Author: Mark W. Swarthout
Published on: February 23, 2001
The War for American Independence, or the Revolutionary War as we commonly call it, begins on April 19, 1775, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. There were some key occurrences prior to that date, such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. The war continued until the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. And while the majority of us picture the battles and campaigns in the New England area, the war raged up and down the entire east coast of North America. Battles took place in the Canadian countryside as well as the swamps of the Carolinas and Georgia.
So you have a family legend that says that one of your ancestors fought in the American Revolution. But do you know which side? Remember those Hessian mercenaries that the British brought over to fight for them? The ones that George Washington snuck across the Delaware River to surprise and captured that early Christmas morning? Almost half of them never went back to Germany! Many of them had nothing of worth to return for, so like my 4G Grandfather; they deserted prior to the unit going back, settling throughout the colonies. See my article on Hessian Soldiers.
There are many places to look for listings of Revolutionary soldiers. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is the most famous and they have printed an index of veterans that can be found in most libraries. They haven't put the information on line and I don't know whether they will. You can search the DAR Library Catalogue online to see what materials they are currently holding. Some of the pay-for-access genealogy sites have placed DAR applications and records on the web.
Many DAR Chapters have web sites and e-mail addresses. If you know the names of individuals who were members, ("I can remember my mother going to DAR meetings with my aunt.") you can contact the chapter in the appropriate area. I have always gotten prompt responses as to whether they were members of that chapter or appeared in any of their indexes. Finding a member of the DAR can really assist filling in a family tree!
Another good site is the Valley Forge Muster Roll; an automated database created by the National Park Service of the nearly 30,000 soldiers who served at Valley Forge.
Sons of the American Revolution; the 'brother' organization to the DAR.
There are hardcopy indexes of Revolutionary Pension Applications available, but I haven't found them on the web yet. If you do find your ancestor, or possible ancestor, you may be able to obtain a copy of the microfiche through the National Archives and Records Administration. Here you can print out the appropriate form and mail it in with all the information you know about the individual. You will receive a letter in four to six weeks telling you whether they have the record and how much it will cost. You then send a check and the record comes back about four weeks later.
My pension applications have come on 11 1/2 by 14 paper, coming off of heavily scratched microfiche. There has always been a letter of apology for the poor quality. Given the handwriting, normally done by the notary who is taking the statement, is old style, quill type pen complete with blots, it can be a challenge! Reading the documents can be a bit hard, but always interesting! I normally transcribe a copy of the document and the process can go a long way toward helping with the hard to read words. I post the transcripts at appropriate web sites to assist others looking for the same information.
The application usually consists of a number of affidavits sworn before a notary or justice of the peace. These sworn statements are often made by relatives and their relationship is included in what ever narrative is provided. Occasionally these applications will also include a page from the family Bible with birth, death and marriage information.
Good luck finding your Revolutionary connections!