Stump Craig: U.S. Revolutionary War

The webinar “Stump Craig: U.S. Revolutionary War” offers a dynamic, unscripted question-and-answer session with noted military records expert Craig Scott. Rather than a traditional lecture, this session invites genealogists to present real research challenges related to Revolutionary War ancestors. Throughout the discussion, the presenter addresses topics ranging from militia service and Native American involvement to pension challenges, loyalist identification, Hessian soldiers, and methods for separating individuals with the same name. The result is a practical, insight-rich exploration of how to locate, analyze, and interpret Revolutionary War-era records, especially when documentation is incomplete or confusing.

Across a wide range of examples, the webinar emphasizes the importance of understanding terminology, geographic context, and the evolution of record-keeping practices over time. Many questions highlight common challenges: ancestors who appear in militia rolls but not pension files, gravestones with incorrect military information, claims of service that stem from family lore rather than documentation, or confusingly similar names in the same region. The presenter explains how to use available sources—including pension ledgers, militia records, compiled service records, land claims, prisoner-of-war documents, and state-level compensation files—to evaluate claims and narrow down identity questions. He also reinforces the value of working from what is known and documented, then building outward carefully through surrounding records, kinship networks, and local histories.

• Strategies for confirming Revolutionary War service include tracing geographical movement, reviewing post-war pension ledgers, researching bounty land claims, and locating supporting records such as court vouchers, public claims, or state treasury files.

• Distinguishing individuals with the same name requires attention to residence patterns, family structure, occupational clues, tax records, land transactions, and even nicknames—underscoring that no two individuals share precisely the same life details.

• Understanding different types of military involvement—militia, Continental Line, local defense, scouting, or non-combat service—helps clarify where and how records were created and why documentation may vary significantly between individuals.

To gain deeper expertise and see how these research strategies unfold in real scenarios, viewing the full webinar is highly recommended. The complete session offers nuanced examples, record references, and explanatory context that support more confident and successful Revolutionary War research.