United States, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

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 The pension and land warrant applications consist of about 80,000 files. Each file may be a single card or may contain from 1 to 200 pages or more. A typical file is about 30 pages and includes an introductory card, an application, sworn affidavits, and other supporting documents that verify a veteran’s identity and service. The file also includes papers that show decisions made concerning the claim. In 1912 the Survivor, Widow, Rejected, and Bounty Land Warrant files were consolidated into a single alphabetical series.
-See also
+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.
-*Jean Nudd. '' Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information.'' Prologue (Summer, 2015): 55-60.
+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, 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 the law was later amended.
+The Federal Government granted bounty land warrants, or rights to free land, to Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. The promise of bounty land during the war was an incentive to enter and remain in the service. After the war, bounty land grants became a form of reward.
+Veterans or their heirs who claimed bounty land warrants sent applications to the Secretary of War (later the Commissioner of Pensions and then the Secretary of the Interior). Also forwarded were affidavits of witnesses who testified of service performed, marriage records, and other forms of evidence. If an application was approved, the claimant was issued a warrant for a specified number of acres. He could then “locate” his warrant, that is, select a portion of the public domain to have in exchange for his warrant. The Treasury Department, and after 1849 the Interior Department, accepted the warrants and then issued patents to the land. Many recipients of Revolutionary War bounty land warrants did not relocate to their new land. They sold the warrants instead.
+Pensions and bounty land warrants were originally administered by the Secretary of War. In 1815 two bureaus were created, one for pensions and the other for land warrants. In 1841 the Secretary of War placed bounty land functions under the direction of the Commissioner of Pensions. In 1849 the Pension Office was transferred to the newly established Department of the Interior. In 1930 the Bureau of Pensions was placed under the jurisdiction of the new Veterans Administration.
+Most of the records in the files are dated between 1800 and 1900, although there is some correspondence dated as late as 1940. These records cover about 20 percent of American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men who served in the Revolutionary War. Pensions and bounty land warrants were issued to compensate Revolutionary War veterans for their service. Later, widows of veterans also received benefits. Information recorded on pension and bounty land warrant applications is generally reliable, but its accuracy depended on the memory of the applicant and the records he or she had access to. Some applications were rejected if the information could not be verified in federal records or if the claim was suspected of being fraudulent.
+See also:
+*Jean Nudd. ''Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information.'' Prologue (Summer, 2015): 55-60.
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. ''Revolutionary War Pension Files - an Introduction.'' NGS Magazine 32 #2 ( April-June 2006): 34-37.
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 *[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/18471430 Family Bibles Filed with Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 - ca. 1912. NAID 18471430]
 *[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/605836 Claims Filed by Revolutionary War Veterans, 9/16/1828 - 8/3/1835. NAID 605836]
+{{HR Tip|This collection contains searchable content in the NARA Catalog.  They can be accessed by clicking on the National Archives identifier in the Record Description.  Once inside the Catalog, click on the "Search Within This Series".}}
 === Image Visibility ===
 {{Image Visibility}}
-{{HR Tip|This collection contains searchable content in the NARA Catalog.  They can be accessed by clicking on the National Archives identifier in the Record Description.  Once inside the Catalog, click on the "Search Within This Series".}}
 == What Can These Records Tell Me? ==
 The following information may be found in these records:
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 *Ages or birth dates of children
 }}
-== Collection Content  ==
+== Collection Content ==
-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.
-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, 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 the law was later amended.
-The Federal Government granted bounty land warrants, or rights to free land, to Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. The promise of bounty land during the war was an incentive to enter and remain in the service. After the war, bounty land grants became a form of reward.
-Veterans or their heirs who claimed bounty land warrants sent applications to the Secretary of War (later the Commissioner of Pensions and then the Secretary of the Interior). Also forwarded were affidavits of witnesses who testified of service performed, marriage records, and other forms of evidence. If an application was approved, the claimant was issued a warrant for a specified number of acres. He could then “locate” his warrant, that is, select a portion of the public domain to have in exchange for his warrant. The Treasury Department, and after 1849 the Interior Department, accepted the warrants and then issued patents to the land. Many recipients of Revolutionary War bounty land warrants did not relocate to their new land. They sold the warrants instead.
-Pensions and bounty land warrants were originally administered by the Secretary of War. In 1815 two bureaus were created, one for pensions and the other for land warrants. In 1841 the Secretary of War placed bounty land functions under the direction of the Commissioner of Pensions. In 1849 the Pension Office was transferred to the newly established Department of the Interior. In 1930 the Bureau of Pensions was placed under the jurisdiction of the new Veterans Administration.
-Most of the records in the files are dated between 1800 and 1900, although there is some correspondence dated as late as 1940. These records cover about 20 percent of American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men who served in the Revolutionary War.
-Pensions and bounty land warrants were issued to compensate Revolutionary War veterans for their service. Later, widows of veterans also received benefits.
-Information recorded on pension and bounty land warrant applications is generally reliable, but its accuracy depended on the memory of the applicant and the records he or she had access to. Some applications were rejected if the information could not be verified in federal records or if the claim was suspected of being fraudulent.
 === Sample Images ===
 <gallery widths="160px" heights="120px" perrow="3">
@@ Line 111: / Line 108: @@
 *The names of the soldier's spouse and children
 === Search the Index ===
-{{Search Collection Link
+{{Search Collection Link | CID=CID1417475 }}
-| CID=CID1417475
-}}
-{{HR Tip|More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1417475 United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications, 1800-1900]. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.}}
 === How Do I Analyze the Results? ===
 Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a [[Use_Appropriate_Forms#Prepare_a_Research_Log |research log]].
@@ Line 134: / Line 128: @@
 === Research Helps ===
 The following articles will help you in your research for your family in [[United States Genealogy|the United States]].
+* [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
+* [[United States Record Finder]]
+* [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
 * [[US Military Basic Search Strategies ]]
 * [[Beginning Research in United States Military Records]]
 * [[Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestor]]
-* [[GuidedResearch:United States|United States Guided Research]]
-* [[United States Record Finder]]
-* [[United States Research Tips and Strategies]]
 === Related Family History Library Holdings ===
 *[https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/235757 1813 Pension List]
@@ Line 147: / Line 141: @@
 *[https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/282860 Census of Pensioners 1840 Census]
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/422979 Accounts audited of claims growing out of the Revolution in South Carolina]
 === Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections ===
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2069831 United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872]
@@ Line 154: / Line 147: @@
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2068326 United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783]
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2546162 United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783]
 === Related Digital Books ===
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/85940-the-last-men-of-the-revolution-a-photograph-of-each-from-life-together-with-views-of-their-homes-printed-in-colors-accompanied-by-brief-biographical-sketches-of-the-men?offset=1  Rev. E. B. Hillard. ''Last Men of the Revolution'']
@@ Line 160: / Line 152: @@
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/599248?  Mabel E. Deutrich, comp. ''Preliminary inventory of the War Department collection of Revolutionary War records : record group 93.''Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1962]
 *[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/599018 Thayer M. Boardman, Myra R. Trever, and Louise W. Southwick, comps. Preliminary inventory of the administrative records of the Bureau of Pensions and the Pension Service, (record group 15). Washington, D.C. : National Archives & Records Administration, 1953]
 == Citing This Collection ==
 Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.