Revolutionary War

Through a series of Legislative Resolves between 1835 and 1838, Maine issued grants of land to Revolutionary War veterans or their widows. The first, aproved on March 17, 1835, granted 200 acres of land to non-commissioned officers and soldiers who had served at least 3 years. The next Resolve was approved on Feburary 8, 1836 extended the benefits of the prvious Resolve to include widows and the immediate heirs. A 3rd Resolve, on March 24, 1836, allowed those who could not meet the full requirements to receive $50 if they could prove some degree of actual service. Finally, the last Resolve, approved on March 10, 1838, granted 600 acres of land to commissioned officers or their widows.

By this time, many of the veterans and widows were elderly and were severely hampered in making their applications by a lack of discharge papers or other official proof of service. Some of these had lost their papers over the years, and others had sent the original papers to the Pension Office in Washington or Boston in earlier applications for pensions or land grants, and some just never possessed any documentary evidence of service at all. These people had no other option but to go before a judge and swear out a formal deposition

describing their service. If they had witnesses availalbe, sworn statements were also taken from them. Sometimes, abstracts of diaries kept during the war, family letters, and other official materials were used as supporting evidence.

The Land Office had the responsibility for selecting the bounty lots, the qualification of claims, and the general administration of all land grants. Many of these tell us in the words of the veterans themselves of the battles and privations that they endured.

Massachusetts, who still owned tracts of land in Maine also granted land here in Maine to their veterans.