The following account of the Revolutionary War experience of Henry Welter a.k.a. Henry Walter (b. 1735 Germany—d. May 25, 1835 Drakestown, Morris Co., NJ) has been transcribed and digitized by my cousin Beverly (Bev) Dormagen from aged material, some parts of which were difficult and other parts impossible to read. Bev’s transcription has been reorganized somewhat in this presentation, with green text used to indicate corrections/verifications/interjections that I’ve made./Charles W. Paige.

Bev’s original transcription can be found at:

http://www.netmeister.net/~cpaige/Henry_Welter_Pension.txt

Henry Welter in the Revolutionary War

July 24th, 1832, ninety-seven-year-old Henry Welter, a resident citizen of Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, appeared before William Munro, a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for that county, in order to obtain the benefit of the June 7, 1832, Act of Congress providing “the first comprehensive pension act for veterans of the Revolutionary War.” The following paragraph is quoted from a web page that does not allow linking. (NOTE: Use browser to search Internet for first twelve or so words of paragraph, without quote ("), to access referenced page.)

“The Revolution Remembered was made possible by an 1832 act of Congress - the first comprehensive pension act for veterans of the Revolutionary War. To apply for a pension, a soldier had to indicate the time and place of his service, the names of units and officers, and engagements in which he participated. In most cases applicants told their stories to a court clerk or reporter; some presented their stories in open court; others related their experiences to lawyers and attested to their narratives in court. The pension application process thus constituted one of the largest oral history projects ever undertaken.” This paragraph is from a description of the below book edited by John C. Dann.

Dann, John C. Ed. The revolution remembered : Eyewitness accounts of the War for Independence; Chicago ; London : Univ. of Chicago Press., 1980, 446 p.

According to law, on his oath, Henry made the following declaration to wit:

…that he enlisted and entered the Company of Volunteers as a drummer in the month of May 1775 for the period of three years for common defense against the common enemy in the State of New Jersey and that he ?enlisted or entered the service of ? in a company at New Germantown, Hunterdon County NJ under the command of Captain Godfrey Rhinehart, Lieut. John Read and Ensign Morris Crammers which company was attached to a Regiment under command of Col. John McHolme of General Frelinghuysen's brigade of the New Jersey Militia [Frederick Frelinghuysen (1753–1804)], which company of volunteers pledged themselves to ?house equipt and in control readiness for the period of three years for the common defense against the common enemy which and whenever called upon in the State of New Jersey and that during that period of his service his ? were ?sudden marched to various points of alarm and ? in acts of subjugating the Tories or internal enemies, while in the service he was also called to Elizabeth Town, Newark, Amboy, New Brunswick, Quarell?Lawn, Middle Booth? Short Hills, ?, ?Aquamanauk, Morris Town, Trenton, Springfield, and ? and various other places in New Jersey and that during the latter part of his three years service a change of Officers took place in said company and ?Micham Candy? was appointed capt, Morris Crammers lieut., and Matthieu Crammers Ensign, who continued to act as officers the three years service expired and that during his years of enlistment he was more than two full years engaged on active duty in the common cause for Independence and that ?his ? further South? That ? Subsequently?

Paid for three years Service and discharged at Metuchen near New Brunswick after May 1778 by a written discharge signed by General Heard, Gen. Frelinghuysen, Col. Martin, Col. McHolme and Col. Taylor of the Militia and this ?

Saith that he was born in Germany in Europe and came to America with his father when he was about 5 years of age and settled in Roxbury Township, Morris County, NJ.

Saith that he has no family record of his age but was informed by his parents that he was born sometime about 1735, that he lived in the Township of Roxbury near New Germantown when he enlisted or entered the service in the war of the Revolution as before stated that he has no documentary evidence of his service in his possession his discharge having been lost or destroyed and that he does not know of only one person now living who served with him or had any knowledge of his revolutionary service, to wit, John M. Fisher, who was an orderly Sergeant in said company to which the ?Deponent belongs, that he is personally known to Wm Mormon? Esq, John Sharp Esq, and Samuel Wier and ?Lar Bienfer, a minister of ? ast?

And this diponent saith that from his great ? bodily infirmity he is unable to attend the County Court a distance of twenty miles and that he hereby relinquishes every claim whatever his pension or annuity (except the present) and declares that his name is not in the pension roll of New Jersey or any other state whatsoever, Henry Walter

Scribe and Subscribed before me

the 24th of July 1832

Wm Monro.

Database: Full Context of New Jersey Pensioners, 1835

County: Morris Co.

Name: Henry Walter

Rank: Drummer

Annual Allowance: 88 00

Sums Received: 264 00

Description of service: New Jersey militia

When placed on the pension roll: December 5, 1832

Commencement of pension: March 4, 1831

Age: 99

This Web page was created January 11, 2007 by Charles W. Paige and last updated January 12, 2007.

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