Many Revolutionary War Pension Application Files have been transcribed and posted at the following website:

http://revwarapps.org/

Original pension files can be found on Fold3.

https://www.fold3.com/

Note that most men who fought in the Revolutionary war never received a pension. Until about 1818, only officers and disabled veterans qualified. Then around 1818 and after, whoever was still alive could qualify. If you don’t find your ancestor, he probably died before then. You might look for a widow’s pension instead or a bounty land grant (more on that later) for the soldier or his widow.

If your Patriot is already established with DAR, chances are you do not need a pension to support information in your particular application. However, the pension can name spouses, children, and even occasionally grandchildren. If you need information on any of those people, then you will want to check for a pension application through both of the above sites.

If you want to use a page from a pension application, you need to submit the original page and not the transcription with your application.