Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File
{series #13.50}
Active Duty
Militia Loan Certificates
Copied from the Archives Records Information Access System (ARIAS)
description for Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File – {series #13.50}The abstract card file contains transcriptions of data extracted from original records in the custody of the State Archives concerning Revolutionary War service in the Pennsylvania Militia, Pennsylvania Line, and the Navy. Note that duty after November 1783 is not considered Revolutionary War service. Information provided is name and rank of soldier, whether active or inactive duty, county of residence, battalion in which served, and record from which information was extracted. Also noted are whether soldier was delinquent and fined or whether militia fines were abated.
The entry “Active Duty” indicates that the soldier saw active duty in either the Pennsylvania Militia or the Pennsylvania Line while “Inactive Duty” indicates that the soldier did not necessarily see active duty. Associators were volunteers who comprised the Military Association, a civilian reserve designed to repel any invasion of Pennsylvania until the collapse of the Association in the winter of 1776-1777. The Pennsylvania Militia was organized under an Act of the Assembly of March 17, 1777 that required compulsory enrollment by constables of all able-bodied white males between the ages of 18 and 53 to repel invaders. The “Flying Camps” were special battalions of Pennsylvania Line troops recruited from the Pennsylvania Associators. Rangers were soldiers who served long periods of enlistment to protect the frontier against Indian incursions. Entries for Depreciation Pay Certificates apply to soldiers who served 1777-1780 when the currency was depreciating and were paid in Continental Bills of Credit that quickly lost value. To compensate for such depreciation, each soldier of the Pennsylvania Line who remained in service in 1781 was awarded a substantial sum in Depreciation Pay Certificates which were both interest bearing and negotiable. In addition, at the end of the war arrears and allowances due were met by issuing to each soldier still in service a number of interest-bearing final settlements called Pierce’s Certificates (named after the paymaster who dispensed them).
Some cards show a certificate number that relates to the Militia Loan of 1784-1785. This loan was established to pay individuals for services and goods provided during the Revolutionary War that had not been reimbursed at that time. Note that not all certificate numbers give additional information.
