Daniel Frederick Bakeman (October 9, 1759 – April 5, 1869) was the last survivor receiving a veteran's pension for service in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

(1775–1783).

Early life

Bakeman claimed that he was born on October 9, 1759, in

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning ...

. Other sources indicate that he may have been born in northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, near the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, and that his parents moved to the Schoharie County area when he was a boy. His parents were Dutch immigrants Andreas Phillip Bakeman and Catarien Miller, and his name sometimes appears in written records as "Bochman". He was baptized in

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

on November 27, 1773.

American Revolution

According to Bakeman's later testimony, during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, he served as a private in the

Tryon County militia The creation of the Tryon County, New York militia was authorized on March 8, 1772, when the Province of New York passed a bill for the establishment of organized militia in each county in the colony. By 1776 (at the start of the American War of ...

for the last four years of the war, and was a member of the company commanded by a captain named Van Arnum during the period when the county militia was commanded by Marinus Willett. According to an obituary, Bakeman took part in the 1781

Battle of Johnstown The Battle of Johnstown was one of the last battles in the northern theatre of the American Revolutionary War, with approximately 1,400 engaged at Johnstown, New York on October 25, 1781. British regulars and militia, commanded by Major John R ...

, and served as a teamster for the militia following his time in the ranks. Though no captain named Van Arnum (possibly Van Aernam, a prominent family in Cattaraugus County in Bakeman's later life) or anything approximating it appears in the rolls of the Tryon County militia, and though no soldier named Bakeman or Bochman appears in the roll; the descriptions Bakeman provided of his Revolutionary service in the pension application he submitted later in life were judged to be credible. The US Department of the Interior had one listing of "Bakeman": "Bakeman, Henry of Granbry, Oswego" ountywith the following remarks: "Suspended for evidence of identity of the service credited to a soldier of the same name of Colonel Willett's regiment, Captain Peter B. Teare's company." Hi
Pension File
is available online, containing 132 pages of details of his life and service.

Post-war

After the war, Bakeman farmed in the

Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

. In 1782, he married Susan Brewer, and they were the parents of eight children: Philip, Richard, Christopher, Betsey, Margaret, Susan, Mary, and Christine. Records show that in 1825 the Bakeman family settled in Arcade, New York, where they owned a home on the north side of the County Line Road. In 1845 they moved to

Freedom, New York Freedom is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,244 at the 2021 census. The town is in the northeast corner of Cattaraugus County. History The first settlers arrived in December 1811. Historians have fo ...

, and they later moved to Stark. Bakeman appeared in the 1860 United States census as "Frederick Bakeman" living in Freedom with his wife, his daughter Susan, and a grandchild, Jacob N. Bakeman (born 1838). His wife died on September 10, 1863, at the age of 105, after 81 years of marriage. In Bakeman's later years, he was often called upon by local leaders to take part in important ceremonies, and on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

he was known to march around Freedom firing salutes with his musket.

Later life

Bakeman was the victim of house fires at least three times during his lifetime, including once while on a four-day trip from central New York to Albany to buy wheat and other farm supplies. In the mid-1860s, he applied for a pension, and stated that the records of his service burned in one of his house fires. As with many veterans who could not provide discharge certificates or other verifying documents, Bakeman's application included affidavits from friends and neighbors, who attested that he had a reputation for honesty, and that they had previously heard him describe his military service. The testimony of these individuals and Bakeman's own affidavit were judged to be credible, and on February 14, 1867, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

passed a special act which granted Bakeman a pension of $500 per year. At the time, the longest surviving veterans who were on the pension rolls were

Lemuel Cook Lemuel Cook (September 10, 1759 – May 20, 1866) was one of the last verifiable surviving veterans of the American Revolutionary War. Early life and education Cook was born on September 10, 1759, in Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Henry Cook ...

Clarendon, New York Clarendon is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 3,648 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from Clarendon, Vermont. The Town of Clarendon is in the southeast part of the county. New York State Route 31A a ...

(died May 20, 1866), and Samuel Downing of

Edinburgh, New York Edinburg is a town in northwestern Saratoga County, New York, United States. It is located in the Adirondack Park. The Batchellerville Bridge crosses Great Sacandaga Lake, connecting parts of the town on either shore. Etymology The town is named ...

(died February 19, 1867). George Fruits (died August 6, 1876) also claimed to be the last surviving veteran of the Revolutionary War, but he was never on the pension rolls, and research by A. Ross Eckler Jr. in the 1970s indicated that Fruits was 17 years younger than he claimed, and was not a veteran of the Revolution.

Death and burial

Bakeman died in Freedom on April 5, 1869, and is buried in Freedom's Sandusky Cemetery. The ''Annual Report'' of the U.S. Commissioner of Pensions for 1874 noted that "With the death of Daniel T. Bakeman, of Freedom, Cattaraugus County, N.Y., April 5, 1869, the last of the pensioned soldiers of the Revolution passed away."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bakeman, Daniel F. 1759 births 1869 deaths American men centenarians American people of Dutch descent Continental Army soldiers People from Schoharie County, New York People from the Province of New York People of New York (state) in the American Revolution People from Arcade, New York People from Cattaraugus County, New York Age controversies