Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
Original data:

United States Senate.The Pension Roll of 1835.4 vols. 1968 Reprint, with index. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992.

About U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835

During and following the Revolutionary War a series of laws were passed to provide for servicemen who were disabled and wives of those who were killed. In 1834 and 1835, the U.S. Senate passed a series of resolutions requiring the Commissioner of Pensions to compile a list of the pensioners who were drawing military pensions for service in the Revolutionary War.

Each listing included the pensioners name, “rank, annual allowance, the sums which they have severally received, the laws under which their pensions have been granted, the State or continental line in they which they served, the date when placed upon the roll, their ages [although age was not always given], and the States and Counties in which they severally reside.” The date of the commencement of the pension was also noted, and there was also a field for remarks that in some cases included the pensioner’s death date. In cases where the pension was transferred to a different state or if the residence was out of state, you may find that notation in the remarks as well.

Pensioners were required to appear before a government agent to collect their pension. In cases where the distance was too great, or the pensioner too infirmed to travel, an agent, possibly a family member, could be engaged to appear in his stead, sometimes for a fee. Some states included the name of the agent or legal representatives.

The volumes in this collection are broken down by state, then county, and surname.

While you may find War of 1812 veterans included in these records, the majority of War of 1812 pensions were granted under legislation in 1871 and 1878.

About Revolutionary War Pensions
Early Revolutionary War pension applications were destroyed in fires in 1800 and 1814, although record of those pensions may exist in reports to Congress during the 1790s.

Beginning in 1776, a series of different acts granted pensions to servicemen. Through the years the requirements to qualify for a pension and the benefits received changed. The National Archives' description for Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files includes an overview of the various acts with both eligibility and benefit details.

If your ancestor appears in the 1835 pensioners lists, check for a pension file. The files can contain a wide variety of records submitted to support an application. Information of genealogical interest includes the application itself, which can provide the soldier’s name, rank, unit, time of service, age, date of birth, residence, and sometimes birthplace. A widow’s application may also include her maiden name and date and place of her husband’s death. Applications by heirs will typically indicate ages and residences. Additionally, files might contain affidavits, service records, records of commissions and discharges, wills, receipts, diaries or pages from family Bible records, military orders or muster rolls, newspaper clippings, letters, marriage certificates, and account books.