United States, Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
For a complete list of the NARA roll numbers contained in this collection, see the United States, Pension Payment Ledgers Coverage Table.

This collection contains images of pension payment ledgers created by the Treasury Department to record semiannual payments to veterans and widows of the Revolutionary War from 1818-1872. A few records for the War of 1812 are also included. A coverage table for localities and dates can be found under User Guidance. The collection is arranged by pension act, pension agency, and the first letter of the veteran's last name. The Event Date" is the date pension payment began. This collection is from Record Group 217, Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, and is National Archive Microfilm publication T718.

 See Also
 * Alycon Trubey Pierce. Adding 'final pension payment voucher' records to the researcher's toolbox. NGS Magazine 34 #2 (April-June 2008): 42-48. FS Library 973nD25ngs
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens,  For Love and Money: Pensions Laws Affecting Widows of Military Veterans NGS Magazine 42 #1 (January-March 2016): 35-39. FS Library 973 D25mgs
 * Craig R. Scott. Understanding Revolutionary War and Invalid Pension Ledgers 1818-1872 and the Pension Payment Vouchers They Represent Berwyn Heights, Maryland: Heritage Books.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The content of the records differ depending upon whether the record is for a pensioner, invalid, or widow. The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Coverage Table
A coverage table for this collection can be found at United States, Pension Payment Ledgers Coverage Table.

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search you will need to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The state and county where your ancestor lived
 * The rank your ancestor held in the military
 * If a widow, you need to know her name, residence and spouse's name

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 research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Death dates may lead to church or burial records
 * Use the name and residence or locality to search for church records, land records, and census records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the surnames and nicknames
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby counties

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the 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

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * United States. War Department. Secretary of War. Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting a report of the names, rank, and line of every person placed on the pension list, 1818-1819
 * U.S. Treasury Department, Accounting, Final Revolutionary War pension payment vouchers, Georgia
 * New Jersey State Library and Archives, New Jersey Revolutionary War pension claims

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * James C. Neagles and Lila L. Neagles,  Locating your Revolutionary War ancestor : a guide to the military records Logan, Utah : Everton Publishers, c1983
 * Robert K. Wright, Jr., The Continental Army Washington, D.C. : Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1983
 * Benson John Lossing,Field-book of the American Revolution : published under the patronage of the National Society, Sons of the American Revolution ... 2 volumes. Reprint of the 1850-1852 ed. published in New York, Harper and Brothers. Cottonport, Louisiana : Polyanthos, 1972
 * 1835 Pension List Volume 1, pt 1
 * 1835 Pension List Volume 1, pt 2
 * 1835 Pension List Volume 2, pt1
 * 1835 Pension List Volume 2, pt 2

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.

Estados Unidos, Livros de Pagamento de Pensão da Guerra Revoluciária (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)