United States, Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in the Collection?
This collection contains half pay pensions of Virginia soldiers and sailors based on service in the Revolutionary War. The Virginia General Assembly granted the payment of half pay for life to the state's military and naval officers and others who served until the end of the war in state units within the state's borders or in the Continental Army. This collection is part of Record Group 15, Records of the Veterans Administration, and is National Archives Microfilm publication M910.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Pension application files may contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Whether soldier or sailor
 * Dates of military service
 * Dates of pay
 * Name of regiment
 * Name of person issuing pay

How Do I Search the Collection
To begin your search it is helpful to know: The approximate dates of service in the military.
 * The name of the soldier.
 * The type of military service, whether soldier or sailor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select "Soldiers and Sailors" ⇒Select the "Surname Range" 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. 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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s Revolutionary War, Virginia Pension Application File, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.

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:

Image citation: