“The War of Independence is forever ingrained within our American identity, and provides all Americans a sense of who we are, or, at the very least, who we should be. Our forefathers fought for liberty, freedom, and republican ideals the likes of which had never before been seen in any style of organized government preceding them…The low din of battle, fought all those years ago, continues to echo the hearts and minds of Americans to this very day. ”
“Overview of the American Revolutionary War.” www.battlefields.org
On this day, as we celebrate our independence, I hope that my family will become familiar with and never forget the names of our ancestor-patriots who helped give birth to a new nation, who fought so that we, their posterity, might possess the liberty that we enjoy today.
To learn more about the day-to-day life of a Revolutionary War soldier, I enjoyed reading “The Fighting Man of the Continental Army” at Battlefields.org. When not engaged in battle, days were long and mundane. Time was spent digging latrines, clearing fields, erecting fortifications, engaging in drills, and practicing formations. Rations consisted of beef, flour, and 2 ounces of spirits per day to be added to their water to kill vermin (or bacteria) that might be found floating in the water. Supply problems were constant. Often, men had to make do with whatever they brought from home. Soldiers were able to communicate with loved ones via letters while they were away, although it was not uncommon for wives and children of the soldiers to join the men in their camps. Death from disease was far more common than death from combat.
As I think about the freedoms I enjoy as a result of these soldiers and their time spent not only in battle, but also away from the comfort of home, and their sacrifice of ordinary life, my heart is filled with gratitude. I hope that this day will mean more than picnics, parades, and fireworks. I hope that as we celebrate in these ways, we will take time to think of these men–our ancestors–and reflect on their sacrifice. I hope we will pause for a moment to remember that our liberty came at a price, and that our ancestors were willing to pay that price for us. That for them, that liberty was worth every effort they spent as a Soldier in the American Revolution.
Do you have ancestors who fought in the American Revolution (1775-1783)? Here’s how to begin your research:
Examine your tree for ancestors that lived in one of the 13 colonies and would have been between the ages of 15 and 55 during the war (birthdates 1720-1767). Note that most soldiers were between the ages of 15 and 30 when they served. Older soldiers are possible but not as common.1
To do this, I accessed my tree on FamilySearch>Tree>Fan Chart View, then filtered by birth country. I then went to the person page for those who fit the above criteria. Sometimes Revolutionary War records were already attached. For those that didn’t have records attached, I did quick searches on both FamilySearch and Ancestry to see if any records popped up. This allowed me to determine whether some of my ancestors served in the Revolution. However, more research is needed to verify and locate other records that may be more difficult to find for some ancestors.
One place to begin discovering records for your Revolutionary War ancestors is the “U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783,” available at Ancestry. The Compiled Service Records consist of “a jacket-envelope for each individual, labeled with their name, rank, and unit or special corps in which they served. The jacket-envelope contains card abstracts of entries relating to the soldier as found in original records such as muster rolls; payrolls; rank rolls; inspection, provision, and clothing returns; receipts for pay and bounty; accounts for subsistence, pay, rations, clothing, and ordnance; abstracts of muster and pay rolls; and correspondence.” When I was researching Jacob Fisher for my recent Research Like a Pro project, I did find a Service Record for a Jacob Fisher, but there was no information included that would help me know whether the person of record was my Jacob Fisher.
Val Greenwood notes that “Revolutionary service records are important, but records relating to veterans’ benefits for Revolutionary service have more to offer the family history researcher.”2 These records include Pension Records and Bounty Land Records.
Ancestry has a database titled “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900” that you can use to search these records.
When I searched this database, I was unable to find Jacob Fisher here either. I then turned to Militia and Muster Rolls found in the Pennsylvania Archives at Fold 3. This type of research is a little more difficult, as the records generally only list names and counties of residence. For example, I already knew there were two Jacob Fishers living in Northampton County, Pennsylvania during the Revolution, In order to separate the two men and distinguish which was which on muster rolls, I first looked at the 1790 Census, created a “FAN club” of people appearing on the census with the Jacob Fisher of Whitehall Township and a separate FAN club for the Jacob Fisher of Upper Milford Township, then noted which men appeared on the muster rolls every time a Jacob Fisher was listed. By doing this, I was able to distinguish which Jacob Fisher was which, and learn which companies he most likely served in.
If you are excited to begin researching your Revolutionary war ancestors, here are some additional resources to get you started:
Fold 3 – You can search the records without a subscription, but to view records, you will need to subscribe. They do allow a 7-day free trial.
Ancestry – Revolutionary War (1775-1783) Military Records – Ancestry also requires a subscription. Here you can search 33 databases related to Revolutionary War Records.
FamilySearch – Revolutionary War Pension Records and Bounty Land Warrants. This is a list of places to locate records for your Revolutionary War Ancestors. It includes both free and paid resources.
Good luck on your journey! I would love to hear about your discoveries!
Endnotes:
- “The Fighting Man of the Continental Army,” Battlefields.org (https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/fighting-man-continental-army : accessed 28 June 2019), paragraph 1.
- Val Greenwood, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th edition(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017), 659.
