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Andrew Secor

There is information on Andrew Secor at the site Heritage Quest Online:

http://www.heritagequestonline.com/hqoweb/library/do/index

The database of interest is Revolutionary War Era Pension & Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. For Andrew, the reference is:

Series: M805, Roll 724, Image 298, File S15232, Pages 1 to 7

Starting on Page 3, Andrew tells his story in applying for a Revolutionary War Pension:

"State of New York

Albany County SS

On this 18th day of July 1832 personally appeared before Joseph B. Moore a Judge of the County Courts of the County of Albany and State aforesaid Andrew Secor aged 73 years and upwards who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath, make the following declaration, in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7 1832.

That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers, and served as herein stated -

That he entered the said service on the first day of March 1776 at Haverstraw in the County of Rockland in the State of New York where he then resided, and enlisted in Captain Bells company in Colonel Greens regiment for the term of nine months and marched to Nyack in the said county and from there went to White Plains and joined the Army under the command of Genl Nathaniel Green and was at the battle of White Plains; During that engagement he had one ball shot through his hat, and had a slight wound on his thigh. He continued at that place, and at a place near there untill the last of December in the same year, when he was discharged, and then returned home. He [recd?] a written discharge which is lost. At the Battle of White Plains the sergeant he was under, was killed. In June 1777 he again entered the service and enlisted in Captain Tallmans company for three months at Haverstraw aforesaid and was employed during that time in keeping guard along the lines, and guarding the shipping, &c untill September of the same year when he was dismissed and then returned home to Haverstraw. Immediately after he again entered the said service as a volunteer and joined Capt Ackers company Coln Hays regiment of militia, and continued in this company and regiment for more than two months and was employed in guarding the prisoners taken at Stoney Point, and guarding the lines along the shore at Tappan, Nyack and various other places and continued at this time untill late in the winter, when he was dismissed, and he returned home. That during the remainder of the year 1778 and the year 1779, he belonged to the militia and was called out a great many times on alarms, on scouts, in [classes?] and as a minute man, and frequently went out as a substitute for his brothers who were drafted or [classed?], that it is impossible to enumerate all the times and circumstances relating to this kind of service but that he can swear positively that there was but a very small portion of his time but what he was in the service during the whole of the Revolutionary War. In the fall of the year 1780 he enlisted in Captain Gardners company of Rangers in Rockland County (then Orange County) for the term of six months, this company was raised by order of Gov George Clinton and was engaged during that time in scouts, guarding the lines, [watching?] cow-boys, and horse thieves untill the spring of the next year when he was discharged.

That he has no documentary evidence at this time to prove his service, nor does he know of any person he can procure to testify to his service except Isaac Secor who has made an affidavit hereto annexed. That he resides twenty miles from the city of Albany where the Courts of Record are held for the County of Albany. That he is very infirm, and thinks it would be impossible for him to go that distance to Court. That the cholera is now raging at the said city as he understands and believes to great extent, and he also understands that there is now no Court of Record in session at that place - and that he does not think is safe to go to Albany at this time provided a Court of Record was now held there. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present, and declares that his name is not on the Pension Roll of the Agency of any State - He further states that while he was in Capt Ackers Company in Coln Hay's regiment about a week before Stoney Point was taken he was in an engagement with the enemy, [across?] the morass or marsh adjoining Stoney Point that he fired 15 rounds himself, and has no doubt but that he killed a British officer. That he served as a private soldier during the times above stated. That he is unable to write his name having never been taught to write.

                                                                                                                                                                     his
                                                                                                                                                        Andrew X Secor
                                                                                                                                                                     mark

Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid Before me
J. B. Moore Judge
of Albany County Courts"

Andrew's statement mentioned an affidavit by Isaac Secor, but it does not appear on the Heritage Quest Online site with Andrew's file. His submission was accepted and he did receive a pension, though there is no indication of how long he received it.

The sixth and seventh pages in the file contain a copy of a letter sent to Rev. L. H. Stoughton of 14 Hawk Street, Scotia, NY on Oct. 23, 1939 by A. D. Hiller, "Executive Assistant to the Administrator". This letter summarizes the information above and also adds that an Isaac Secor who was born Dec. 1, 1755 and was living in Berne, NY in 1832 stated that he served with Andrew Secor during the Revolution, but did not explain what his relationship to Andrew was.

From Andrew's statement it appears that he was born in 1759 if his birthday was before July 18th, or 1758 if his birthday was after July 18th. While he was from present-day Rockland County, this does not state that he was born there. The 1790 census lists an Andrew Secor in Stillwater, Albany County, NY. His household consisted of two males over 16, three males under 16, and three females.

The information that I can see in the Ancestry family trees is not clear on where this man fits into the family of Sicards/Secords/Secors/Seacords, though some appear to suggest that he was actually Andrew Daniel Secor, son of John and Maria (Gerow/Giraud) Secor. John Secor/Sicard is said to the the son of James/Jacques and Anne (Terrier) Sicard, with James/Jacques the son of Ambroise Sicard the immigrant. I have not attempted to confirm this information. It appears that there may be a missing generation in there, given the date of birth of Andrew and the presumed date of birth of John.

The Ancestry family trees suggest that the Isaac Secor noted above was the son of David and Rebecca (Halstead) Secor, with David the son of James/Jacques and Anne (Terrier) Sicard, with James/Jaques the son of Ambroise Sicard the immigrant. Again, I have not attempted to verify this.