Seeking ancestor who fought in Revolutionary War

Bonita,

Do you have a surname or an ancestors name or any additional information on what your seeking.

It may be harder now, but contact your local DAR, they can help with this.  They go to libraries to do research and may be able to set up a meeting with you.  Ancestry is a great way to find out this information as well. I have just about every war covered with at least one relative/ancestor.  I have found records/pictures of SAR (Sons of the AR) applications which of course helped my search and gave me confirmation of birth dates, relatives, etc....Good luck!

Limited info on Ancestry and FamilySearch. Best source: Fold3.com, because military records is their specialty. BTW, all those DAR books with lineages--they have been long suspect and not necessarily based on records.

I would also suggest Fold3.  If you have a surname and date of birth for the Revolutionary War period, you should be able to locate a record of service.

Dear Ms. Filyaw,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Indexes to Revolutionary War Compiled Military Service Records in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records (Record Group 93) that may include your relative. We also located 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). These records were not created during the Revolutionary War, but were created by the Department of War starting in the 1890s from extant records among its files in an attempt to create substitutes for records destroyed by fires in 1800 and 1814. Because the Department was not able to reconstruct every record, a soldier may have fought in a Continental Army unit during the war, but there may not be a compiled military service record for him. For more information about these records, please email the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at Archives1reference@nara.gov.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

These records also are available on Fold3 at Revolutionary War Service Records and on Ancestry at U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, 1775-1783. There may be a fee for using Fold3. Instead, please check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons.

If you do not know the name of your ancestor, please refer to NARA's web site Resources for Genealogists for ideas on how to begin your family genealogy research.

Alternative resources for Revolutionary War records may be at the state archives of the original colonies, the Daughters of the American Revolution Archives, or the Sons of American Revolution Genealogical Research Services.

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

Bonita,

I did find a Stephen Fellyaw that served in the North Carolina regiment during the Revolutionary War last names such as yours were always spelled a little bit different. Most people remember were illiterate in those days.  So last name variations of Fellyaw, and Felyaw is what I see for records. Without a specific last name or an individual I went out on a limb.