County commissioners and military officials impressed supplies and non-military services (such as driving cattle or wagons) for the war effort. Officials provided certificates or receipts to the individual suppliers so that they could be reimbursed by the state government. Beginning in 1782, claims for reimbursement could be submitted to county courts. The courts compiled the “publick claims,” into booklets and lists, and submitted those to the state claims commissioners who would issue payment vouchers.
The Library has four volumes of the state commissioners’ registers, along with court booklets and lists for almost all Virginia counties. In addition, there are some surviving claim certificates.
Index
Public Service Claims records are indexed online, and the records are available on microfilm at the Library of Virginia:
The court booklets and lists are transcribed in:
- Abercrombie, Janice L. and Richard L. Slatten. Virginia Revolutionary Publick Claims. Athens: Iberian Printing Co., 1992, 3 vols.
