Seeking information about Revolutionary War Pension Files

Question

Hello all,

I have been wondering about this for quite some time now, and I thought I would ask “HistoryHub”.
My ancestor, Michael McCarty II, was a American Revolutionary War veteran and received a pension. He gave his pension to his dependents, but as records show, no dependents ever claimed the pension. I was wondering if I could claim his pension for myself??

Thanks!

Jason, National Archives · Answer

Dear Mr. Buckley,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records (Record Group 93) that include a service record of McCarty, Michael - Pennsylvania - Ninth Regiment. These records have been digitized and are available using the Catalog.

We also located the series Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service in the Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (Record Group 15) that may include a case file for Michael McCarty. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at archives1reference@nara.gov.

Also, please review Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information and Revolutionary War Pension Records and Bounty Land Warrants for more information about these files and this history of pensions for Revolutionary War veterans.

It is exceedingly unlikely that the laws regarding Revolutionary War pensions were written in such a way as to allow distant descendants to claim money over two centuries after the fact. However, the National Archives and Records Administration does not have the authority to determine or grant benefits to families of veterans. To obtain assistance or the information you seek, we suggest that you contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration website or by calling 1-800-827-1000.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!