Maine Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 1835-1838. Applications for state bounty land from the Maine land office acquired from the Maine State Archives in Augusta for service in the Revolutionary War. Maine was part of Massachusetts during the war.The collection is arranged alphabetically by folders. Each folder has multiple images for each individual.

To Browse This Collection
When looking at images be sure to look at all the images in each folder for that individual.

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

Bounty Land Applications
 * Name of veteran
 * Birthplace and birth date
 * Residence, town and county
 * Date of enlistment
 * Date of application
 * Detailed description of military service
 * Letters testifying of/by soldiers, some detailed

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * Other identifying information such as residence, at the time of application in Maine
 * Military unit or units from the Revolutionary War
 * 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

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date from the date of the application
 * Use the soldier's age and residence to find his family in census, church, and land records
 * Use the military service information to obtain a copy of history service and pension file
 * 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
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.)

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Maine.
 * Maine Guided Research
 * Maine Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * Finding Your Revolutionary War Ancestor

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Maine Land Office Veterans' Land Records
 * compiled by Carleton E. Fisher, Sue G. Fisher Soldiers, Sailors and Patriots of the Revolutionary War Louisville, Kentucky : National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, c1982 FS Library 974.1 M2f
 * M.O.C.A. Revolutionary War soldier - burial place
 * M.O.C.A. Revolutionary War soldiers - birthplaces
 * compiled by the Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution ,Grave locations of Revolutionary soldiers and sailors of Maine and Massachusetts
 * Charles Alcott Flagg, An alphabetical index of revolutionary pensioners living in Maine Dover, Me. s. n., 1920. reprint. Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1967 FS Library 974.1 M22f
 * Lincoln County, Revolutionary War, pensioners applications, 1820-1824, 1818-1824
 * Washington County, Revolutionary War pensioners, 1785-1869

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
 * Charles J. House, Names of soldiers of the American revolution : who applied for state bounty under resolves of March 17, 1835, March 24, 1836 and March 20, 1836, as appears of record in land office
 * Massachusetts soldiers and sailors of the Revolutionary War 17 volumes. Boston, Massachusetts : Wright & Potter, 1896-1908.
 * 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
 * Mabel E. Deutrich, comp. Preliminary inventory of the War Department collection of Revolutionary War records : record group 93Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1962

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.