If you’ve been reading our newsletter for a while or follow the National Archives on social media, you might have heard of our largest Citizen Archivist mission —the pension applications of Revolutionary War veterans. This mission is a special partnership with the National Park Service. We hope that unlocking these pensions will bring first hand accounts of the American Revolution to park visitors.
We are grateful for all the work our Citizen Archivists have done in advancing this mission, and wanted to highlight one group of volunteers working together to advance the mission. The staff at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park have organized a group of volunteers to transcribe pension files from soldiers who participated in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Site Map, Project Years 2004-2012, National Archives Identifier 33754080
While not a household name like Bunker Hill or Saratoga, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse was the site of an American defeat in 1781. About 2,100 British troops under the command of General Lord Cornwallis defeated about 4,500 Americans led by General Nathaneal Greene. But it was a pyrrhic victory for Cornwallis. One quarter of his troops were killed or wounded, while the Americans retreated intact.
Guilford Courthouse National Military Park hopes to have all pensions of Guilford Courthouse veterans transcribed by July 4, 2026. Since launching their project in May 2024, 153 Citizen Archivists have volunteered over 4,600 hours. Volunteers represent 32 states (largest participation in North Carolina and California) and 2 foreign countries.
Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File S.7049, Daniel Hunt, N.C.
Through targeted recruitment of undergrad and grad students across the nation, the park's Citizen Archivist cohort skews young. They have 6 citizen archivists under the age of 18, 63 citizen archivists aged 19-25, and 28 aged 26-35. They also have a few Citizen Archivists who have identified as members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). They all volunteered to transcribe their ancestor's pension.
The volunteers for Guilford Courthouse shared some of their thoughts about the project with us:
“While transcribing I cannot wait to get to the next page to find out more about them. I feel like I am reading a GREAT book being swept up in their lives and their stories. The pages come ‘Alive’ and I cannot wait to get to the next page and find out the ending.” Christine Ritter (Fairless Hills, PA)
“The pension applications are written as a first person narrative of famous events. The applicants become real people as I delve into word for word accounts of the battles — their stories. It is awe-inspiring to read about the battles of the revolution from men who were actually there. I imagine the descendants of the veterans learning about and being proud of their ancestors’ service to this country.” Mary Linville (Hartsville, TN)
“Soldiers describing having their horses shot out from under them, wives hiding for days in the swamps with their children tucked away in tobacco hogshead while the British ransacked their home — these stories you cannot find in more vivid detail. The bravery of not only the soldiers, but the families they left behind, is remarkable. I am very glad to be able to play a part in making this part of history more accessible to everyone.” Kathleen Quinby (Greensboro, NC)
Thanks to the volunteers at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park we can now read amazing first hand accounts of the battle such as William Harrison, who was wounded in the leg, and James Cotton, whose regiment covered the retreat. Volunteers participate from all over the country (and few outside the US). Many are college students interested in American history. They coordinate through virtual meetings and a Facebook group.
If you’d like to be Citizen Archivist and join us in transcribing and tagging records you can find more information here. And if reading cursive isn’t your superpower, don’t worry! You can tag already transcribed pensions from the American Revolution, or participate in one of our other missions featuring typed records.
Native American Patriots
A couple of weeks ago, we added a new mission for Native American patriots who applied for pensions from the federal government. These men were identified as Native Americans by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Many of the files name the tribal affiliation of the veteran. Here are some stories from this mission:
When he returned home from war, Charles Harman left his discharge in his vest coat pocket. Shortly after it was destroyed when his sister "washed it up in said jacket." Harman is identified as a Native American in the DAR's publication Forgotten Patriots.
John Pinn describes himself as "a descendant of the Aborigines of America that his father was a Mustee & his mother a Cherokee" who lived in a place called Indian Town in Lancaster County, Virginia. He served as a powder boy attached to Gun No. 3 at the Battle of Yorktown where he was injured by an enemy cannon ball and a musket shot through the leg.
John Harry is a member of the Narraganset Tribe. In an affidavit in his pension file, a member of the tribal council explains that John Harry does not own any land and that an individual of the Narraganset Tribe cannot sell or convey any "land descended to him or her, nor mortgage it, nor charge it with Debts as white People do. But when a member of that Tribe dies, his or her Land descends to his or her Children or next of Kin generally without Distinction of male or Female."
Are you interested in a challenge? We’re putting particularly difficult to decipher pension records in our Transcriber Task Force mission. These records often have incomplete pages or pages where the original transcriber couldn’t make out many of the words. Check them out, review each page by page, and see if you can make them readable.
US Navy Antarctic Expedition Helicopter returns from survey of South Pole waters. The Coast Guard helicopter is shown landing on the icebreaker Northwind. In the distance are other ships of Task Force 68., National Archives Identifier 196475
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