The Virginia General Assembly, in 1779, authorized pensions for disabled soldiers and for the widows of men who died while in service.
The federal government also issued pensions. Beginning in 1818, all Continental Army veterans or their heirs were eligible to apply, and beginning in 1832, those who had served at least six months in the militia were eligible.
Pension applications often give details of the veterans’ family, biography, and military service. Widows’ pension applications usually give their marriage date and maiden name. Federal “final pension payment vouchers,” separate from the pension application file, document the death date of the pensioner (veteran or widow).
Officers who served through the war or were supernumerary, were awarded a half-pay pension for life by Virginia General Assembly in 1779. Widows and heirs were also entitled to receive the pension for an additional seven years after the officer's death. Pension records in the Library’s collections include application files, pension rolls, and account ledgers. The Federal government assumed financial responsibility for most of the pensions in 1832, but the Virginia government continued to manage the payments. See Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts, Half Pay Claims for the Revolutionary War, 1783-1851, APA 203.