Dig Deeper in the Records. Minute Details Often Write the Stories of Family Members
The minor details write the story of your ancestor's life. Dig deeper.
Pottery from the Rosetta-stone era of Egypt. A granodiorite stele was inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 B.C. It was the Rosetta Stone that was the key to deciphering Egyptian scripts!
Consider the archaeologist who digs in the sand and carefully handles objects. Each layer of sand is carefully excavated. Broken pieces of pottery, no matter how small, provide clues of the era or timeline. It is a process that discovers answers and events of earlier eras.
If you did not find a pension record of your Revolutionary War Soldier, you can employ small clues to discover answers. There are “workarounds” to help you learn more about his service.
Once you discover (in the muster rolls) the names of the commanders and/or officers under whom your ancestor served, a door is opened to more information. Concentrate on learning about the commander, using the Internet, and the details of the battles fought under this commander. Note enlistment dates and re-enlistments under different commanders.
Another source is the commander's name who “signed the Land Grant” for your ancestor. That commander is verifying your ancestor's military service, and you should search for further data.
For example. I have an ancestor who did not leave a pension but served under “Lighthorse” Harry Lee (Henry Lee III, the father of Robert E. Lee of the Confederate War). Because Lee signed all his requests for land grants, that fact helped me learn more details about his service afterward.
Lee was nicknamed “Lighthorse” because of his equestrian skills. During the Northern Campaign, Lee’s Legion was one of George Washington’s most tenacious cavalry commanders. When the British Commander, Lord Cornwallis, sent his troops South to capture the Southern port cities, Lee’s Cavalry went into the Carolinas and Georgia, where he copied the “hit-and-run” tactics used by Indians to distract and prevent the British from capturing Augusta. Hence, following the skirmishes and battles of Major-General Lee provided the details of war for my ancestor.
Another place to search is the names on supporting affidavits included within a pension application. Affidavits and letters were typically written by friends, fellow soldiers, neighbors, or kinfolks. Next, search for a pension record under that name. The extra research on this name may unfold some exciting facts and stories. But do not stop there. Go to the county and state where your ancestor died, and search the old wills and estates for this name. If you find an old will, it may reveal places, relationships, or other interesting data.
Thus, searching for tiny details is the key to locating people who are challenging to identify. Some of my most satisfying discoveries came from reading all the wills and estates in the county where my ancestors resided. Also, the witnesses to deeds, marriages, and wills should be systematically researched similarly.
It is the minor details that write the story.
Resources:
1. There are many books about those who served in the war to be discovered in local libraries. Search Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files by Virgil White. If you find your ancestor, record the information for your files.
2. Search the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Application Files, 1800–1900. These are National Archive films available through the FamilySearch Library. Click on the View Film Notes button. Scroll through the last names until you find the film number for your ancestor’s last name. Obtain the film, then look alphabetically for your ancestor’s name.
3. Search for books in a regional library or the U. S. Archives for muster rolls and other data.
4. Many printed books with muster rolls and other service data have been published. They are usually found on the shelf of the genealogy section of regional libraries.
5. If you are a member of virginiapioneers.net, here are the online links to service records:
Muster Roll of Capt Abraham Shepherds Co of Riflemen Raised in July of 1776
Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War, McAllister’s Data
Service Records
Killed or prisoners in Augusta County
I am writing the history of an isolated German community called St Mary’s through the eyes of a German immigrant and his family and his interactions with the other German settlers. There is also some sports history. I have used a lot of unconventional sources. The library and books that seem unrelated but actually have a lot of good information.