REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION PAPERS OF JOHN SCHOONMAKER
(this is not the complete file - see notes below)

R. 9269

(Page 1)

 

New York

Schoonmaker, John
                 Magdalena
                      or
                       Hilana


R. 9269



(Page 2)

 

2047* (large space here) NEW YORK
* (there appears to be a sixth digit obstructed by the “N“ in New )


John Schoonmaker
of Broadalbin in the State of New York
who was  a Sergt. in the Company F (?) commanded
by
Captain Van Wie of the Regt. commanded
by
Col. Quackenbush in the New York
line for 8 months & 10 days


Inscribed on the Roll of New York
at the rate of 41 Dollars 13 Cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March, 1834


Certificate of Pension _____ (?) the 16th day of September,
1833 and del. L. Jenkins
of Albany, N. Y. Present


Arrears to the 4th day of Sept. ’33,                 $104.08
semi-anl. allowance ending 4 Mar 34                20.82
                                                                                 $124.90


{Revolutionary Class
{          Act June 7, 1832

Recorded by Jno Cromwell, Clerk
Book
E Vol. 4 Page 86

(Second column)

See letter to T. W. Eliott ___?__(unclear - perhaps a title)
Oct. 19. 1835

_______________

let. to G. F. Yates (or Gates) Sept. 8, 1843
let. to C. E. Jenkins (?) Oct. l, 1843

 

 


(Page 3)

State of New York } ss
City & County of Albany } I certify, on oath that I have the custody of the Records and Registry of marriages of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in the City of Albany and that it appears from the said Registry of Marriages that John Schoonmaker and Magdeline Hanson were united in marriage on the fifth day of October in the year one thousand and seven hundred and ninety, and I further Certify, on oath, that the following is a true copy of the record of said marriage made on the said Registry of Marriages Viz. 1790 Oct 5, John Schoonmaker and Magdelena Hanson.

(several spaces)

and that the said record is written in fair legible words & figures as above -- and that it appears from the Record of said Church, that the Revd. John Bassett (?) was Pastor of the same, on the date of the said marriage and the Record thereof appeears to be in his hand writing, and I believe the name Helen or Hilena a familiar one usual abbreviation of the name Magdeline

John D. Wilson, Elder &
having the Custody of the Records

I, John D. Wilson, above named, depose and say that I hold the office of an Elder in the above mentioned Church, that the records of the same are committed by the Registry to my custody - and that the above is a true abstract from the Records of Said Church, in words & figures as above es_____?____.

John D. Wilson
Sworn to _____________ this 10th Day
of August 1843 before me
___?____ Jenkins, Court of ___?_____ (Deeds ?).

 

 



(Pages 4-5)

Declaration

In order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7, 1832

STATE OF NEW YORK }
COUNTY of Montgomery}

On the nineteenth day of September 1832, personally, appeared in open court, before the Judges thereof now sitting, John Schoonmaker a resident of Broadalbin in the county of Montgomery and state of New York-------- aged 51-- 21 June Seventy years, who first being 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 as herein stated: That he was born at Saugerties in the County of Ulster and in his infancy removed to the County of Albany, until within three years past, when he removed to his present place of residence in Montgomery County. That he was __?__ as a private in the militia in a Company commanded by Capt. John A. Van Wie, in Col. Henry Quackenboss’s regt. and was appointed an orderly Sergeant in said Company, and did duty as such from the time of his appointment until the close of the Revolutionary War -- That his first tour of duty was on being marched from the City of Albany under Col. Quackenboss, to General Schuyler’s militia at Saratoga and was encamped there for four weeks or thereabouts and then marched from thence through Niskayuna, to Schenectady, and after remaining there, billetted on the inhabitants of that place, for about fourteen days, were discharged, and returned home to Watervliet -- that some considerable time after the foregoing tour, this Declarer was again ordered out with the Company and regiment to which he belonged, upon a sudden alarm that the British & Indians had threatened to attack the lower fort at Schoharie, whereupon the militia of the County of Albany marched to the relief of that fort, where the militia arrived in season to relieve the fort and after repelling the enemy after a pretty severe conflict in which a number on both sides were killed and wounded, the enemy was compelled to abandon the attack, and (several spaces) thereupon the militia were ordered pursuit of them, and having pursued them for some time they on the second day of the pursuit, overtook Scattered parties, and made prisoners of a number of them to the amount of 25 or 30, who were brought into the fort at Schoharie, and from thence marched under the charge of this Declarer as Sergeant of the guard to the City of Albany, and confined in the Goal of that city, where they were Safely delivered by this Declarer to the Goaler; and thereupon the militia were discharged and returned home to Waterveliet, now the Town of Bethlehem. In the following year, the Declarer was again ordered out with the Regiment and Company aforesaid, and marched from Watervliet, by the way of Schenectady on the North side of the Mohawk river to Caughnawaga, in the County of Tryon (now Montgomery) where they remained, billetted amonst the inhabitants, for a period of perhaps a fortnight or three weeks, and then were dismissed and returned home to Watervliet: Some time Subsequent to the last tour, he the Declarer, was head of a class of twelve or fourteen who were obligated either to Stand a draft for personal Service for nine months in behalf of and for that class, or, to hire an able bodied recruit to enlist for the term of nine months to Serve in one of the Regiments of the New York line; that the persons composing the class, agreed to waive a draft, and concluded to hire an able bodied man to Serve for nine months accordingly; and it fell to this Declarer, to procure such man who shortly fell in accidentally with a person, being a servant of one Abm (superscripted “m”) Myerdorse a Taylor in Albany, with whom he agreed for the Sum of thirty dollars, paid by this Declarer to the said Abm (superscripted “m”) Myndorse, and some articles of clothing, provided for the man who enlisted, to enlist for the said nine months and who was brought by this Declarer to John Fonday ( Fonda ?) an officer in the ninth months service for the purpose of being mustered, by whom he was accordingly mustered and accepted and thereupon joined the regiment to which he was attached -- That this Declarer hath afterwards understood that the said Recruit who was a yellow colored man, and was named Yett Myndorse, was afterwards killed in battle with the enemy and that this Declarer believes the said information be true, having heard the same from the father of said Yett Myndorse-- that his Declarer cannot with precision state the length of duration, or the particular times of his before mentioned Services; but he has no hesitation in Stating, and doth confidently declare that the whole period of his Services as a Revolutionary Soldier, in the capacity of orderly Sergeant, was full twenty four months.

 

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annunity 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 and year aforesaid

Signature: John Schoonmaker

 

We ___ (blank)___ a Clergyman, residing in the ___ (blank)___ and ___ (blank)___ residing in ___(blank)___hereby certify, that we are well acquainted with ___ (blank)___ who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration; that we believe him to be ___ (blank)___ 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 and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid.


 

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department, that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. (the following was underlined by hand and set off by hand-formed parentheses:) (And the Court further certifies, that it appears to them, that ___(blank)___ , who hast signed the preceding certificate, is a Clergyman resident of the ___(blank)___ ; and that ___(blank)___ who has also signed the same, is a resident of ___(blank)___ and is a credible person. and that their statesments are entitled to credit )

(in penmanship) George D. Ferguson, Clerk of the Said Court of Common Pleas (in penmanship)

DO HEREBY CERTIFY, that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of said Court, in the matter of the application of (in penmanship) John Schoonmaker for a pension.

