Northampton County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Northampton County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833. Local government records collection, Northampton County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Summary

Extent:
.10 cu. ft. (1 box)
Creator:
Northampton County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Northampton County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833. Local government records collection, Northampton County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

Northampton County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833 primarily record the declarations of individuals seeking to obtain Revolutionary War pensions provided by various acts of Congress. The applicants present detailed testimony of their time of service during the Revolutionary War. Information found in the declarations include date and location applicants entered into service, names of military companies they served in, names of military commanders they served under, names of fellow soldiers they served with, length of service, their age, and their place of birth. The predominant portion of the declarations are narratives of their tours of duty during the Revolutionary War with emphasis on battles they fought. The declarations also include affidavits from witnesses who could verify information provided by applicants.

Applicants in this series reported to have served in various military units, including the 2nd Virginia Regiment of Artillery, 9th Virginia Regiment, Eastville Barracks Guards, Northampton County militia, Richmond City militia, and the Williamsburg City militia.

Applicants also gave accounts of being present during several military engagements, including the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Camden, Battle of Germantown, and the Siege of Yorktown.

Significant materials in this collection include the pension declaration of a free Black soldier, James Carter.

Biographical / historical:

Context for Record Type: In 1818, Congress passed the first of three major Revolutionary War pension acts. The act granted lifetime pensions to all men who had served as regular army soldiers in the Continental Line and who could demonstrate financial need. Prior to the passage of this act, pensions had been restricted to former soldiers who were no longer able to support themselves due to injuries sustained while in service. The second act, passed by Congress in 1820, required applicants to provide more concrete evidence of this financial need in the form of a certified inventory of his property and income. They also had to include an account of all members of the applicant's family, including their health and ability to contribute to household income. In 1832, the third act extended pension benefits to include soldiers who had served in the state troops or militia. Congress also passed a related act in 1836 granting pensions to the widows and orphans of Revolutionary War veterans.

Locality History: Northampton County was named probably for the English county, of which Obedience Robins, a prominent early resident of the Eastern Shore, was a native. The county, which originally included all of the peninsula south of Maryland and which was one of the eight shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634, was first called Accomack. The General Assembly changed the name to Northampton County in 1643. Accomack County was created from Northampton County about 1663, but in October 1670, the General Assembly temporarily reunited the two counties as Northampton County. In November 1673, Accomack County was again separated from Northampton. The county seat is Eastville.

Acquisition information:
These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Northampton County.
Processing information:

Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833 were removed from the Northampton County Court papers and processed by Library of Virginia staff, and were later reprocessed and indexed as a distinct unit by M. Long.

Encoded by G. Crawford: August 2014; updated by M. Long: December 2023.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series I: Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833, arranged chronologically.

Arranged chronologically.

Physical location:
Library of Virginia