North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States North Carolina

What is in the Collection?
Images of State Treasurer Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers issued in lieu of cash for military service or supplies furnished. The records are arranged alphabetically covering the years 1779-1782 and was acquired from the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. Vouchers that were redeemed have holes punched through the center of the document. Most vouchers include name, certificate number and amount due. It may also include the date and place it was issued.

Collection Contents
Revolutionary Pay Voucher records may contain the following information:


 * Given name
 * Surname
 * Event Type
 * Date of voucher
 * Date of oath
 * State, town and/or county where voucher redeemed
 * Value of voucher or goods received
 * Digital folder number
 * Image number
 * Voucher number and surname range

General Information about These Records
From the years 1776 to 1783, approximately 36,000 men from North Carolina served in the American Revolution. Men between the ages of 16 and 60 may have served during the war in either the Continental Army, State Line Troops, or local militia mustered to help the Continental Troops.

Vouchers rather than cash payments were issued to soldiers for military service performed. Soldiers then presented vouchers for payment received in either cash, food or other goods. Payment was made only after an auditor had validated the claim and an oath was created to verify the claim.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your Ancestor’s full name
 * Names of other family members
 * County of residence

To search by index: Fill in requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the "Voucher number and surname range" category which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Download a copy of the record, or extract the genealogical information needed. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example, use the voucher location to find family in census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * If your ancestor used multiple names throughout their life, look for all their names.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then do the search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.

Related Websites

 * Ancestry ($)
 * Fold3 ($)
 * Military Voucher Index Fold3 ($)
 * American Wars
 * New Horizons Genealogy (free)

Related Wiki Articles

 * North Carolina Genealogy
 * North Carolina Military Records
 * Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783
 * Research U.S. Revolutionary War Ancestor

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: