Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

Northampton County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1729-1952 (bulk 1729-1885). Local government records collection, Northampton 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 Northampton County.

Processing Information

Military and pension records, 1729-1952 (bulk 1729-1885), were separated from Northampton County court records and processed by Library of Virginia staff.

Encoded by G. Crawford: August 2014; updated 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: Northampton County was named probably for the English county, of which Obedience Robins, a prominent early resident of the Eastern Shore, was a native. The county, which originally included all of the peninsula south of Maryland and which was one of the eight shires, or counties, first enumerated in 1634, was first called Accomack. The General Assembly changed the name to Northampton County in 1643. Accomack County was created from Northampton County about 1663, but in October 1670, the General Assembly temporarily reunited the two counties as Northampton County. In November 1673, Accomack County was again separated from Northampton. The county seat is Eastville.

Scope and Content

Northampton County (Va.) Military and Pension Records, 1729-1952 (bulk 1729-1885), consist of military service records, accounts and vouchers, and claims for reimbursement by civilians and service members. These include:

County militia papers, 1729-1813, includes lists of officers, oaths of office, appointments, resignations, fines, court orders, and accounts. Of particular note was a 1729 fine levied at a Multiracial man named Jacob Chapley for failing to appear for muster and a 1769 court martial order for military supplies to be purchased for men who were to poor to own their own weapons.

French and Indian War issues papers, 1755, consists of a document calling for the enlistment of men to fight the French on the Ohio River.

Pension papers, 1834-1885, 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 and commutations for artificial limbs, certificates, and bounty land warrant claims.

Civil War issues papers, 1861, includes commissioners' reports for the purchase of arms, bills for weapons and ammunition, and certificates for guard duty.

World War II war bond records, 1952, specifically a United States Defense Bond pamphlet for bond series E, H, J, and K.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Related Material

See also the Northampton County (Va.) Declarations for Revolutionary War Pensions, 1832-1833 at the Library of Virginia.

Additional Northampton 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