United States, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of revolutionary war pensions for the years 1800 to 1900. It is part of Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007 and is National Archive Microfilm Publication M804.

The pension and land warrant applications consist of about 80,000 files. Each file may be a single card or may contain from 1 to 200 pages or more. A typical file is about 30 pages and includes an introductory card, an application, sworn affidavits, and other supporting documents that verify a veteran’s identity and service. The file also includes papers that show decisions made concerning the claim. In 1912 the Survivor, Widow, Rejected, and Bounty Land Warrant files were consolidated into a single alphabetical series.

Pension acts were passed and amended many times between 1776 and 1878. In 1776 the first pension law granted half-pay for life to soldiers disabled in the service and unable to earn a living. A pension law passed in 1818 permitted compensation for service, regardless of disability, but was later amended, making eligible only those soldiers who were unable to earn a living. The pension act of 1832 allowed pensions again based on service and enabled a veteran’s widow to receive pension benefits.

A veteran or his widow seeking a pension had to appear in court in the state of his or her residence to describe under oath the service for which the pension was being claimed. A widow was required to provide information concerning the date and place of her marriage to the veteran. The application statement, or “declaration” as it was usually called, was certified by the court and then forwarded, along with all supporting documents (this may have included property schedules, marriage records, and affidavits of witnesses) to a federal official, usually the Secretary of War or the Commissioner of Pensions. The applicant was then notified that the application had been approved, rejected, or set aside pending the submission of additional proof of eligibility. If an applicant was eligible, his name was placed on the pension list. Payments were usually made semiannually. A rejected applicant often reapplied when the law was later amended.

The Federal Government granted bounty land warrants, or rights to free land, to Revolutionary War veterans and their heirs. The promise of bounty land during the war was an incentive to enter and remain in the service. After the war, bounty land grants became a form of reward.

Veterans or their heirs who claimed bounty land warrants sent applications to the Secretary of War (later the Commissioner of Pensions and then the Secretary of the Interior). Also forwarded were affidavits of witnesses who testified of service performed, marriage records, and other forms of evidence. If an application was approved, the claimant was issued a warrant for a specified number of acres. He could then “locate” his warrant, that is, select a portion of the public domain to have in exchange for his warrant. The Treasury Department, and after 1849 the Interior Department, accepted the warrants and then issued patents to the land. Many recipients of Revolutionary War bounty land warrants did not relocate to their new land. They sold the warrants instead.

Pensions and bounty land warrants were originally administered by the Secretary of War. In 1815 two bureaus were created, one for pensions and the other for land warrants. In 1841 the Secretary of War placed bounty land functions under the direction of the Commissioner of Pensions. In 1849 the Pension Office was transferred to the newly established Department of the Interior. In 1930 the Bureau of Pensions was placed under the jurisdiction of the new Veterans Administration.

Most of the records in the files are dated between 1800 and 1900, although there is some correspondence dated as late as 1940. These records cover about 20 percent of American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men who served in the Revolutionary War. Pensions and bounty land warrants were issued to compensate Revolutionary War veterans for their service. Later, widows of veterans also received benefits. Information recorded on pension and bounty land warrant applications is generally reliable, but its accuracy depended on the memory of the applicant and the records he or she had access to. Some applications were rejected if the information could not be verified in federal records or if the claim was suspected of being fraudulent.

Related Articles
 * Jean Nudd.Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information. Prologue (Summer, 2015): 55-60. FS Library 973 B2p
 * Claire Prechtel- Kluskens.Revolutionary War Pension Files - an Introduction. NGS Magazine 32 #2 (April-June 2006): 34-37. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * Claire Prechtel- Kluskens. For Love and Money: Pension Laws Affecting Widows of Military Veterans NGS Magazine 42 #1 (January-March 2016): 35-39. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * Craig Roberts Scott.  When a Revolutionary Pensioner's Claim Can't Be Found National Genealogical Society Quarterly 77 (June 1989): 128-132.
 * Constance B. Schultz  Revolutionary War Pension Applications: A Neglected Source for Social and Family History Prologue 15 #2 (Summer 1983):

