Rev. War Pension Application

State of Ohio
Tuscarawas County

On the fourth day of August A. D. One Thousand Eight hundred and thirty four, personally appeared before the Court of Commonpleas for said County of Tuscarawas, Adam Frantz, a resident of Dover Township in the County of Tuscarawas and State of Ohio, aged seventy eight years on the sixth day of September last past, as near as he can ascertain, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth, on his Oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.

That he volunteered as a private soldier into the service of the United States in the commencement of the revolutionary war, under the command of Captain Jones; That he lived at that time in Lancaster County and State of Pennsylvania; That from old age and loss of memory, he is not able to state the year in which he volunteered as aforesaid, but recollects well that it was during the time in which, from general report, Gen. Howe was threatening the City of New York; That he marched under the command of Capt, Jones aforesaid, and Col. Peter Grubb to Philadelphia, where he remained under those officers nearly two months, for which time he had volunteered; That he thinks for the above service he received no discharge, nor does he now recollect whether that service was full two months or a shorter period; That sometime after harvest when under those officers near Philadelphia a call was made for volunteers to form a flying camp, and that on that occasion he volunteered for four months, among troops which were then called the “flying camp”; That his company was then commanded by Capt. Henry Hausbright, his regiment by Col. John Klotts and that Gen. Magaw was their Superior Officer; That he was at the Battle before Fort Washington under Gen. Magaw, when said fort was taken by the British, and was among those who made their escape from the Island in boats, at the time the battle and the fort were lost, and where he thinks, Gen. Magaw was taken prisoner; That Gen. Hughes was afterwards their commanding officer, under whom said Col. Klott and Lieutenant Witman he served, retreating from Fort Lee, until they crossed the Delaware River at Trenton; That he was at the battle of Trenton on Christmas Day, where the American Troops defeated the British, and took, as he recollect, 935 Hessian prisoners, besides their wounded; That he remained under said officers at Trenton, as he thinks, until New Years day after said Battle, when the last mentioned four months for which he had volunteered terminated and he was honorably discharged; That at that time he received a written discharge signed by Lieutenant William Witman; That he did not consider that said discharge could or would ever be of any service to him, and that he carried it in his jacket pocket until it was worn to pieces and lost; That then he returned to his house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

That the following fall, about seeding time, when news came to Lancaster County, his place of residence, that Gen. Howe was approaching the City of Philadelphia with his Army, he (deponent] was drafted as a Militia man, to serve a tour of two months; That he joined a Regiment at Lancaster under the command of Col. Lord, but whose given name he does not recollect; That the name of his Captain was George Fetter and that they marched from Lancaster to the army of Gen. Washington, whom they joined a few days after the Battle of Brandywine; That the Regiment in which he served was placed under the command of Gen. Hile, and stationed on Barren Hill, after they has crossed the Schuylkill River, as deponent thinks, about two or three miles from Philadelphia; That during the remainder of the time of service, he remained at Barren Hill under said officers, and was in a small skirmish with a detachment of British Troops, who wanted to take some fire wood from the neighborhood of the American encampment; That at the termination of the said two months (during which he had served in the capacity of first Sergeant in his company) he was again discharged. He received at the time a written discharge signed by Capt. George Fetter which was lost in the same manner in which he has related that his first discharge was lost. and that he again returned to his residence in Lancaster County, aforesaid.

That about one year afterwards, as he thinks between harvest and seeding time, he was again drafted as a private Militia man, to serve a tour of two months; That his commanding officer was Col. Hover and his Captains name was Barney Gardner; That he marched from Lancaster County under those officers to Sunbury and then to the frontier, which they guarded against the Indians about the neighborhood of Shamokin, and that during the said term of two months he was in no battle nor skirmish; That he was discharged on the frontier and had a written discharge signed by Captain Gardner, which was lost by him in the same manner his other two before mentioned discharges were lost.

He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or an annuity except the present, and he declares, that his name is not on the pension role of any agency in any state.

Deponent further declares, that he does not now know of any living witness by whom he can prove his services, the last person within his knowledge, with whom he could have proven it, having died three years ago.