IN TESTIMONEY whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of office,

this 26 (?) th day of September, A.D. 1832

(signature) Geo. D. Ferguson



 

(Pages 6-7)

State of New York} ss

County of Fulton } On the Seventh day of August, Eighteen hundred and forty three personally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas of Fulton County (the said Court being a Court of Record) John Schoonmaker, a resident of the town of Broadalbin in said County aged fifty 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 provision made by the Act of Congress passed 7 July 1838 entitled "Under granting rate pay & pensions to certain widows.” That he is the son of John Schoonmaker who was a Soldier in the Revolutionary Army and a pensioner under “Act of 7 June 1832, $41.63 per annum - He further declared that his mother the said Hilena Schoonmaker died on the eleventh day of September in the year Eighteen hundred and forty two, that she was married to said John Schoonmaker, some time in the year Seventeen and Ninety one and that her husband the aforesaid John Schoonmaker died on the fifth day of September Eighteen hundred forty two - that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the Service but the marriage took place previous to the first of January Seventeen hundred and Ninety four viz. at the time above state - He further declares that the surname of his mother, the aforesaid Hilana Schoonmaker, previous to her marriage, was Hansen, that he has no record of her marriage, and knows of none being in existence, but that the annexed leaf or memorandum is one out of a Bible belonging to the declarent and contains a record of the time of his own birth and that of his wife and children, and is in the handwriting of the declarent that made by him more than twenty five years ago - He further declares that his mother the said Hilana Schoonmaker died the widow of John Schoonmaker aforesaid, leaving the following named children her surviving viz. John Schoonmaker aged fifty years, Alida Schoonmaker aged forty three years & Jane Ann Dyer aged thirty four years, residing in Broadalbin Fulton County New York, Henry Schoonmaker aged thirty seven years residing in Schenectady County, Gertrude Schoonmaker aged thirty nine years residing in Limerick, Jefferson County, Isaac Schoonmaker aged forty five years residing in Johnstown Fulton County - and Mary Schoonmaker (marr Litle or Lytle ?) aged forty Seven years residing in Utica Oneida County, New York -

Sworn to & subscribed on the day
& year above written in open (?) Court
    witness the Seal of the
    said Court hereto affixed                                                                                          * John Schoonmaker
    and the signature of the
    Clerk thereof -
    S. Wait Clerk of Fulton County

 

Transcriber’s Note: To the right of the above oath was a handmade bracket, to the right of which appeared the signature - John Schoonmaker



(Page 8)

 

State of New York }
County of Fulton } ss: I Stephen Wait Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of said County (the same being a Court of Record (no parenthesis) held in and for said County, before the Judges thereof at the Court House in the town of Johnstown on the seventh day of August Eight Hundred forty three it was proved by the adduction of the testimony satisfactory to the said Court that John Schoonmaker late of the town of Broadalbin in said County, died on the fifth day of September in the year Eight hundred forty two that at the time of his death he was a pensioner of the United States under the Act of June 1832 he left a widow named Hilana Schoonmaker who died the widow of the said John Schoonmaker on the eleventh day of September Eighteen hundred forty two leaving the following named children being also the children of her said husband viz - John Schoonmaker aged fifty years residing in the town of Broadalbin Fulton County State of New York - Mary Litte (?) aged forty seven years residing in Utica Oneida County New York, Isaac Schoonmaker aged forty five years residing in Johnstown Fulton County New York, Alida Schoonmaker, aged forty three years residing in Broadalbin, Fulton County, New York - Gertrude Schoonmaker aged thirty nine years residing in Limerick Jefferson County New York - Henry Schoonmaker aged thirty seven residing in the County of Schenectady State of New York and Jane Ann Dyer aged thirty four years residing in Broadalbin Fulton County New York that they are her only children, her surviving, and each of them is over twenty one years of age -- In testimony thereof I have

hereunto subscribed my name and
affixed the Seal of the said Court, this
seventh day of August 1843.
S Wait, Clerk of Fulton County


 



Page 9

(likely from the Bible page spoken about in the above text):

John Schoonmaker was
born July 22nd in the year of
Our Lord 1793 ____________

Sarah Schoonmaker wife of
John J. Schoonmaker was born
Jan. 20th 1797______________

John Seaman Schoonmaker a Son of
John & Sarah Schoonmaker was born
February 6th 1817 in Schenectady.



