United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775–1783 records are digital images of published state rosters of Revolutionary War soldiers from the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia. For Massachusetts volumes 2 Bes-Byx, 9 Kab-Lsu, and 16 Tra-Whe, are not currently available in this publication.

The following is a complete bibliography for the published rosters included in this collection:
 * Thomas M. Owen, comp. Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama; being a list of names, compiled from authentic sources, of soldiers of the American Revolution, who resided in the state of Alabama. Montgomery, Ala.: Brown Print. Co.,1911.
 * Adjutant General's Office, Henry P. Johnston. Record of service of Connecticut Men in the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood & Brainard,1889
 * Allen D. Chandler. The Revolutionary Records of the State of Georgia. 3 volumes. Atlanta [Georgia: Franklin-Turner Co., 1908]
 * Alex M. Hitz. Authentic list of all land lottery grants made to veterans of the Revolutionary War by the state of Georgia. Atlanta [Georgia: Secretary of State, 1966]
 * Harry Wright Newman. Maryland Revolutionary Records. Data obtained from 3,050 pension claims and bounty land applications, including 1,000 marriages of Maryland soldiers and a list of 1,200 proved services of soldiers and patriots of other states. Washington [District of Columbia: H.W. Newman, 1938]
 * Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. 17 volumes. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, 1896-1908
 * Isaac Weare Hammond. The state of New Hampshire, rolls of the soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775, to May 1777. Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Historical Society, 1885
 * Isaac Weare Hammond. The State of New Hampshire, rolls of the soldiers in the Revolutionary War, May 1777 to 1780. Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Historical Society, 1886.
 * Adjutant General's Office, William S. Stryker. Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War Trenton, N.J.:Trenton: Wm. T. Nicholson and Co.,1872
 * Collections of the New York Historical Society. Muster and Pay Rolls of the War of the Revolution. New York, New York: New York Historical Society, 1916
 * New York in the Revolution as Colony and State and volume 2 New York in the revolution as Colony and State New York Comptroller’s Office. 2 volumes. Albany, New York: J.B. Lyon Co., 1904
 * Daughters of the American Revolution. Roster of the Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution. [S.l.: NCDAR, 1932]
 * Thomas Lynch Montgomery. Pennsylvania Archives. Fifth Series Volumes 2-8. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Pub. Co., 1906
 * Thomas Lynch Montgomery. Pennsylvania Archives. Sixth Series Volumes 1-2. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg Pub. Co., 1906
 * John B. Linn and Wm H Egle, ed. Pennsylvania Archives. Second Series. Volumes 10-11,13-15, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania : E.K. Meyers, 1876-1890, 1896
 * John E. Goodrich comp. and ed. The State of Vermont. Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783 Rutland, Vermont:The Tuttle Company,1904
 * John Hastings Gwathmey. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775-1783 Richmond [Virginia:Dietz Press,1938]

General Information About Revolutionary War Records
After the French and Indian war ended 1773, the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on their American colonies in an attempt to recover some of the cost of the war, to have the colonies pay for their own defense, and to assert authority over the colonies. The taxes were not well received by the colonists who felt that as they lacked representation in the Parliament, their rights as Englishmen were being violated the taxes were unlawful. The colonists attempted to gain representation in the British Parliament without success. When gaining representation failed each colony began to form their own parliaments or governments. These colonial government bodies would then overturn British laws that they felt were unlawful and created an undue burden. In response, Britain sent in more soldiers, and the colonies were occupied by a standing army. The already overburdened colonists were required to feed and clothe the army. This series of events lead to the outbreak of war on April 19, 1775. The colonists original aim was to restore their rights as Englishmen; however, by early 1776 the idea that the American Revolution was a bid for independence began to form and take root, and by July the Colonists had declared their independence from the rule of the British Empire.

In 1775, when war seemed like a possibility a congress was formed with delegates from all 13 original colonies. This congress, the Continental Congress, was a loose confederation of the colonies soon to become states. As part of their duties, the Continental Congress formed an army originally of enlisted men of short duration, but over the course of the war became a standing army of both enlisted men and conscripts, soldiers who were drafted into service. In addition to the Continental Army formed by the Congress, states, counties, and towns formed militias who fought and protected around their local area or for with the Continental Army. Revolutionary War records are record the enlistment or muster roles both the local militias and the Continental Army. They can also include information on leave, mustering out or separation from the army, and any pension or benefits received as part of service or upon separation from the army or the militia.

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

Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors
 * Name of soldier or sailor
 * Estimated birth year
 * Age at enlistment
 * Date of enlistment/muster
 * Place of enlistment/muster
 * Death date
 * Place of death
 * Age at death
 * Name of spouse/widow
 * Residence
 * Military unit, rank, and length of service
 * Event type
 * Page number
 * Volume

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The soldier or sailor's full name
 * The state where your soldier or sailor resided

View the Images
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 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
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