Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

A portion of the pension records and the commutation applications in this series are unprocessed. These records remain tr-folded or in original bundles, and may be fragile. Contact Archives Research services for availability.

There are no restrictions on the rest of the series.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Greene County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1833-1934. Local government records collection, Greene 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 Greene County under an undated accession.

Processing Information

Military and pension records, 1833-1934, were partially separated from Greene County court records and processed by Library of Virginia staff. A portion of the pension records and the commutation applications in this series are unprocessed.

Encoded by M. Long: February 2025.

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: Greene County was named for Nathanael Greene, commanding general of the Continental army in the South during part of the Revolutionary War. It was formed from Orange County in 1838. The county seat is Stanardsville.

Lost Locality Note: Greene County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Deed Book 1, 1838-1841, was lost during the Civil War when it was removed from the courthouse. Some court records, primarily volumes, suffered water damage as a result of a courthouse fire on 24 October 1979.

Scope and Content

Greene County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1833-1934, consist of military service records, accounts and vouchers, and claims for reimbursement by civilians and service members. A portion of these records are unprocessed. Records include:

Pension papers, 1833-1934, consists of records related to veterans and their families seeking reimbursement, service rewards, or other support promised by the government in recognition of their time in the military. Most papers include regiment, commanding officer names, and other details about wartime service. Records include applications for pensions, certificates, lists of pensioners, lists of conveyances, and bounty land warrant claims for veterans of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Notable records include a 1934 booklet of Virginia state pension laws and a set of Confederate pension rosters that span multiple years. Many of these records are unprocessed.

Commutation applications, 1884-1892, consists of applications for commutation money and artificial limbs for Confederate soldiers wounded during the Civil War. These records are unprocessed.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Series I: Military and Pension Records, 1833-1934, separated between different boxes and interfiled with general Greene County records. Folders in these boxes are arranged by subject.

Related Material

See also the Greene County (Va.) Air Warning System, Ground Observer Corps Post 128-G Records, 1942-1944 at the Library of Virginia.

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

Greene County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Greene County Court Records may be found in the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available on the Library of Virginia website.

Adjunct Descriptive Data