Related National Archives Collections 
 * Family Bibles Filed with Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 - ca. 1912. NAID 18471430
 * Claims Filed by Revolutionary War Veterans, 9/16/1828 - 8/3/1835. NAID 605836
 * Applications for Revolutionary War Scrip, 1830–1847 (Military Bounty Land Script) NAID 24200695
 * Correspondence Relating to Revolutionary War Pensions, 1784–1815 NAID 1588363
 * Letters Sent Relating to Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Military Bounty Land Warrants, 1821–1878 NAID 2825004

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Coverage Table
A coverage table for this collection can be found at United States Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application Files Introduction and Coverage Table.

How Do I Search This Collection?
To search the index it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The place where your ancestor lived
 * The names of the soldier's spouse and children

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
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of enrollment to birth records and parents' names
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of enrollment to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence to locate church and land records
 * The place of death or burial could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * 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 lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family
 * 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 names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals with the same family number
 * 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

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
 * Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestor

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Howard H. Peckham, ed. The Toll of independence : engagements & battle casualties of the American Revolution. Chicago, Illinois : University of Chicago Press, 1974 FS Library 973 M2ti
 * Christine Rose, Military pension laws, 1776-1858 : from the journals of the Continental Congress and the United States statutes-at-large San Jose, California : Rose Family Association, c2001 FS Library 973 M2rm
 * Craig R. Scott, The lost pensions, settled accounts of the Act of 6 April 1836 Lovettsville, Virginia : Willow Bend Books, c1996 FS Library 973 M2sL
 * Central treasury records of the Continental and Confederation governments relating to military affairs, 1775-1789, NARA M1015
 * Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck,Revolutionary War pensions : awarded by State governments 1775-1874, the General and Federal governments prior to 1814, and by private acts of Congress to 1905 Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, c2011 FS Library 973 M2bLd
 * Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck. Revolutionary War bounty land grants : awarded by state governments Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, c1996 FS Library 973 R2bo
 * Murtie June Clark, comp. The pension lists of 1792-1795 : with other Revolutionary War pension records S. l. : Genealogical Publishing Company, c1991 FS Library 973 M2cmj
 * Murtie June Clark Index to U.S. invalid pension records, 1801-1815 Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, c1991 FS Library 973 M22c
 * United States. War Department. Office of the 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
 * Daughters of the American Revolution, Revolutionary War pension papers, 1776-1850, 44 rolls
 * Pension files, service records, land warrants, 1775-1913
 * 1813 Pension List
 * 1818 Pension List
 * 1820 Pension List
 * 1835 Pension Roll
 * Craig Robert Scott. The lost pensions, settled accounts of the Act of 6 April 1836Lovettsville, Virginia : Willow Bend Books, c1996 FS Library 973 M2sL
 * Daughters of the American Revolution. Brigham Young University. Harold B. Library. D.A.R. Revolutionary War burial index. FS Library 8 rolls

Bounty Land 
 * Christine Rose. Military bounty land 1776-1855 San Jose, California : CR Publications, c2011 FS Library 973 M27r
 * Clifford Neal Smith, Federal land series : a calendar of archival materials on the land patents issued by the United States government, with subject, tract, and name indexes 4 volumes. Chicago, Illinois : American Library Association, 1972- FS Library 973 R2scn  v. 1. 1788-1810 -- v. 2. 1799-1835, Federal bounty-land warrants of the American Revolution -- v. 3. 1810-1814 -- v. 4, pt. 1-2. Grants in the Virginia Military District of Ohio.
 * Registers of Revolutionary War land warrants, act of 1788 : military district of Ohio, 1789-1805, NARA T1008
 * Register of Revolutionary War land warrants, act of 1788; Military District of Ohio : entries for the years 1799-1805
 * U.S. Revolutionary War bounty land warrants used in the U.S. military district of Ohio and related papers, acts of 1788, 1803, 1806, 16 rolls, M289
 * Donation lands or military tracts granted to the officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line in the Revolutionary Army, 1780-1800
 * Virginia Continental Army lands, February 15, 1822 : roll of officers of the sixteen Virginia regiments of the Continental Army who received land bounty in the Virginia Military Districts in the states of Ohio and Kentucky
 * Ohio. Auditor of State. Virginia Military District lands of Ohio ; indexes
 * Virginia Land Office. List of military land bounty warrants : September 1, 1833-September 1, 1834

