Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Judith Carter's Pensioner Certificate, January 1800, use photocopy included in Series I: Military and Pension Records, 1758-1904.

American Revolution Pension Application - James Holmes, 1822, use photocopy included in Goochland County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1818-1839.

If unable to locate photocopies for these records, please notify the Local Records Manager.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Goochland County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1758-1904, undated. Local government records collection, Goochland 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 Goochland County.

Processing Information

Military and pension records, 1758-1904, were separated from Goochland County court records and processed by Library of Virginia staff.

Encoded by M. Long: September 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: Goochland County was named for Sir William Gooch, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1727 to 1749. It was formed from Henrico County in 1728. The county seat is Goochland.

Scope and Content

Goochland County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1758-1904, consist of military service records, accounts and vouchers, and claims for reimbursement by civilians and service members. These include:

Pension papers, 1758-1904, consist of records related to veterans seeking reimbursement, service rewards, or other support promised by the government in recognition of their time in the military. The records include pension lists, applications, certificates, affidavits, schedules of property, blank forms, land warrant claims, and related records. Records are primarily for Revolutionary War and Confederate veterans, but also encompass soldiers who fought in the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, as well as the widows and heirs of soldiers. Most papers include regiment, commanding officer names, and other details about wartime service. Notable records include applications for commutation money and artificial limbs for Confederate soldiers wounded during the Civil War, and claims for bounty land warrants for federal military service dating from 1787 to 1897.

Revolutionary War issues papers, 1778-1794, consists mostly of 1782 claims of local citizens detailing property lost to depredations by the British, including descriptions of several enslaved individuals who likely escaped enslavement when Cornwallis's forces passed through their area. Other records include receipts, claims, and lists concerning provisions for the army.

County militia papers, 1782-1866, include militia muster lists, bonds, commissions, officer recommendations, qualifications and oaths, court martial records, and lists of persons owing muster fines and slips detailing the fines for individuals.

Civil War issues papers, 1861-1866, include requests for exemptions from Confederate military service, records regarding the support of indigent soldiers families, documentation of resolutions and requests to memorialize soldiers who had died, and a list of oaths of amnesty administered to local citizens. Notable records include claims to the U.S. government regarding property lost during the Civil War, which contain descriptions of enslaved individuals who escaped enslavement by joining Union forces or who were emancipated following the end of the war.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

See also: Goochland County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1818-1839 at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Goochland 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