Pages 10-11

 

(The followiing letter was included in the Pension File of John Schoonmaker)

April 16, 1937.

 

N. Y. (or E. Y. ?) Green
131 Chestnut Street
Battle Creek, Michigan

BA-J/ady

John Schoonmaker
R. 9269

Dear Sir:

Reference is made to your letter in which you state that Johannes Schoonmaker who was placed on the pension roll in 1833, Ulster County, New York, or John Ed. Schoonmaker who was placed on the pension roll in the same year may have been the father of Johannes Schoonmaker who was born April 21, 1784.

A very careful examination has been made of the papers on file in pension claim, S. 15223, based upon service of Johannes Schoonmaker in the Revolutionary War and of the papers in pension claim, S. 14443 based upon service of John Ed. Schoonmaker in that war and no record found that either soldier had a son John or Johannes.

A further search of the records was made in your behalf and a claim for pension found, R. 9269, based upon the service of another John Schoonmaker in that war in which it is shown that he had a son John. That record is furnished you herein as found in said pension claim.

John Schoonmaker was born June 21, 1762, in Saugerties, Ulster County, New York, and in infancy moved to Albany County, New York. The names of his parents are not stated.

While residing with his father in Watervliet, that part which was later called Bethlehem, Albany County, New York, John Schoonmaker enlisted in 1776, served four weeks as private and sergeant in Captain John Van Wie’s Company, Colonel Henry Quackenbos’s New York Regiment. He enlisted in the fall of 1776 or 1777 and served four weeks as sergeant in Captain John Van Wie’s Company, Colonel Barent Staats’ New York Regiment. He enlisted in the fall of 1779 and served two months as sergant in the same company and regiment. He enlisted in October 1780, served two months under the same officers, and was in the battle of Schoharie. He later served two weeks as sergeant under the same officers.

About 1829 he moved from Albany County, New York, to Montgomery County, New York.

He was allowed pension on his application executed September 19, 1832, at which time he was a resident of Broadalbin, Montgomery County, New York.

He died September 4 or 5, 1842, in Broadalbin, New York.

Soldier married October 5, 1790 (sic), Magdalene, the name is also shown as Hilana, Hanson, her age is not stated. Their marriage was recorded on the records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in Albany, New York.

She died September 7, or 11, 1843.

 

The following children of soldier and Magdalene were living in 1843; John I. Schoonmaker, born July 22, 1793, Alida Schoonmaker, forty-three years old, and Jane Ann Dyer, thirty-four years old, all residents of Broadalbin, New York; Henry Schoonmaker, thirty-seven years old, living in Schenectady County, New York; Gertrude Schoonmaker, thirty-nine years old, residing in Limerick, Jefferson County, New York; Isaac Schoonmaker, forty-five years old, living in Johnstown, Fulton County, New York; Mary Litle, aged forty-seven years, a resident of Utica, Oneida County, New York.

Sarah, the wife of said John I. Schoonmaker, was born January 20, 1797, place, and her maiden name not stated. Said John and Sarah, had a son, John Seaman Schoonmaker, who was born February 6, 1817. There are no further family data.

Very truly yours

 

A. D. HILLER
Executive Assistant
to the Administrator

 

 

 

 

 

 

ITEMS FOUND ON THE INTERNET
and
RESEARCH NOTES

CONCERNING

JOHN SCHOONMAKER

The following was found on the Internet - Excerpts from Mr. Ken John's "Bloodied Mohawk."

