United States, Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application Files - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

United States Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application Files, 1830–1875 record collection contains half pay pensions for Virginia soldiers and sailors based on their service in the Revolutionary War.  In May of 1779 the Virginia General Assembly granted the payment of half pay pensions for life to the state's military and naval officers and others who served until the end of the war in state units within the state's borders or in the Continental Army. This collection is part of Record Group 15, Records of the Veterans Administration, and is National Archives Microfilm publication M910. A copy of the microfilm publication pamphlet can be viewed at [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/FamilySearch_Wiki:United_States_Revolutionary_War,_Virginia_Pension_Application_Files_Introduction_and_Coverage_Table Introduction and Coverage Table] or downloaded from the NARA microfilm catalog at [https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline/start.swe?SWECmd=GotoView&SWEScreen=GPEA+Microfilm+MIF&SWEView=GPEA+Microfilm+Landing+Page+View+MIF The National Archives] by entering the microfilm publication number M910 into the search field.

After the French and Indian war ended 1773, the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on their American colonies in an attempt to recover some of the cost of the war, to have the colonies pay for their own defense, and to assert authority over the colonies. The taxes were not well received by the colonists, who felt that as they lacked representation in the Parliament, their rights as Englishmen were being violated and the taxes were unlawful. The colonists attempted to gain representation in the British Parliament without success. When gaining representation failed each colony began to form their own parliaments or governments. These colonial government bodies would then overturn British laws that they felt were unlawful and created an undue burden.  In response, Britain sent in more soldiers, and the colonies were occupied by a standing army. The already overburdened colonists were required to feed and clothe the army. This series of events lead to the outbreak of war on April 19, 1775. The colonists’ original aim was to restore their rights as Englishmen; however, by early 1776 the idea that the American Revolution was a bid for independence began to form and take root, and by July the Colonists had declared their independence from the rule of the British Empire.  

Military Rosters and Enlistment or Muster Rolls provide a record of when a soldier or sailor served, where they served, and for how long. They also provide details of who they served under, rank, promotion, leave information, and when their service ended. These records tell where a soldier or sailor lived and where the enlisted which were not always the same place.

Pension acts were passed and amended many times between 1776 and 1878. In 1776 the first pension law granted half-pay for life to soldiers disabled in the service and unable to earn a living. A pension law passed in 1818 permitted compensation for service, regardless of disability, but was later amended, making eligible only those soldiers who were unable to earn a living. The pension act of 1832 allowed pensions again based on service and enabled a veteran’s widow to receive pension benefits. The pension act of 1832 made Revolutionary War Pensions available to all veterans who served during the war for at least six months in any of the armed forces—Regular or Continental Army, state militia, navy and certain contract positions, such as teamsters—not just disabled veterans and those who had served in the Continental Army.  In addition to Federal pensions, nine states, including Virginia, enacted pension laws.

A veteran or his widow seeking a pension had to appear in court in the state of his or her residence to describe under oath the service for which the pension was being claimed. A widow was required to provide information concerning the date and place of her marriage to the veteran. The application statement, deposition or “declaration” as it was usually called, was certified by the court and then forwarded, along with all supporting documents (this may have included property schedules, marriage records, and affidavits of witnesses) to a federal official, usually the Secretary of War or the Commissioner of Pensions. The applicant was then notified that the application had been approved, rejected, or set aside pending the submission of additional proof of eligibility. If an applicant was eligible, his name was placed on the pension list. Payments were usually made semiannually. A rejected applicant often reapplied when pension laws were amended and provide more information about the soldier or sailor and their families because more information was included in the file—pension files average around 50 documents. Whether rejected or approved, pension files are rich with data concerning Revolutionary War veterans and their families and provide unique records and glimpses into their lives and time.

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