning by night or by day --- that he has no documentary Evidence excepting the annexed deposition of Daniel Park & Samuel Webstor, & that he knows of no other person whose testimony he can procure, who can testify to his service – that there is no regular Clergyman in the Town of Fabius, with whom he is acquainted, who can certify as to his age, and reputation as a Soldier of the revolution, the Clergyman of said Town for seven years past, having recently removed more than one hundred miles distant ----
We hereby relinquish 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
Sworn to, and subscribed the day & year aforesaid
| Daniel Moseley | Thomas Keeney X his mark |
| Circuit Judge |
We George Pittit & Gen Nathaniel Bacon residing in the Town of Fabius County of Onondaga and State of New York hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Thomas Keeney who has subscribed & Sworn to the above declaration that we believe him to be Eighty one years of age,, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the revolution and that we concur in that opinion --- Sworn to & subscribed the day and year aforesaid.-
| Daniel Moseley | Nathel Bacon |
| Circuit Judge | George Pettit |
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