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Subject: [KYF] Revolutionary War Pension Information
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 10:41:43 EDT

The following information pertaining to the pensions and the laws is from the
National Archives:

The first pension law passed after the Declaration of Independence was that
of 8/26/1776. It provided for veterans who were disabled in the service of
the United States during the Revolutionary War. The Act of 9/29/1789
provided that "Pensioners heretofore paid by States" should be paid by the
United States from 3/4/1789, which pension was continued by the Act of
7/16/1790. The Act of 6/7/1794 authorized the Secretary of War the examine
the evidence, and if satisfactory to place the names on the pension rolls.
This provision was repealed by Act 4/1/0/1806 which required that the cases
be reported to Congress for six years from the passage of a the Act. This
was extended for six years by the Act of 4/25/1812. The Secretary of War was
again authorized to place the names on the pension rolls, without reference
to Congress, by Act of 3/3/1819, and this authority was exercised by him
until the establishment of the Department of the Interior in 1849.

The first act after the Revolutionary War for regulating the military
establishment of the united States was passed 4/30/1790. Section II of this
act provided pensions for veterans wounded in public service, not necessarily
during the war period, These invalid acts were so numerous that it is not
expedient to the list. However, prior to 1818 Congress passed no pension
laws except for the relief of those veterans who were disabled in the service
of the United States. War Department buildings were subjected to fire in
November 1800, and again during the Battle of Blandensburg, 8/24/1814. Prior
to 8/24/1814 original papers relating to pension claims were destroyed.
The Act of 3.18.1818 was the first general act passed granting pension for
service only. This was for the benefit of those surviving veterans of the
Revolutionary War who had rendered military or naval service for nine
consecutive months in an organization on the Continental Establishment.
The Act of 3/18/1818 was causing too great a drain on the Treasury. On
5/1/1820 an Act was passed whereby all pensioners who were not in indigent
circumstances were dropped from the pension rolls.
The Act of 5/15/1828 provided for those surviving veterans of the
Revolutionary War who had continued in service until the termination of the
war. The Secretary of Treasury was responsible for these pension claims,
therefore many papers pertaining to those claims are not on file in the
Division of Veterans Administration Archives of the National Archives.
The Act of 6/7/1832 provided for the final service benefiting veterans of the
Revolutionary War. The eligibility requirements was that the aggregate
length of war service be at least six months. This act included militia as
well as Continental service. The "indigent circumstances" provision of the
Act 5/1/1820 was not included in the Act of 5/15/1828 and 7/7/1832.
The Act of 7/14/1836 was the first to provide for widows of veterans of the
Revolutionary War. This Act provided for those widows who had married the
veteran prior to the close of his last Revolutionary War service.
The subsequent Revolutionary War Widows pension act were: Act of 7/7/1838;
and Act of 7/20/1848 provided for widows who had married the veteran prior to
1/1/1800; the Act of 2/3/1853 provided fir widows whose marriage took place
after 1.1.1800; these pensions ran for a term of five years. Continued from
time to time by acts of Congress, and continued for life by the Act of
6/3/1858.
"Virginia Half-pay claims" by Act of 7/5/1832. This Act covered claims
granted by the state of Virginia granted to Veterans of that was for a period
of five years the full amount of pay per year which they had received during
the war, or in lieu of such payment for a five year period granted them an
option of receiving one-half of the amount of such annual payment for life.
The state of Virginia defaulted in such payments and Congress by special Act
undertook to fulfill the obligation.
The Bounty Land Act of 9/16/1776 granted land to veterans of the
Revolutionary War who continued therein until the close of the War or were
discharged by Congress, and to representatives of such veterans "as shall be
slain by the enemy."
Land grants were based on military rank and were as follows: Major General
1,100 acres: Brigadier General 850 acres: Colonel 500 acres; Lieutenant
Colonel 450 acres; Major 400 acres; Captains 300 acres; Lieutenant 200
acres; Ensign 150 acres; noncommissioned officers and privates 100 acres.
Claims have been given a file number with a letter preceding it to designate
the class of the claimant (S for survivor and W for widow). Rejected claims
for both veterans and widows were given the file number preceded by the
letter R. The rejected claims provide much genealogical information.......

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