Deponent says further, that he was born in Colalico Township, Lancaster County, and State of Pennsylvania, as he verily believes, on the 6th day of September A.D. 1755; That he has no record of his age, but such a record was kept by his father in a large family Bible, which he very frequently saw until he was about 30 years of age, but has not seen it since, nor does he know where it now is, or whether it is yet in existence; That he lived from the time of his birth in Lancaster Co. Pa until he was in his 32nd year, when he moved to Winsor Township, York County, Pa where he lived 13 1/2 years and then removed to Washington County, Pa where he lived four years and some months; From that place he moved in the year 1805 to Tuscarawas County in the State of Ohio in which County he resided ever since; That he is generally known in his immediate neighborhood where he has lived since 1808 [ having lived the first 3 years of his residence in the south part of Tuscarawas County, about 20 miles from his present place of residence] and will name the following as persons who could testify to his character, for veracity and their belief that he was a soldier in the revolutionary war, to wit; Christian Deardorff, Rev. John Hildt, Richard Burrell, Christian Kore, Benjamin Johnson, and John Knisely.

Deponent further saith that from old age and length of time since events occurred, his memory is very much impaired concerning things, more especially as he is entirely illiterate, and has never been able to refresh his memory, by reading such parts of the same as have since become history, but he nevertheless believes the statements made to be substantially correct.

Sworn to and subscribed, this day and year aforesaid.
(Adam Frantz signature)

Interrogatories answered by Adam Frantz, an applicant for pension in open Court.
1. Where and in what year were you born?
Answer, I was born in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County and State of Pennsylvania, as I believe I have been informed on the 6th of September A.D. 1755.
2. Have you any record of your age and if so, where is it?
Answer, I have no record of my age, nor am I aware that any is now in existence.
3. Where were you living when called in the service, where have you lived since the revolutionary war, and where do you now live?
Answer, I lived in Lancaster County, Pa when called into service and have since lived in York County and Washington County, Pa and live now in Tuscarawas County in the state of Ohio. For particulars I beg leave to refer to the body of my deposition.
4. How were you called into service, were you drafted, did you volunteer, or were you a substitute? If a substitute for whom?
Answer, I volunteered twice and was drafted twice for short periods, for the particulars of which I beg leave to refer to the facts set forth in the deposition. I never was a substitute.
5. State the names of some of the regular officers, where were the troops when you served, such Continental and Militia Regiments as you can recollect and general services times of your service.
Answer, I have stated all the names of officers as far as I can recollect in the body of the annexed deposition.
6. Did you ever receive an discharge from the service, if so by whom was it given and what has become of it?
Answer, I had three discharges, one signed by Lieutenant Witman, one signed by Capt George Fetter
and one by Captain Gardner. They were all lost because I considered them then of no value.
7. State the names of persons to whom you are known in your Neighborhood and who can testify as to your character for veracity?
Answer, The Rev. John Hildt, Christian Kore, Richard Burrell, Christian Deardorff, John Knisely and Benjamin Johnson. (Signature of Adam Frantz)

Sworn and subscribed before me on this forth day of August A.D. 1834.
(Signature of James W. English Clerk
of the Court of Com. Pleas)

Deposition
Mr. John Hildt, a clergyman, residing in the Township of Dover, Tuscarawas County and State of Ohio and being the nearest clergyman to Adam Frantz Sr., and Richard Burrell residing in the same place, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Adam Frantz Sr., who has Subscribed and sworn to the above declaration. That we believe him to be seventy nine 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 and Subscribed this 4th day of August A. D. 1834 (Signatures of John Hildt and Richard Burrell)

And the said Court do 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. And the Court further certifies that it appears to them that John Hildt, who signed the proceeding certificate is a clergyman, resident in the Township of Dover aforesaid, and that Richard Burrell, who also signed the same is a resident of the same Township, is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.
I James W. English, Clerk of the Court of Commonpleas for the County of Tuscarwas, do hereby certify that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Adam Frantz Sr. for a pension.
In Testimony whereof I have herewith set my hand and Seal of Office, this fourth day of August A.D. 1834. (Signature of James W. English Clerk)