JOHN SCHOONMAKER, RWPA #R9269. He was born in Saugerties Township, Ulster County, New York on June 21, 1762. He married per the records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Albany, New York on October 5, 1790 Magdalena Hansen. He died at Broadalbin in Montgomery County, New York in September of 1842. His file contains a Family Bible Record. He served as a private in Captain John Van Wie's Company of the Third Rensselaerwyck District Regiment of Albany County Militia [Colonel Henry Quackenboss' Regiment]. He states he once served a tour at the Lower Schoharie Fort and that while there they were engaged in a skirmish with the British in which they took between 25-30 prisoners and conveyed them to Albany. He also served a tour at Caughnawaga. John once hired a yellow colored man named Yell Mynderse, who was a servant of the Albany tailor John Mynderse, as his substitute. Schoonmaker states Solomon Van Rensselaer was the son of Colonel Henry Van Rensselaer. His file contains depositions by John D. Winne and John H. Burhans.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS RESEARCH POINTS

Received this from an Kenneth D. Johnson, Fort Plank Historian, who very kindly located John Schoonmaker’s pension file:

“I am not sure if this will help, but I have attached a copy of the National Archives M805 (PARTIAL) Pension File for Mister Schoomaker. I would suggest that you at some point and time view the M804 (COMPLETE) Pension File. The files are available on microfilm from the Wayne County, Indiana Public Library, branches of the National Archives, from certain large public libraries. The pensions of all the Schoonmakers (nationwide) will be on the same film. I would also suggest that you look at the M804 files for Winne(s).

“The difference in the M804 and M805 files are dramatic. When you write to the National Archives and request a copy of a Revolutionary War Pension File they normally send you the pages that some clerk deemed of genealogical or historical significance, or 10 pages which ever is more. The problems caused are enormous. For instance: The M805 File for Lieutenant Witter Johnston is less than 25 pages long, but the M804 file contains well over 100 pages. The missing 75 pages included all of the witnesses depositions and multiple written orders he received from his superior officers.

“If I were you, I would look at the baptismal sponsors for all of the children of John Schoonmaker and all of the baptismal sponsors for your grandmother's children to see if there is any evidence of them sponsoring one anothers children. These can be a lengthy project, but often one will find the sponsors are very close relatives of the parents and the payoffs can be big.”


Typist's Interest in this Pensioner: For many years I have been trying to determine the parents of one Yannetje Schoonmaker (b. ca. 1767) who married a Conrad Winne. The couple lived at Cherry Valley, N. Y. in the early 1800's. The couple most likely came from around Albany county or those counties in that part of New York State. Their daughter, Elida Winne (b. 1789) may have met her husband John Lingenfelter (b. 1782) in Montgomery County, near Tribes Hill, north of the Mohawk, not far from Amsterdam, N. Y. Elida and John married about 1807. This is the same area where John Schoonmaker, the Pensioner, was found running a store near Broadalbin in 1810 (also near or around which was in Montgomery County, N. Y., at the time of their marriage.) I believe that John Schoonmaker may possibly have been the uncle of my Elida Winne; i.e., the brother of the Yannetje Schoonmaker (b. ca. 1767) and that is why the Schoonmakers settled in and around Montgomery County, N. Y. in an area later to become Fulton County (1838). If nothing else, by reviewing these Pension Files, I had hoped to get a clue as to where my particular vein of the Schoonmaker family originated. (by Shirley Farone)

 

Regarding the children of John Schoonmaker

From Internet Research & the Pension Papers

John J. (?) Schoonmaker, son, from Pension Papers - b. July 22, 1791 - discrepancy sighted
  between Pension Paper Statements and Helderberg Church Records
Mary Schoonmaker, age 47, from Pension Papers, calculated birthyear, 1795
Isaac Schoonmaker, son, from Helderberg Church Records (Internet) - b. Feb. 1797,
   calculated from Pension papers, 1798
Alida Schoonmaker, daughter, from Pension Paper calculations, age 39 in 1834 - birth: circa    1800
Jane Ann Schoonmaker (m. Litle), from Pension Paper calculations, age 39 in 1843
Gertrude Schoonmaker, calculated from Pension Papers, age 39, b. ca. 1804
Henry Schoonmaker, calclated from Pension Papers: age 37 in 1843 - born. ca 1806