New York in the Revolutionary War
At the outset, it should be noted that, inasmuch as the Military Museum’s collection did not start until 1863, we do not have many primary source documents prior to that time period. With that in mind, researchers are invited to view the relevant documentation via the following link to the Museum’s website:
https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/revolutionary-war-1775-1783
The Museum also has an online catalog. This will allow you to search our different databases.
Be further advised that, while there is limited information in the Museum as to individual soldiers, one of the main outside resources for such a search is New York in the Revolution as colony and state, and it’s Supplement
Additionally, Ancestry.com has some related resources:
New York, U.S., Pension Claims by Disabled Revolutionary War Veterans, 1779-1789
New York, Genealogical Records, 1675-1920
New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
Please note that New York State residents have free access to parts of Ancestry.com.
In addition to Ancestry.com, there is a related site: Fold3, which is a genealogy website that specializes in military records. If you have an All Access membership to ancestry you also will get membership to Fold3.
Other places that may have information:
The Army Heritage & Education Center
950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013
(717) 245-3971
US Army Center of Military History
103 Third Avenue
Ft. McNair, DC 20319-5058
Voice: 202.685.2704
Fax: 202.685.4570
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
(1-866-272-6272)
New York State Library
Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-5355
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
(518) 474-6926
Fort Ticonderoga
PO Box 390
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
(518) 585-2821
Saratoga National Historical Park
The David Library of the American Revolution
If you cannot find information on a particular soldier after reviewing these resources, the best advice is to look for information on the unit where the soldier served. You could also try searching for the unit’s commanders, who may have written memoirs or books about the war.
In addition to the above resources, a good place to search is WorldCat, www.worldcat.org, which is a database of thousands of library catalogs. However, this is more of a discovery database since you will not be able to borrow from it directly.
You might also be able to find unit histories at The Internet Archive.
Other possible resources are the local (to the solider/unit) historical societies and public libraries.
There are also two great newspaper databases:
NYS Historic Newspapers
Fulton History (This database also covers the whole state)
Finally, all NYS residents have access to different research databases through the NYS Library