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Revolutionary War records

Erin

I have scoured the Maryland State Archives collections for a specific soldier who served as a Sgt. in the Rev War.  I found reference to him in a book and chased the source backwards. I am at a brick wall and believe this list may be in non-digitized records.  It was simply referred to as Appendix B: Muster Rolls and Other Lists, "1777/A List of Capt. Sinnett's Comp. of Militia, 26th Battn - Robert Sinnett, Capt.;..." with a long list of soldiers.  Any idea where to begin? Where are these records actually stored and if we visit, how do we request to view them? 

  • 0

    What is the name of your Revolutionary War ancestor, and his dates and places of birth and death? Do you know who his spouse was?

    Fold3 and Ancestry.com have pension records (if he aplied for and received a pension). The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) website allows one to search for a patriot, also descendants.

  • 0 in reply to Susan Gould

    Thank you Susan.  The problem right now is not in the service, but in one of the linking generations so before I dig deeper into service, I have to resolve another problem.  I found more information in a book about this militia company.  

  • 0 in reply to Erin

    In support of the Revolutionary War pension applications, the War Department transcribed the muster rolls onto individual cards, then collated those cards into the equivalent of individual personnel files, which they didn't maintain during the revolution. So once you have a name and unit, it's pretty easy to get a copy of a compiled service record of an individual, rather than reading through all of the muster rolls one by one.

    Good luck on making the connections--I'm in the same boat. I've connected to my Civil War ancestor, and my War of 1812 ancestor, and have several suspects for the revolution--but can't make the documentary connection between them. Right name, but wrong birthplace or date. Sigh.

  • 0

     

    Thank you for posting your question on the History Hub!

    It appears that you may be referring to S. Eugene Clements and F. Edward Wright, The Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War.

    This book could be based on information that is in the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, in the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, or in the National Archives. If the information is in the first two institutions, you would need to contact them in order to find out how to research it.

    In the National Archives, the two main sources of information on Revolutionary War soldiers are the Compiled Military Service Records that are located in Record Group 93 War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, and the pension and bounty-land warrant application files that are located in RG 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please note that both collections are incomplete.

    The CMSRs were created in the late 1890s/early 1900s by the Adjutant General's Office from whatever pay rolls, muster rolls, record books, and other material that the clerks were able to examine at that time. They are primarily administrative in nature and seldom, if ever, contain any personal papers about the soldier. The CMSRs are available on microfilm as publication M881 and in digital form on the National Archives Catalog ( https://catalog.archives.gov/id/570910 ).

    Pension and bounty-land warrant application files for Revolutionary War soldiers are available in Record Group 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are on microfilm publication M804, and in digital form on the National Archives Catalog ( https://catalog.archives.gov/id/300022 ).

    We have examined both the CMSRs and the pensions, but did not find any records relating to Robert Sinnett. This makes it more likely that the information is in the Maryland State Archives or in the Maryland Historical Society.

    Sincerely,
    Archives 1 Reference Branch
    [RR1R-24-38879-AB]

  • 0 in reply to Donald Hall

    Anything I can help you with?  I am happy to assist in research to link to Rev War.  Where are you stuck? 

  • 0 in reply to A1 Reference Branch

    Thank you for such a detailed response. After some additional research, I think these are likely in the MHS collection.