Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Military and pension records included in the box labeled "Military and Pension records; Estrays ; Commissioner of Revenue records, 1788-1920" are unprocessed. All records remain tri-folded or in original bundles and may be fragile. Contact Archives Research services for availability.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Frederick County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1805-1907; undated. Local government records collection, Frederick County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, 23219.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Frederick County.

Processing Information

Military and pension records, 1805-1907, were separated from Frederick County court records and processed by Library of Virginia staff.

The remaining military and pension records are still unprocessed.

Encoded by M. Long: May 2024.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Keeping large bodies of militia in the field required an elaborate system of support based on the purchase of goods and services from civilians, in addition to the usual pay and allowances to officers and soldiers. The result was the creation of a large number of records concerning the state's disbursements to both soldiers and civilians. Many claims for payment went unsatisfied until 1821. Locality military and pension records consist largely of pay and muster rolls, accounts and vouchers concerning supplies, claims for reimbursement for services rendered, and military pension applications. Pension applications summarize the applicant's service record and may include medical evaluations; information about income and property; and, in the case of widows, the date and place of marriages.

During the Revolutionary War, commissioners were appointed in each county to impress supplies and non-military services (such as driving cattle or wagons) for the war effort. Officials provided certificates or receipts so that individual suppliers could be reimbursed by the state government. Beginning in 1782, claims for reimbursement could be submitted to county courts. These "publick claims," known as court booklets and lists, exist for almost all Virginia counties. Between 1777 and 1785, the Virginia General Assembly passed several laws authorizing pensions for disabled soldiers and for widows of soldiers who died while on active duty.

Throughout the Civil War, the principal responsibility for Virginia's indigent soldiers' families lay with the locality. The Virginia State Convention in 1861 gave the responsibility entirely to counties and incorporated towns and authorized whatever actions had already been taken. Acts of Assembly in 1862 and 1863 expanded the localities' powers to provide for their needy, and in 1863 some minimal state assistance was added in. The Virginia General Assembly passed several Confederate pension acts beginning in 1888. The initial act provided pensions to Confederate soldiers, sailors, and marines disabled in action and to the widows of those killed in action. A 1900 act broadened the coverage to include veterans disabled by "infirmities of age" and widows whose husbands died after the war. African Americans who had served "faithfully" as servants, cooks, laborers, hostlers, or teamsters for the Confederate army were eligible for pensions beginning in 1924. District of Columbia residents became eligible in 1926; previously, all pension applicants were required to be residents of Virginia.

Locality History: Frederick County was was named in honor of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales and eldest son of King George II. It was formed from Orange County by a statute of 1738 that stipulated that when the population was large enough the new county government would begin to function. The county court first met on 11 November 1743. Part of Augusta County was added in 1754. The county seat is the city of Winchester.

Scope and Content

Frederick County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1805-1907; undated, consist of military service records, accounts and vouchers, and claims for reimbursement by civilians and service members. These include:

County militia papers, 1805-1858, include militia commissions, officer recommendations, militia expenses for the 51st Regiment of the Virginia militia, and records for the 1822 court martial of Robert Gustin, commander of the 2nd Battalion of 39th Regiment of the Virginia militia.

Revolutionary War certificates of service, 1812-1820, include certificates and claims for Revolutionary War federal pensions. Most certificates include regiment, commanding officer names, and other details about wartime service. Some certificates also contain details about property the applicant currently owns and debts owed as a way of proving current income. Several documents relate to the widows and heirs of soldiers.

Pension papers, 1816-1907, include mostly post-Revolutionary War pension applications, certificates, affidavits, and related records. Records relate primarily to Confederate veterans, but also encompass soldiers who fought in the War of 1812 and the widows and heirs of soldiers. Most papers include regiment, commanding officer names, and other details about wartime service. Notable records include the pension papers and service records for two free black soldiers who fought for the United States during the Civil War: Thomas Festus of the 30th United States Regiment of Colored Troops and William Alexander Jones of the 24th United States Regiment of Colored Troops. Also of note was the Confederate pension application of Levi Miller, an enslaved man who was brought into the Confederate Army by his enslaver and participated in several battles.

Commutation applications, 1873, consist of applications for commutation money and artifical limbs for Confederate soldiers wounded during the Civil War.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

See also:

Frederick County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1820-1835 at the Library of Virginia.

Frederick County (Va.) A list of such members who are by law exempted from military services viz. the people called Quakers, 1788 at the Library of Virginia.

Frederick County (Va.) Roster of Ex-Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Living in the County of Frederick, Virginia, 1898 at the Library of Virginia.

Frederick County (Va.) Muster Roll in the War with Germany, 1917-1922 (bulk 1917-1918) at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Frederick County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data