Compiled by George C. Williston  Gwilli824@mei.net

Finding and verifying the Revolutionary War Service

Of your New England Ancestors

Pension Applications-  those who served six to nine months[1] could be eligible to apply for pensions in 1818 if poor (and that fact was proven by personal property inventory), and in 1832 all veterans and their widows could apply. Those applications include statements of where, when and under whom the men served; and battles . Some statements are more complete than others. Both memories and records were and are faulty, and need verification. Widows verified when and where married, and sometimes children were listed.

          The original files at National Archives are now closed.[2] Abstracted information in books with service records are not complete. Pension application papers are microfilmed by the National Archives and sold in two series: selected and complete. ‘Selected’ records are at ML, and both Selected and Complete are at ACPL. Copies of Selected Records from microfilm can be bought from NA by using form NATF Form 80.  This is the place to start.

There were some written discharges in that war, and other related hand written papers. I have seen discharges in the Complete Records. One must look at Complete Records as very important original papers such as discharges may be viewed and copied.

          V.D.White Genealogical Abstracts in Rev. War Pension Files (Waynesboro: NHPC, 1990).

 V.D.White Index to Rev War Service Records (Waynesboro: NHPC, 1995).  A good but incomplete place to start before reviewing the complete file for info left out. 

There are several service lists of men on CD and online. One must check contemporary CD and online sources.

In 3/05 I learned that Rev. War Apps are now offered online to members of Heritage Quest, and these apps are also now going to be offered on the site of the New England Historical Genealogical Society.

Bounty Land- Some states that had unoccupied sections of land gave I away to veterans, their surviving wives and children. Each state was different in this respect. The states that had such programs were: Connecticut (only to people who had been burned out of seven towns), Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.  Those grants are now listed in a new book by Lloyd D. Bockstruck entitled “Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants” published 1996, 1997 and 1998 by Genealogical Publishing Co of Baltimore. Some important facts can be learned there.

State Records- (official and compiled) as most of the units were state sponsored and locally recruited each state has records of the men in their units.

Connecticut: CT Historical Soc published 1889 and 1903. All on CD from    Heritage Books 1360. For CT officers, units, ships see also Royal Hinman “A Historical Collection....” (Hartford: Gleason, 1842) 17 74- 79. Very inadequate index , has to be searched.  Hinman now available on searchable CD from digital-editions.com  See also WWW site for CT State Library.

Maine was MA at the time: see Fisher and Fisher Soldiers .... of Maine (Louisville: SAR, 1982)  includes modern research.

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1896) 17 volumes with 620,000 individual records. now all on line free. Now I believe on the internet.

New Hampshire: C.E.Potter Military History of NH (Baltimore: GPC, 1972) ML, ACPL.            First NH Regt has separate book.  

New Jersey: W.S. Stryker Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey...”  1872, rev 1911 , reprint (Baltimore: GPC, 1967)  See also ‘NJ During the Rev’ site on the www.

 New York: Collections of the NY Historical Society for 1914 and 1915 (NY: H.S., 1916) WCPL and GPC , 1996 reprint; see also First NY Regiment at OGS,  also NY troops in MA 17 volumes, and CT troops served in NY units officially.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Archives various series. Every series is indexed in the first volume of the next series, but indexes are not completely accurate so must search every page for every name.

Rhode Island: A.B.Gardiner The Rhode Island Line in the Continental Army, (Providence: Providence Press, 1878); E. Field Revolutionary Defenses of Rhode Island (Providence: 1896).

 Vermont: H.E.Gooddrich Rolls of the Soldiers of the Revolutionary War (Rutland: Tuttle, 1904)

DAR  Pierce’s Register (Baltimore: GPC, 1973)  lists money owed men at end of the war and units they were in when the bill was created. Probably not proof, but a good hint  See also Military Claims Barred by the Statues of Limitation  a reprint of document 216 of the 11^th Congress 1810. (Signal Mountain: Mountain Press, undated). These claims are claims of service by ex-servicemen or their heirs, but not absolute proof.

NYHS Muster and Payrolls of the War of the Revolution (Baltimore: GPC, 1996) many miscellaneous muster rolls at the NY Historical Society for a variety of states. indexed

Original Company unit rosters 1775-1783- available on 138 rolls of  microfilm at NA branches. ML and ACPL have the films. This is the ultimate verification. Rosters with notations were made very month when possible. Notes include towns of origin and whether k, w or mia.

NEHGR has printed numerous rosters over the years.

PERSI index sold by ACPL on CD has many references.

