The American Revolutionary War was fought between Britain and 13 of its North American colonies, beginning in 1775. Two issues were central to the colonies' rebellion: taxation and Britain's refusal to allow colonists to settle in the Ohio Country. Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, striving to avoid conflict with Native Americans west of the colonies and prohibiting settlement of the Ohio Country. Few significant battles took place in the Ohio Country, though many lives were lost as both sides violently struggled to gain control of the area.
Fort Laurens was the only Revolutionary War fort in Ohio, besieged in 1779 by the British and their Native American allies. Service in the Revolutionary War resulted in land grants across the Ohio Country to pay officers and soldiers for their war service.
The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio [R 973.344 D265o and FLM 288] is available for research in the Library, compiled by the Ohio Adjutant General's Department and Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications in the National Archives [R 351.50973 N213i 1976] is also available for research in the Library, compiled by the National Genealogical Society.
Graves registration cards [State Archives Series 183] of Revolutionary War veterans buried in Ohio are available on microfilm rolls GR 3146 through 3236 in the Library Microfilm Room.
We hold 166 volumes and 4 indexes of Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books [R 929.1 D 266 L], available in the Library.
There is a wide selection of Ohio Local and County histories noting Revolutionary War soldiers who migrated to their counties available in the Reading Room. These materials are organized alphabetically by county and are self serve in the Library.
We have Rosters for many of the original 13 Colonies, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. Please visit our Online Collections Catalog to search for additional rosters.
There are more Revolutionary War resources available though Ancestry and Fold3 which are available via computers in the Library.
You can browse all Revolutionary War library, archives, and museum records using our Online Collections Catalog.
Discover books, newspapers, periodicals, company catalogs, pamphlets, maps, atlases and more!
We do not hold military service or pension records. That information can be obtained by contacting the National Archives and Records Administration. Records prior to World War I are located at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
You may also wish to read the military records section of the National Archives Genealogy webpage.
If you have questions, please contact us at reference@ohiohistory.org or 614.297.2510.