Samuel Verity (abt. 1756 - abt. 1849)

Born about 1756 in Oyster Bay, Queens, New York Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Zipporah (Wilson) Verity — married 8 Aug 1784 in St. George's Episcopal Church, Hempstead, N.Y.

Descendants

Died about 1849 at about age 93 in Oyster Bay, Queens, New York, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jeff Erickson [send private message]

Biography

Samuel was born about 1756. He passed away about 1849. To James L. Edward, Esq., Pension Office Sir, I forward the enclosed declaration and certificate to be submitted to your department for the purpose of procuring for an old farmer and bay man, residing on the South Side of Long Island about 30 miles from New York, named Samuel Verity, a pension under the act of 1832. As his counsel and friend, I prepared his statement for him, __________it is totally worthy of credit, fully. The old man is well known on Long Island, and he has several children married and settled around him. So also he is well known to very many sporting gentlemen in this city, who shoot and fish in his neighborhood, and who have long known him by the name of "Uncle Sam V." The only apprehension I have entertained has been that perhaps the old man is wrong in the character of the corps, and that it might have been the Militia or Volunteer Corps to which he was attached. That he has performed the service he swears to in some capacity, there is not the slightest doubt. He is known in the neighborhood as a Revolutionary Soldier, and everyone has heard as a common piece of private history, that he was In the battle of Flatbush.

Should his name not be on the list of the Regular Army, have the goodness at an early day to communicate to me what course I should pursue and what further testimony produced to establish (if his declaration be insufficient) his services. I have delayed sending the declaration only until the present time, from an expedition of (which is now gone) of being in Washington representing it in person. The reason of this old mans delay in making this application I came to your _________ that in his own words or ________He told me "he knew he was entitled to a pension, but he kept putting it off____" until last fall when Governor Marcy was along there (he spent, to my knowledge , little time in the neighborhood and he told him that he ought to apply). So knowing________of the legal________the next time I happened to be shooting in the neighborhood, he came to me about it.

Should my good friend Elbert________, Esq., of the Indian Department, be in your city, I pray you Sir to ask him for and account of the localities of Jerusalem South, which I presume he can do, and he certainly can apprise you that I would not advocate this application, unless I was positive of its truth. The old man is very feeble, now, and although ______ absolutely needy, yet my be paid toward the pittance which a favorable answer to his prayer would give him. I have the honor to be Sir Your Obedient Servant W. (O.?) Hawes

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications. National Archives Microfilm copy # M-804, roll 2457, p. 321

State of New York, County of Queens: On this the second day of June 1, 1835, personally appeared before the Court of Common Pleas of the County of Queens, and the State of New, Samuel Verity, a resident of Jerusalem South in the County of Queens, and state aforesaid, aged seventy five years and upwards, who being first duly sworn according to law, do tho on his oath make the following declaration, on order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed June 7, 1832. That he enlisted in the army of the United States, in the year 1775, being the year before the British troops landed at Flatlands, Long Island, Kings County, which serves to enable him to fix the date. He enlisted with Colonel Benjamin Birdsall, who resided on Long Island, South Road, at Jerusalem South, near the residence of _________, and near where the deponent now resides. The Colonel raised the Company himself, and it was composed principally of persons in the neighborhood. It was called the Colonels Company. The number of the regiment he does not remember. His colonel was Colonel Birdsall before mentioned. The names of the other filed officers he does not remember. After Colonel Birdsall had got the company together, Captain Nostrand became the Captain of the company. Simmons [probably Seamans], the son of a farmer at Jericho, North Side, after Plains was the lieutenant. He can't say who was the ensign. That deponent at the time of his enlistment, resides as aforesaid, at Jerusalem South, at the house of one Soloman Pool, a weaver, to whom he was an apprenticed at the time. Deponent's father and family lived in the neighborhood. That immediately after enlisting, deponent became actually occupied in the service as a soldier, and was employed in and about Jerusalem South. He was out often with the said Colonel and different members of the company upon scouting parties, which they used to call "hunting the Tories." They went from place to place, and attached entered the houses of people friendly to the British and took away their arms. These arms were taken or sent by some officer (who came from the mainland), over to the main. Deponent was also stationed in the second year of his service, as a sentinel "down at the landing" - that is a place near the head of the creek running out from Jerusalem South, where the people in the neighborhood generally drew up their boats which they used for baying and fishing in the bay, - to watch over the boats, and prevent the Tories from taking them and going out aboard the British fleet which was___________ off the coast, and which did finally arrive shortly before the battle of which took place at Flatbush, near Flatlands, in August 1776, deponents company was marched to Flatbush, when they arrived the night before the battle. They were sent for on account of a battle being expected. Flatbush is about twenty eight miles west of Jerusalem South, Deponent was in the battle, with his company. After it was over, he retreated with the army to New York. He stayed there, he thinks, one night, and then retreated with his company and the other troops toward Kings Bridge. From that place they went further back, as far as New Rochelle. After remaining a day and a night, his term of service had expired and Colonel Burtsell told the members of deponents company that they could go. if they had a mind to , or stay, as they pleased. Deponent, with two other of his company, his neighbors, accepted, the offer and returned home. On their way home they fell in with a party of Brits who made them prisoners, but after a detention on one night they were discharged, on account of their being unarmed when they were taken, and on their way from the army home. They then started and arrived at Jerusalem South without further difficulty. A few days after deponent arrived he hears of the battle of White Plains. That the whole term of service of deponent according to the best of his belief was a year and three or four months. Deponent is unable to specify dates and times now particularly. He is illiterate, and his memory is bad. He "lost his learning" by means of enlisting. Solomon Pool, his master, was to have sent him to school , but his apprenticeship was broken up by means of his enlisting. Deponent received, part of his pay from time to time in Continental money , which finally turned to be of no use to him, but there was six months pay due to him when he left the service. It was "marshing time" (the time when the people in the south side of Long Island go out upon the marshes after salt hay).

He hereby relingus (?) his claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and he declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state. Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid, before Samuel Sherman clerk in open court. Samuel Verity And the said court do hereby declare their opinion that the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and served his state. B.W. Strong - first Judge of the County Courts for the County of Queens

Muster roll of a company commanded by Captain Thomas Lester, belonging to the Third Battallion of the Brigade whereof Oliver Delancey, Esq., is Brigadier General, taken at Lloyd's Neck, April 24, 1780, where the company was then emcamped: [Samuel Verity listed as Private]

New York in the Revolution as Colony and State list Samuel Verty as a British prisoner of War.

Onderdonk, Henry. The Annals of Hempstead: 1643 to 1832; Also The Rise and Growth of the Society of Friends on Long Island and in New York 1657 to 1826. Hempstead, N.Y.: Lott Van De Water, Printer and Publisher, 1878. p. 90.

Sources

Baldwin, Richard P. The Verity Family of Long Island, New York. 2nd ed., 2000 [edit] New York in the Revolution as Colony and State: A Compilation of Documents and Records from the Office of the State Comptroller, 1904. p.241

• "New York Marriages, 1686-1980", database, FamilySearch, Samuel Verity, 1784.

Letter to U.S. Pension office (sept.1835) by James L. Edward requesting information for revolutionary veteran, Samuel Verity of Jerusalem South, N.Y. Pension application lists names of children and spouse.