Montgomery County (N.Y.)
Affidavits of War Service and Property by Revolutionary
War Veterans, 1820-1829

SC1459-1508

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Historical Note:

An act of Congress passed March 18, 1818, granted pensions to veterans of the Revolutionary War who were disabled, in need, officers, or had served a certain length of time. Pensions could also be granted to dependents of a veteran who had passed away. However, the pensions were not granted automatically; the veteran or dependent had to apply and wait to be approved before receiving any benefits. This entailed testimony in a court of law as to the veteran's military service and any disability that he had. After the claim was processed and evaluated, it was either rejected or accepted.

Scope and Content Note:

This record series consists of sworn declarations of military service and real and personal property made by Revolutionary War veterans who intended to apply for pensions under an act of Congress passed on March 18, 1818. Each affidavit gives the date, name of applicant, his age, present residence, military rank, physical disability if any, and a statement of his war service. The applicant also must declare he is a citizen of the U.S. and has not sold or put in trust any property since passage of the act. There follows a schedule of his real and personal property. The signature or mark of the applicant is at the end of the declaration. Appended to it is the certificate of a clerk of the court attesting to the value of the property listed on the schedule. All the affidavits in this series are from people who lived in Montgomery County. While the declarations of property could be made in any court of record, the overwhelming majority of the affidavits in this series were made not in the Supreme Court of Judicature but in the Court of Common Pleas, the records of which are maintained by the county clerks.

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