Revolutionary War Pension Transcription Project

Sutton Historical Society was proud to co-host a Revolutionary War Pension File Transcription Event at Sutton Senior Center on 28 January 2026. This well-attended event, presented by the Blackstone Valley National Historical Park aimed to encourage people to participate in a nationwide project to transcribe the many thousand pension files held at the National Archives. 

​This project is both important and fascinating, as the files include personal accounts of events during the war, as well as genealogical information, tales of every day lives and insights into what being a veteran meant in the first half of the 19th century. 

If you would like to participate in this project you can choose any pension file you wish, but if you would like to stay local, below is a list of all the soldiers from Sutton who claimed a pension on the basis of Revolutionary War service. 

Sutton's Revolutionary War Pension Files

The list below includes the name, pension file number and number of pages in each file. If you are new to the process you may want to choose a shorter file.

Each link will take you direct to the pension file, although you will need to sign up for a free account at the National Archives to participate in the transcription project.

For further information about this project, as well as assistance, please email the Society [email protected]

Sutton Revolutionary War pension files already transcribed (1/28/2026)

Notes

This list is correct to the best of the writer's knowledge. However, identity of pensioners is sometimes difficult to establish as they moved away or remarried after the war ended. All pensions are worth transcribing, however. 

​Types of pensions: 
  • S. pensions were applied by and approved for the veteran. 
  • W. pensions were applied for by the widow of a veteran after 1832. These files often include an original "S." pension file as well as detail about marriage, children and household possessions. 
  • R. pensions are rejected applications. Although the pensioner did not prove their eligibility, these files are still worth transcribing as they still include service and genealogical information. 

Pensions not on the NARA website
When the Revolutionary War pension files were photographed, not all images were selected to be added to the online archive. The entire collection is accessible on FamilySearch and can be accessed there, with a free account. Two of the Sutton pension files are only on FamilySearch as far as this writer can find. Therefore they are included here for completeness, but are not included in the transcription project. 
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