This index links to a collection of Revolutionary pension records which includes images of entire pension files for soldiers and sailors who served during the Revolutionary War. These records reveal more details about the veteran’s history and service unlike selected service records chosen for genealogical content. They also contain more specific information about a soldier’s family, state of health, and life after the war.
For the genealogist, pension files are the richest form of military record available. The data within it provides a richer view of your ancestor’s life, then a mere service record or muster roll. They will often detail a specific soldier’s activities during the war, battles fought, injuries received, etc. Records of which are likely lost if not for the pension file.
While using our search below, the number of results for an individual will usually reflect the number of images for that person’s pension file. To search for a given person you are given 2 choices. Whether you wish to search for the Pensioner (the one filing the application) or you wish to search for the veteran of the Revolutionary War. They are not always one and the same. If you don’t get the result you expect using the veterans name we suggest you try the same name in the pensioners field. Do not use both, or it will try to search both fields and likely come up with an empty result.