ABOUT THE PROGRAM
What is a Citizen Archivist?
It is a virtual volunteer project run by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Anyone can volunteer to transcribe primary source material to make it more discoverable by the public. Citizen archivists transcribe, tag, and can share comments about the documents.
What are the Revolutionary War Pension Files?
They are the original documents submitted by American Revolution soldiers and their widows that describe their service and experiences during the war. The documents were used to apply for federal pensions.
To learn more about the Revolutionary War pensions, follow this link to the article "Revolutionary War Veteran and Widow Pensions."
Have Citizen Archivists been used before?
NARA Citizen Archivists have transcribed thousands of pages of US records. There are more than a dozen current Citizen Archivist missions. Many more missions have been completed.
What are the benefits of transcribing pension records?
We will learn about the people and events of the Revolutionary War as told by the people who lived it. We expect to find a diversity of accounts. Transcribing makes records accessible to the public anywhere in the world. They are a permanent record held in perpetuity by NARA. Records are used by researchers, genealogists—through NARA’s partnership with Ancestry.com and others—educators, students, journalists, and artists.
Where can I get more information?
The National Archives Citizen Archivist Dashboard has more information.
Transcriber/Volunteer Questions
How do I know transcribing is for me?
NARA has a great introduction to transcription, with tips and best practices to make the most of your contributions.
How do I register?
The National Archives has instructions about how to register and get started.
How do I ensure I'm signed up as coming from the NPS?
Important! When registering a National Archives Catalog account, create a username beginning with “NPS” [example: NPSJaneVolunteer]. Adding “NPS” to the beginning of your username is the way we will identify people recruited through the NPS.
Can anyone volunteer?
Yes! Recruit family, friends, and neighbors. The more transcribers, the more documents are accessible to unlock thousands of new stories in time for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Just create a National Archives Catalog account, and start transcribing. To be counted among NPS transcribers, be sure to add “NPS” to the front of your username.
What do you need to know to transcribe?
Curiosity and the superpower of reading cursive! Use these tips and best practices to learn more about transcribing and how to hone your transcription skills.
How much am I expected to transcribe?
You can transcribe as much or as little as you want, whenever you want. It's entirely up to you. Transcribing is a flexible way to volunteer and give back whenever you have a free moment. Any contribution you make is a permanent, lasting addition to the National Archives.
This sounds like a flexible way to volunteer and give back.
It is! Transcriptions are done at your own pace, and you can choose to transcribe as much or as little as you choose. Beware, transcribing can become addictive.
What is the benefit to the NPS?
It adds to the historical record to deepen and diversify understanding of the Revolutionary War. Many Rev sites are part of the NPS. We expect to find new information and insights about the events and people of the Revolution to enhance understanding and interpretation. In time, NPS websites will link to the first-hand accounts.
What are the rewards of transcribing?
In most cases, you will be the first person to read these stories in 200 years. It’s an opportunity to interact with primary documents and experience the joy (and maybe tedium) of historical discovery. You will give voice to America’s first veterans and people long forgotten. Transcribing makes a permanent contribution to a more complete record of the American Revolution.
What can I expect to see in a record?
This describes what you may find in a pension record. Every record is different. Some have only a few pages with little more than the veteran’s name, regiment, and where they served. Other records contain hundreds of pages of detailed memories of experiences of war, letters, receipts, orders, army paperwork, family registers, diaries, and journals. Because the pension files are yet to be transcribed, there are surprises waiting to be uncovered.
I found something really interesting. How do I share what I found?
With more than 80,000 files and two million documents, we expect some great finds. Fill out this NARA form to notify the National Archives of any gripping or fascinating story, an original letter, or just something you thought was interesting. You may have a great find like Samuel Woodruff's detailed account of the Battle of Saratoga.
Do records extend beyond the East Coast where the Revolutionary War took place?
Yes. Revolutionary War veterans and their families were a highly mobile generation. They sought better lives and expanded westward. Veterans from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia settled in and applied for pensions from places as far away from the battlefields and encampments of their youth as Louisiana, Michigan, and Missouri.
Do I need to sign-up as an NPS volunteer to participate?
No. The NPS is recruiting for transcribers on behalf of NARA. Transcribers will be working on NARA materials.
Will I earn hours as an NPS volunteer when I transcribe?
No. Transcriptions are done for NARA.
ABOUT OTHER PENSION RECORDS
I’m interested in more research. Are there Revolutionary War pensions for Loyalists, British, and German soldiers and their families?
Yes, although they are not within the scope of the NARA-NPS transcription project.
American Loyalists - The Commission Appointed to Enquire into the Losses of American Loyalists file series AO 12 and AO 13 are at the British National Archives at Kew, London. The files are digitized and available through commercial subscription-based genealogy websites. They have not been fully transcribed.
Loyalists who fled their homes in America to seek refuge elsewhere in the British Empire—in Canada, the Caribbean, or the British Isles—were eligible to apply to a British Treasury Commission created to support Loyalist refugees who lost property and income due to war. Like American pensions, they contain oral testimonies from men and women describing the conditions they endured by remaining loyal to Britain while living in a land in rebellion against the King. They include property inventories of damages and losses, witness testimony, and original papers and documents from the war.
British Soldiers - British records are in three series in the British National Archives, Kew, London. The files are digitized and available through commercial subscription-based genealogical websites. They have not been fully transcribed.
WO 97 - Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Documents
WO 119 - Royal Hospital Kilmainham: Pensioner’s Discharge Documents Certificates of Service,
WO 121 - Royal Hospital Chelsea: Discharge Documents of Pensioners.
British soldiers discharged from the Army were eligible to apply for a pension from the Royal Hospital Chelsea if they were unable to support themselves due to poor health or injury, or after twenty years of career service. Pension applications include physical descriptions of the soldiers, where they served, and descriptions of wounds or health issues. While they don’t include long narratives like American pension records or Loyalist claims, some discharges have statements of meritorious service.
Hessian Soldiers - Pension files for Hessian soldiers deployed to America and their surviving widows are available as manuscripts to view in person at the Hessian State Archives in Marburg, Germany Hessian pension files have not been digitized nor have they been transcribed, either in German or English. Beginning in 1831, pensions were granted based on rank, length of service, and financial need. They were granted to 396 soldiers and 539 widows across Hesse.
Last updated: July 7, 2023