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Revolutionary War Veteran and Widow Pensions

brown university soldiers
Soldiers in Uniform by Jean Baptiste Antoine de Verger, 1781-1784

Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library

Revolutionary War Pension Project

The National Park Service and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are collaborating on a special project to transcribe the pension records of more than 80,000 of America’s first veterans and their widows. The project will make a permanent contribution to the historical record for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

"...That having been encouraged to do so, he prays Government to look favorably upon his claims and grant him something to relieve his wants and give him comfort in this Autumn of his Earthly existence, that he may close his eyes in gratitude upon a nation upon whose altar of Freedom he has devoted many of the best years of his youth…"
Tunis Cole, April 10, 1848.

A National Debt of Gratitude

During the War of 1812, Revolutionary War veterans were then in their 50’s and 60’s. As soldiers, they had been poorly paid for their war service. What Continental paper money they did receive was next to worthless. Some veterans were forced to sell to land speculators the promissory land certificates they received at the end of the war receiving just pennies compared to what they were worth. The rigors and fatigue of military service had left many in poor health, unable to work to support their families. The young United States faced a burgeoning crisis of poverty among its first generation of war veterans.

Starting in 1818, the first of four Revolutionary War veteran pension acts were passed, at first for veterans, and later their widows, to collect a pension from the federal government paid out every six months.

To apply for a pension, the veteran or widow went to a Court of Record and testified before a judge or a lawyer and submitted that testimony to the War Department.

The first two Acts, in 1818 and 1820, were for Continental (US) Army veterans only – those who served under General Washington. The 1832 act opened pensions to the militia (organized under state control), and the 1836 Act opened applications to widows.

All four pension acts contain fascinating social history details – dates of birth, how much and what types of property they owned, the size and composition of families, and descriptions of the state of health of the veteran and their families. The later Acts, 1832 (militias eligible) and 1836 (widows eligible), are troves of detail about life during the Revolution because of the additional detail the petitioners often provided.

While they didn’t realize it at the time, the veterans and widows were participating in America’s first great oral history project. Until they are transcribed, their testimonies are quite literally, the untold stories of the American Revolution; the soldiers, widows, African American veterans, and American Indians who fought for and against American forces.

President James Monroe, himself a Continental army veteran wounded at the Battle of Trenton (NJ), described his fellow veterans’ plight in his first State of the Union Address to Congress, December 1817:

"...our attention is drawn with peculiar interest to the surviving officers and soldiers of our Revolutionary army, who so eminently contributed by their services to lay its foundation... It is believed that among the survivors there are some not provided for by existing laws, who are reduced to indigence and even to real distress. These men have a claim on the gratitude of their country, and it will do honor to their country to provide for them."

Volunteer as a Citizen Archivist

You can transcribe these records to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary by making a permanent contribution to the historical record. Just add “NPS” to the beginning of your username when you register with NARA to be counted as referred by the National Park Service.

Last updated: August 8, 2023