Philip Swatzel’s Pension Application

This is one of my favorite finds from my family record hunts. Not that it was hard to find - It was actually saved by many other members of the family - but because of the first hand account of history that it provides.

In September 1833 Philip Swatzel submitted his pension claim for service in the Pennsylvania Militia during the American Revolutionary War. As he was likely illiterate, his signature is a ‘X’, his testimony and proof of service were recorded by a clerk of the court. In the cover letter, the clerk mentions that Philip had a very strong “Dutch” accent and that he interpreted the names and dates as best he could.

This document is a great for lots of reasons. One is that it is relatively easy to decipher the handwriting. Another is that it directly links an ancestor to George Washington’s armies and some key places in the New York-New Jersey Campaign of the war. It also provides a lot of family history that would have otherwise been almost impossible to piece together without this directly attributable source. Prior to this pension application I had no records or sources that linked Philip to any family or place prior to 1805.

Pension application page one

Line 4: In September 1833 Philip was 75

Line 9: Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Line 10: Birth date stated as 10th day of June 1758

Lines 11-12: There is a family Bible purchased by his father and now owned by his Brother-in-Law, indicating he has a sister

Lines 12-14: His father moved from Lancaster County to Cumberland County near the start of the war

Lines 15-16: Drafted in 1777

Lines 18-19: Initially served under Captain Thomas Johnson

Line 19: Marched up to Chambersburg, PA

Line 21: Formed under Col. Abram Smith and Maj. John Johnson

Lines 22-27: Marched to Lancaster then to Philadelphia to Delaware and on to Trenton

Line 28: Merged with Continental Army under General Washington

Lines 34-35: Was under the command of General James Patton [Potter?] and did not see action during the Battle of Trenton

There are some historical irregularities in this account like the Battle of Trenton was fought on December 26, 1776. I account this to him being 75 years old and he likely enlisted at the end of 1776. Philip states he was under the command of General James Patton [Potter] and did not see action in this conflict but I have not found a record of this General.

Other items check out; Col. Abraham Smith was the Commanding Officer of the Cumberland Militia 8th Battalion in 1777, John Johnson was his Major and Thomas Johnson his Adjutant. https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniaarch30penn/page/530

A Lt. Col. James Johnson was the Commanding officer of the Cumberland Militia, 1st Battalion in 1780

Pension application page two

Lines 4-5: Militia was discharged after the Battle of Trenton

Lines 10-11: Drafted again in 1779

Line 14: Served under Capt. James Paugh (Poe*)

Line 15-16: Stationed to guard a local fort from Indian attacks

Lines 17-18: Discharged

Lines 19-20: Performed scouting duties while stationed at the fort for 3 months

Lines 23-29: No known witnesses in PA to verify his services but local Tennessee neighbors can vouch for him, Jeremiah Farnsworth and Henry Fiezel

Lines 34-35: 6 months of total service to claim pension for

Lines 36-39: Had an accident with a falling bag 20 years previously, knocking his hip joint out of place and is unable to work

Line 39: Lived in Maryland and Virginia

*Captain James Poe served under the Pennsylvania Militia 8th Battalion 3rd Company between 1777 and 1782

https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniaarch30penn/page/570

Pension application page three

Lines 1-2: Lived the past 33 years in Greene County, Tennessee

Signature marked by an ‘X’

This marks the end of his affidavit but there are some clerical notes and a statement from Henry Fiezel and Jeremiah Farnsworth validating Philip’s claim that is partially obscured by ink stains.

The pension was approved on 25 October 1833; possibly one of the fastest government turn-approvals you'll ever see, especially given everything was manual then.

Analysis and working assumptions

There are so many things I learned from this document and just as many new questions that aren’t answered. I’ll start with the facts we can now apply to Philip Swatzel’s bio.

Born: 10 June 1758 in Lancaster County, PA
Lived in Cumberland County, PA from at least 1777 to 1779
Lived in Greene County, TN since 1800
Lived in Maryland and Virginia in between 1779 and 1800. Exact dates and places unknown.
Served in the Cumberland County Militia twice, around 1777 and 1779
He has a sister who was married and has the family Bible purchased by their father
He has a “Dutch” accent
He injured his hip around age 55 and wasn’t been able to work since

What’s not mentioned were any family members’ names or the exact towns in any of the counties listed.

And now for the working assumptions. Like any assumptions, these need to be tested and either proved or disproved.

Philip’s father was one of the three Schwärtzel’s to arrive in Philadelphia in 1754.
Exact dates for his service may be off by ± a few years and their may be slight spelling errors in their names.
Based on his commanding officers and the Battalion/Companies they commanded, Philip was likely from Antrim Township, Cumberland, PA. A small town on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, not far from Hagerstown and just south of Chambersburg. This would make more sense of the “marched up to Chambersburg” reference.
Philip likely lived along the Great Valley Road on his journey from PA to TN. Making Hagerstown, MD a place of interest to search for more records. Other areas in VA to investigate would be Winchester, Staunton, and Roanoke.

Family Record Hunter