Have You Heard about the Military Service
of Your (Genetic or Communal) Ancestors?
Latest Changes:
2022-01-16 revised /
2022-01-17 expanded /
2022-02-08 retitled /
Veterans Descriptions of Their ServiceAfter the War for Independence, Congress passed several acts to provide pensions and land bounties to people who applied for such pensions and provided documentation for or testimony about their military service. The originals are kept by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Images of the original pension applications are available free of charge through Fold3.com. The sequential number is prefaced by. . . R for a rejected application This does not necessarily mean that the applicant had no service; it might be inadequate for the Congressional Act under which it was filed. . . . S for a successful application by a soldier . . . W for a successful application by a widow Transcriptions are easier to read and to search. Numerous friends of Southern Campaign.org have transcribed about 10,000 Revolutionary War Pension Applications. These are posted on the web at 
Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters
Soldiers in the French Army: Some pension claims from soldiers who came to the U.S. in the French army were accepted because they had some service in the American army. John H. Lang's pension application (see below) was rejected with the explanation "... his claim has been rejected upon the ground, that none but American soldiers during the Revolutionary War are included in the provisions of the Act of June 7th, 1832. Foreign troops are in no case considered as being entitled to the benefits of the above-recited Act, consequently the present applicant can have no just claim."
A search of the transcribed pensions for "Rochambeau" resulted in 80 "hits". Links to transcriptions of the pension applications that mention Rochambauare given below.
S 10,346 Otis Bartlett - CT Continental W 28,025 Louis Baury De Bellerive - French commanded chausseurs under D'Estaing at Savanah GA; married an American girl in 1784; became a U.S. citizen W 16,506 Peter Blanchard NY - Lt in Hazen's Regt at Yorktown R 11,768 Elijah Bliss MA [error, it is for Elizabeth Bliss Wolf - m first (1782, by John Van Vechten) Elijah Bliss (sergeant in MA); he died; she then m 1801 Frederick Wolf (who had served in a company of light dragoons and was at Yorktown). S 21,714 Nathaniel Cook - RI navy S 23,595 John Daggett CT - VT Pvt W 16,977 Joseph Enos RI - soldier (RIchmond / Kings / RI) W 25,581 Jabez Pond Fisher MA - soldier sent to Newport in 1780 (3 mo), then to Boston to guard stores 1781( 3 mo) S 31,697 Solomon Goslee CT - teamster, took wagon to Yorktown S 15,524 Jacob Meech - CT privateer S 23,331 Samuel Meyer NY R 8,285 Daniel Plough (Plew) NJ - died at Yorktown W 24,897 Paris Rathbun RI - "served the French troops" at Newport R 8,713 Lewis Blew Reynolds VA - soldier S 14,524 John Smith MA - Continental Line at West Point NY 1781-2 S 11,453 Elijah Spencer CT - guarded Washington and Rochambeau at Wethersfield CT W 20,093 Bela Tower MA - fifer |
W 28,025 Louis Baury de Bellerive|
A French Officer
John Suffern of Suffern NY [PDF] -- a short biography by Carolyn Suffern, noted in a letter to the editor (September 28, 2010) of the Ramapo Times (Suffern NY). |
