Source Information

New York State Archives
Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
Original data: Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812. New York Adjutant General's Office. New York State Archives, Albany, NY.

About New York, U.S., Military Equipment Claims, War of 1812

As with nearly all early state militias, volunteers in the New York state militia during the War of 1812 provided their own arms and clothing. This database is an index of claims presented to the State of New York for payment of expenses for military clothing and equipment provided by volunteers during the war. These claims were for clothing and equipment "which were depreciated, worn out, lost and destroyed in said service for which he had not received payment." Only the claims of those who performed duty "in the service of the State" were paid. Some additional claims were paid in good faith by the State, but as late as 1885, 17,228 claims were unpaid. Records indicate that these claims were never paid. The original declarations of claims from which the index was compiled are on file in the Bureau of War Records maintained by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, Public Security Building, Albany, New York, 12206. The declaration indicates the claimants name and military grade, inclusive period of service and land warrant, if any, granted as a result of his service.

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The New York State Archives was established in 1971 and opened its doors to the public in 1978. It is a program of the State Education Department, with its main facility located in the Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue in Albany. There it cares for and provides access to more than 200 million documents that tell the story of New York from the seventeenth century to the present. From its main facility, it also administers statewide programs that reach out to state agencies, local governments and community organizations. Archives staff are located in nine regional offices around the State to address the archives and records management concerns of every area of the State.

New York State Archives