Two fires destroyed Revolutionary War Pension Records in 1800. A series of reports attempted to reconstruction the pension claims, but these sources remained disbursed. This invaluable genealogical tool consolidates the information from nine separate Congressional reports, Pierce's Register, state returns and the Act for the Relief of Disables Soldiers and Seamen (1798).
"Two catastrophic fires in 1800, one in the War Department, the other in the Treasury Department, destroyed the earliest Revolutionary War pension application records. These records consisted primarily of claims for relief based on death or disability suffered during the War. As a result of the destruction of these early records, pension application papers on file at the National Archives do not begin before the year 1800...".
"This compilation is an attempt to identify and recreate the Revolutionary War pension files generated prior to the disastrous fire in the War Department on 8 November 1800, which destroyed nearly a quarter-century of records. Despite the best efforts of the War and Treasury Departments to reconstruct the files, a second and even more disastrous fire occurred during the War of 1812 on 24 August 1814 with the British invasion of Washington. The second fire effectively destroyed all the pension files from 1776 to 1814. Despite the tragic loss of nearly four decades of pension records at the national level, it has been possible not only to identify many of those pensioners whose files are commonly believed to have been lost but also to reconstitute in varying degrees their contents. Thus, more than 16,500 pensioners are featured in this work. Among the many sources used to reconstruct these records, two in particular stand out: (1) pension records generated by the governments of each of the original thirteen states (state governments had their own programs and in varying degrees preserved many of their pension files); and (2) acts of Congress that created reports of pensioners receiving pay for service or disability, or widows and orphans receiving benefits, mostly issued as government publications between 1792 and 1840. In addition, the microfilm records of the Continental Congress were searched, as were the standard printed works on the subject such as the Journals of the Continental Congress. Supplementing these traditional sources is the online database Papers of the War Department, 1784-1800, created at George Mason University." -- Introd.
This unique source of Revolutionary War pensioners has never before been published and contains information which does not appear in the Pension List of 1813 or the Pension List of 1818. According to the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives, "many of these pensioners were Revolutionary War veterans whose papers were presumably destroyed in the War Department fires of 1800 and 1814." This index is based on a War Department account book, or ledger, showing the amount of semi-annual payments made in March and September to each pensioner for each year of the reporting period, 1801-1815. During the period covered, pensions were paid to well over 2,000 Revolutionary veterans and to several hundred officers and soldiers who served in the frontier wars after 1783.
Genealogists and other historical researchers have valued the first two editions of this work, often referred to as the genealogist's bible."" The new edition continues that tradition. Intended as a handbook and a guide to selecting, locating, and using appropriate primary and secondary resources, The Source also functions as an instructional tool for novice genealogists and a refresher course for experienced researchers. More than 30 experts in this field--genealogists, historians, librarians, and archivists--prepared the 20 signed chapters, which are well written, easy to read, and include many helpful hints for getting the most out of whatever information is acquired. Each chapter ends with an extensive bibliography and is further enriched by tables, black-and-white illustrations, and examples of documents. Eight appendixes include the expected contact information for groups and institutions that persons studying genealogy and history need to find. ""