State Sources Local Sources
 * Jana Sloan Broglin, ed. Kentucky abstracts of pensions : Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Indian wars 4 volumes. Indianapolis, [Indiana : Heritage House, c1999 FS Library 976.9 M28b]
 * New Jersey Revolutionary War pension claims, 12 rolls
 * Pennsylvania. Revolutionary War pensions, 1785-1809
 * Pennsylvania, Revolutionary War pension file, 1809-1893
 * Pennsylvania, Adjutant General's Office, Revolutionary War pension accounts, 1807-1883
 * Donation lands or military tracts granted to the officers and soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line in the Revolutionary Army, 1780-1800
 * Accounts audited of claims growing out of the Revolution in South Carolina
 * Virginia State Library, Revolutionary War pensions and index, 14 rolls
 * Maine, Hancock County, Revolutionary War pension applications, 1818
 * Maine, Lincoln County, Revolutionary War, pensioners applications, 1820-1824, 1818-1824
 * Maine, York County, Revolutionary war pension applications, 1818-
 * Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Revolutionary War pension papers, 1818-1825
 * New Jersey, Morris County, Court records concerning Revolutionary pensions, 1779-1795
 * New York, Delaware County, Revolutionary War pension applications, 1820-1832
 * New York, Otsego County, Revolutionary War pensioners, Otsego County, New York, 1832-1844
 * New York, Suffolk County, Revolutionary War pension request, 1790-1837, War of 1812, 1820, 1858
 * Pennsylvania, Berks County, Revolutionary War soldiers' pension applications, 1785-1786
 * Pennsylvania, Centre County, Revolutionary War pension declarations, 1819-1835
 * Pennsylvania, Cumberland County, Petitions for Revolutionary War pensions, 1783-1800
 * South Carolina, Laurens County, Revolutionary war pension applications, 1820-1830
 * Tennessee, Roane County, Revolutionary War pension applications, 1793-1855
 * West Virginia, Revolutionary soldier's applications for pensions, Harrison County

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
 * Mabel E. Deutrich, comp. Preliminary inventory of the War Department collection of Revolutionary War records : record group 93.Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1962
 * Thayer M. Boardman, Myra R. Trever, and Louise W. Southwick, comps. Preliminary inventory of the administrative records of the Bureau of Pensions and the Pension Service, (record group 15). Washington, D.C. : National Archives & Records Administration, 1953
 * 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
 * Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, Revolutionary war records : Virginia army and navy forces with bounty land warrants for Virginia Military District of Ohio, and Virginia military script, from federal and state archives Washington, D.C. : s. n., 1936
 * Rev. E. B. Hillard. Last Men of the Revolution

Pension Publications
 * Revolutionary War invalid pension claims, 1792-1794 : House of Representatives document 32, Second Congress, second session, 1792 ; House of Representatives document 51, Third Congress first session, 1794Signal Mountain, Tennessee : Mountain Press, [19--?
 * Pensions granted for military service under an Act of the Fourth Congress of the United States, 1795Washington, D.C. :, 1796
 * Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting a report of the names, rank, and line of every person placed on the pension list, 1818-1819Washington : Printed by Gates & Seaton, 1820. reprint published: Baltimore : Southern Book, 1955
 * Letter from the Secretary of War : transmitting a report of the names, rank, and line, of every person placed on the pension list, in pursuance to the act of the 18th March, 1818, &c. January 20, 1820Washington, D.C. : Gales & Seaton, 1820
 * Census of Pensioners 1840 Census
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Pensions, 1852
 * Catalogue of: Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land-warrant application files; American Revolutionary War service records; and general index

Citing This Collection
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