Lorentz Philip Harter (c. 1755 - 1843)

My 4th great-grandfather, Lorentz Philip Harter, was among those Mohawk River Valley residents that participated in the American Revolution. As with others of his neighbors he was captured at Little Falls, NY and taken to Canada where he was kept until the end of the war. In 1854 his children petitioned the Federal government for his pension. This was not granted but the petition and associated papers are in his file at the National Archives in Washington. In 1996 I requested and received a copy of the file.

The file follows after the jump.


Pension Number - R.4701
State of New York
County of Onondaga

On this 4th day of April A. D. one thousand eight hundred and fifty three personally appeared before me the undersigned a Judge in and for the county aforesaid, Lawrence Herder, a credible person aged seventy years a resident of Kirkville in said county who is the child and one of the legitimate heirs at law of Lorens Herder and Barbara Herder, both deceased and who being duly sworn according to law makes oath to the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the 3rd section of the act of Congress passed the 4th day of July 1836.

That Lorens Herter (his said father) was a resident of the Town of Manheim in the County of Montgomery and state aforesaid. When in the year 1779 he was drafted as a private in a company of New York Militia in the Revolutionary War for the term of nine months commanded by Captain Crisler and Henry Herter. That afterwards he was drafted twice for nine months and in the 4th Regiment commanded by Colonel Peter Bellinger and served each draft thus making a full time of 29 months that at the expiration of the last draft he returned home at Little Falls in the Town of Menham (Manheim?) aforesaid when he was taken prisoner and kept by the British until the close of said war. After he was released, and he therefore became entitled to a pension under the act of Congress passed 18th March 1818. That in the year 1818 or after the passage of that law his said father made a declaration before Judge Waddle and proved his service by three credible witnesses who names were George Edick, John Helmer and General Campbell who were that said Lorens was a soldier in the said war. That Judge Waddle kept the said papers in his possession and in a week or two thereafter he died and what became of the papers this declarant is unable to set forth.

That his said father died at Manlius in the County of Onondaga and state first above written on the nineteenth (19) day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-three (1843) in the 98 year of his age, that said Barbara died anterior to that time, to wit, on the 13th day of March 1828, at the place, town and county aforesaid, that said Louren Herder and Barbara were married he believes by the Rev. Abraham Rosencrantz a Presbyterian clergyman on the day of ____177__, and always co-habited together as husband and wife until the death of said Barbara and as such raised a large family of children to wit: Charity, Philip, Peggy, Lawrence, Betsey, Barbara, Conrad, Lany, Caty and Henry all of whom are now dead except Charity (Miller), Lawrence (this declarant) Barbara Shoemaker and Henry Herter.

That his said father did not receive a pension in his lifetime, to which he was entitled under said act of 18th March 1818 and this declarant therefore makes the application for the arrears which were due him and unapplied for by as aforesaid from 18 March 1818 up to the time of his death for himself and the other remaining children of the said Loren and Barbara Herder with deceased.

(Signed) Lawrence Harter

State of New York
County of Onondaga

Be it remembered that on this third day of July A.D. 1854 personally appeared before the said county court of said county, Lawrence Harter a resident of Sullivan in the County of Madison and State of New York who being duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration viz:

That he is the son and one of the heirs at law in for Lawrence P. Harter, deceased, late of the Town of Manlius in the County of Onondaga and state aforesaid.

That he has heard his father the said Lawrence P. Harter often say that he was married to his deceased mother Barbary Harter before the War of the Revolution and that his mother’s name before her said marriage was Barbary Delany.

That his said father has often told him that he had been a soldier in the War of the Revolution, that he served three towers [tours] of nine months each that he served eighteen months under Captain Hendrick or Henry Harter and nine months under Captain Christler in Rome (then Fort Stanwix) and that he was afterwards taken prisoner at Little Falls at the time the British burnt the mills at that place and was a prisoner about seven months and until the end of the war.

That his mother Barbary died in Manlius on the 13th day of March 1823 and that his said father Lawrence P. Harter died on the 19th day of October 1833 in the Tow of Manlius aforesaid and that he left no widow, him survived.

That his said father has often told him that while he was a prisoner with the British the enemy killed his horses and drove away all of his cattle and that he was sold to a Frenchman and taken to Montreal and kept there until the peace was declared when he was sent to Halifax and then to Boston from whence he returned home.

And this deponent further says that his said father made a declaration of the facts in this case under the first act granting pensions to the soldiers of the Revolution which declaration as put into the hands of J.O Walters Esq. then of Manlius Onondaga County and is supposed to have been filed by him in the office of the Commissioner of Pensions in the City of Washington D.C., which will now fully appear by the papers herewith presented and by the proof filed by my said father or his agent J.O. Walters Esq. for the purpose of obtaining a pension under any former acts of Congress and reference [sic] will be had to all legal and reliable proof or papers hereto been filed by any person or persons for the purposes above mentioned and this deponent further says that his father, the said Lawrence P. Harter died leaving five children, him surviving to wit: Charity Miller, Lawrence Harter, Barbary Shoemaker, Catharine Reals and Henry Harter which was all of the children, him surviving and said claimant is now 73 years of age and it is understood and believed that there is now arrears of pension and other claims due from the United States for services rendered by the said Lawrence P. Harter deceased in the War of the Revolution.

Now therefore the true intent of all of this is to qualify and appoint and in power Albert Cook of Pompey in the County of Onondaga and state aforesaid my true and lawfull attorney with power of substitution to investigate substantiate demand and receive the avails of said claim or claims and to say and do all things therein as amply as I might do hereby ratifying all things said or done by said attorney or his substitute in vertinture [?] of also revoking all powers of attorney or other authority heretofore given for any such purposes. In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written. Lawrence Herter

Attest. Israel Spencer Chas. S. Wick.

The following letter is part of the pension application folder for Lorens Harter.



June 30, 1930

Mr. M. G. Bronner
Suite 404 Burrell Building
Little Falls, New York

Dear Sir:
I advise you from the papers in the Revolutionary War pension claim, R.4701, it appears that Lawrence (Lorens) Philip Harter, Herter or Herder, married before the War of the Revolution, no specific date stated, Barbara Delaney, daughter of Peter Delaney.

She died March 13, 1823 or 1828, at Manlius, New York and he died there October 19, 1833 or 1843.

Their children were: Charity, Philip, Peggy, Lawrence, Betsey, Barbara, Conrad, Taney or Laney, Caty or Catherine, and Henry.

Catherine Reals died prior to 1853. Charity Miller, Barbara Shoemaker, Lawrence and Henry applied in 1853 for the pension that might have been due their father and it was alleged that he served three tours of nine months each as a private in the New York Militia, under Captains Crisler, Henry Herder, Frederick Frank, Starring, Helmer and Small, in Colonel Peter Bellinger’s Regiment, and was taken prisoner June 21, 1782 and held until December 14, 1782.

The claim was not allowed as he failed to furnish satisfactory proof of six months service.

Very truly yours,
E. W. Morgan
Acting Commissioner..