Daughters of the American Revolution and SAR- DAR Lineage Books of more than 150 volumes tell in brief where a man served as claimed by a descendent. Unfortunately, descendents were sometimes wrong; and were accepted into the DAR [which the DAR is correcting]. Ought to be checked anyway for information which can then be verified . Ancestors can be found this way. Most libraries have the 4 vol index, and many libraries have the yearly volumes.

Town Histories- some old town histories include very complete information of service including rosters of companies from the town. The histories must be checked. Some towns still keep records of Rev. War service in the city hall to this day.

Officers, Companies, Regiments and Brigades

          To find what a man probably did and where  he served it is necessary to know the name of the Captain or Major of his company or the Colonel of his regiment. Histories rarely record the names of individual men, but may note an officer with the location of his command. With the name of a Captain, Major or Colonel a unit may be located; and their activity verified.  Find the officer, and then look for the unit: Company, Regiment or Brigade.

 F.B.Heitman Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution 1914 and reprints to 1975 – the official list of officers which helps to identify where they were.

Fred A. Berg Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units (Harrisburg: Stackpole, 1972) 160 pages including bibliography.  An authority which is very valuable but not complete.

United States Army Military History Institute at Carlisle, PA. Online,mail and on site research services. George S. Pappas U.S.Army Unit Histories and Richard J. Sommers Manuscript Holdings of the Military History Research Collection. These 30 year old books are inexpensive through ABE Books on the www. Wright’s book below is much more recent. This site on the www has unusual electronic resources, and must be checked for changes.

Robert K. Wright Jr. The Continental Army (Washington: Center of Military History, 1989) 450 pages in paper. The official government record of regiments and their major engagements. Includes a bibliography with a more complete version of the Wright bibliography available on line at the Center for Military History, Carlisle, Penna.

          Historical Resources Branch, U.S. Army Center of Military History carries bibliographies for each state.  http://www.army. mil/cmh-pa/reference/revbib/ri.htm which are extremely valuable.

C.H.Lesser The Sinews of Independence (Chicago: U of C Press, 1976)   Monthly location of regiments which where possible. Rosters were made by units monthly reporting to Washington’s headquarters 1775-1782..

Warren Skidmore and Donna Kaminsky Lord Dunmore’s Little War of 1774 (Bowie: Heritage, 2002).  Rosters indicate those at the Battle of Point Pleasant which was the only battle of that war.

Richard B. LaCrosse Jr. Revolutionary Rangers: Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen (Bowie: Heritage, 2002).

General Bibliographies

Robert W. Coakley and Stetson Conn  The War of the American Revolution (Washington: Center for Military History, 1975) 257pp. An extensive bibliography of all phases done for the Bicentennial so all references material stops at 1975.

Published diaries, letters and reminiscences

J. Todd White and Charles J. Lesser Fighters for Independence: Guide to Sources of Biographical Information on Soldiers and Sailors of the American Revolution (Chicago:U of C Press, 1977) 112 pages. The most complete list of 876 sources of first hand information like diaries by people involved. Indexed by major subjects and states only. Not indexed by units or names, but what a source if ever fully indexed. 

H.S.Commager and R.B.Morris The Spirit of Seventy-Six (NY: Bobbs-Merrill,1958) 2 V, 1067 pages, and paperback reprint (NY:DeCapo, 1995) 2 vols in 1, 1348 pages. A complete history of the war quoting primary source records.

G.F.Scheer and H.F.Rankin Rebels and Redcoats 1959 and in paper later (NY:Mentor, 1959)639 pages. A fine short history including original sources quoted.

R.M.Dorson  American Rebels (NY: Pantheon, 1953)347 pages including bibliography. 14 first hand accounts by prominent men of the time.

John C. Dann The Revolution Remembered (Chicago: U of C Press, 1977) 440 pages indexed. Publication of several hundred of the most descriptive and interesting of the pension applications of 1818 and 1832.

Participants in Specific famous  battles and events

Howard Peckham  The Toll of Independence (Chicago: U of C Press, 1974) 176 pages includes bibliography and index. Lists every known battle and engagement with number of casualties. Makes the case for more than 25 thousand casualties: killed, died in camp and died in prison.  By former Director of the Clements Library. Ann Arbor, MI.  not complete

David H. Fischer Paul Revere’s Ride (NY: Oxford, 1992) 445 pp extensively index and bibliography. Appendix D-svrl hundred men in Boston revolutionary Masonic and other organizations. Appendix E British Order of Battle April 19; Appendix G-American Navy ships 1 Jan 75; Appendix O: Lexington Militia 19 Apr; Appendix P: American casualties 19 Apr by name; Appendix R; casualties of British Officers 19 Apr. 1775.

General John R. Galvin The Minute Men (Washington: Pergamon, 1989) not only gives a running account of the 19 April 75 fight, but tells when and where every company from every town entered the fights at Lexington, Concord, Menotomy and the whole devastation on the British.

Charles E. Hambrick and Donna D. Smerlas Massachusetts Militia Companies and Officers in the Lexington Alarm (Boston: NEHGS, 1985) reprint of lists in the MA Archives. Includes militia and Minute Man companies and officers, but none of the enlisted men.

‘Arnold’s’ Expedition to and assault on Quebec late fall of 1775. See Kenneth Roberts March to Quebec (Garden City: Doubleday, 1947) pp 27-45 casualties listed. Diaries reprinted complete. See also his Arundel (1930) for an outstanding fictional account of this expedition.

Taking of Fort Ticonderoga: Ethan Allen and others- list of men there and  bibliography from Fort Ticonderoga

 Men in the battles at Saratoga (Bemis Heights and Stillwater) participants are now listed on the www at the Saratoga County Web Page of Heritage Hunters.

Battle of Bunker Hill – units involved. See Richard Frothingham  History of the Siege Around Boston, and of the Battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill   originally 1848 and several reprints (NYC: DeCapo, 1970) 422 pages with index. He sorts out units at those battles. For 19 Apr, 75 see p65- For Bunker Hill see80-81, 175-196. Officers of units not listed by Frothingham in NEHGR 27(1873)121/122.    For New Hampshire units and casualties see Howard P. Moore A Life of General John Stark (NYC: Moore, 1949) 540 pages 118-205. List of men imprisoned at B.H., and died subsequently. NEHGR April, 1888. The monument on Bunker Hill has the names of about 151 men which can be found on the www.

 Valley Forge winter of 1777-1778- most complete list of men and their units are now on line at Valley Forge site [may be temporarily off the www], and see J.L.Boyle Writings from the Valley Forge Encampment of the Continental Army [winter of 77-78] (Bowie: Heritage, 2000) svrl vols.

R.W.Coakley and S. Conn The War of the American Revolution (Washington: U.S.Army, 1973) 257 pages- history and numerous bibliographies of battles, campaigns, subjects.

David H. Fischer Washington’s Crossing (NYC: Oxford, 2004). This is a comprehensive tour de force on the late 76 and early 77 battles at NYC, the 1^st and 2^nd battles at Trenton, Princeton and the Forage fights in NJ in 1777.  Fischer lists the order of battle 24 August, 1776 for NYC, 22 Dec, 1776 before 1^st Trenton with which units were in these battles for the British, Hessians, American Continentals and NJ militia.

“Sullivan” Expedition: E. Mariders  Notes on Troop Units in the Northern Army Journal of the Company of Military Historians, winter, 1971; F. Cook Journals of the Military Expedition of Maj. Gen. J. Sullivan, 1887 and 1972;

Gavin Watt and James F. Morrison The British Campaign of 1777, the St. Leger Expedition. The forces of Crown and Congress, Second Edition.  A companion piece to Watt’s Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley – 1777. Not just or only a history of the battles and skirmishes. A huge list of both the English, Tories and Americans involved as fighters and as victims. In 2004 a huge list of the family names is on the www at the site of Global Genealogy & History Shoppe.  A terribly vicious frontier for the residents. 

Samuel S. Smith  Winter at Morristown 1779-80  (Monmouth Beach: Freneau Press, 1979) 68pp- unit specific on the coldest and snowiest winter in history there; and the spring fighting in surrounding towns.

Men who killed 96 Moravian Indians March, 1782.  see George C. Williston home page. Names of almost 200 men from W. Penna.

OUTSTANDING HISTORIES  of the War and contemporary revisions

M.M.Boatner III Encyclopedia of the American Revolution (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole, 1994) 1290 Pages, 4^th edition. Great place for basic information on every imaginable subject including many officers listed

J.S.Leamon Revolution Downeast (Amherst: U Mass Press, 1993)    excellent on the coastal war waged by the British on the Maine (then MA) coast.

On the western border wars see the work of Consul W. Butterfield such as Historical Account of the Expedition Against Sandusky [the ‘Crawford’ expedition] (Cincinnati; Clarke, 1873) and reprints of that on the Expedition to the Illinois Towns under Colonel Clark.

Ray Raphael A People’s History of the American Revolution (New York: New Press, 2001). A new look at this whole event beginning to end from the viewpoint of common people. Huge bibliography in the footnotes

Note: This applies largely to the first part of the war in NE before the invasion of the South by the British. This is due to the careers of our own ancestors which I studied in great detail. This list does not include the battles of King’s Mountain, Cowpens or Yorktown which were big victories for the American forces.

Compiled by George C. Williston

      269-948-5747 or gwilli824@mei.net

                                      New information welcome