Transcription is just one part of the process. Adding a tag can help identify a person, event or location. Tags can also be used to create a link to all records with that tag [Here’s an example of records tagged with Revolutionary WarSubstitute]. You’ll also find that pension files contain non standard spelling. By adding a tag that uses a standardized version of the name or battle, you will help increase searchability
You are welcome to add as many tags as you see fit.
How to Add Tags
Tags to Add
Start Tagging
FAQs
How to add tags
Tags can be added to the page where the subject is found. First select a record from the list of transcribed pension files. Review the transcription on the page to look for people, subjects, or events to tag. First you shouldview the transcription - click Show Details above the thumbnail list.
Click on the transcription icon or from the Grid View [left]or on Available from the List View [right]
Read through the transcription. If you identify a tag to add, click on Tags (circled) to open the Tag panel and add each individual tag in the contribution box (arrow). We suggest using a tag in the Tags to Add list found below.
Tags can also be added to the entire pension file by adding them to the contribution box at the bottom of the description. In general, a tag added here indicates that the tag is about the entire pension file.
Tags to Add
Since there are dozens of tags that can be added to each pension, we’ve created some lists of tags our partners and researchers find especially useful. They’re listed here in order of priority.
National Park Service tags
The highest priority for tagging is to place a Revolutionary War veteran at a National Park Service site. Please add both the battle or event name and the National Park Service Site name and code.
| Battle or Event | National Park Service Site |
| Battle of Bunker Hill | Boston National Historical Park Bunker Hill Monument and Museum |
| Battle of Cowpens | Cowpens National Battlefield |
| Siege of Fort Stanwix Clinton-Sullivan Campaign | Fort Stanwix National Monument |
| Battle of Guilford Courthouse | Guilford Courthouse National Military Park |
| Battle of Kings Mountain | Kings Mountain National Military Park |
| Battle of Lexington Battle of Concord | Minute Man National Historical Park |
| Encampment at Morristown | Morristown National Historical Park |
| Siege of Ninety Six | Ninety Six National Historic Site |
| Battles of Saratoga | Saratoga National Historical Park |
| Encampment at Valley Forge | Valley Forge National Historical Park |
| Battle of Yorktown Surrender of Cornwallis | Yorktown Battlefield |
Battles and Sieges
Tag a siege or battle by using a standardized name listed below. This is not a comprehensive list and you can use sources such as this list of Revolutionary War battles in chronological order from Wikipedia to find a battle that is not listed.
| Battles of Lexington and Concord | Battle of White Plains | Battle of Princeton | Attack on German Flatts | Battle of Cowpens |
| Siege of Boston | Battle of Fort Washington | Battle of Brandywine | Capture of Savannah | Battle of Guilford Court House |
| Battle of Quebec | Battle of Trenton | Battle of Germantown | Battle of Beaufort | Siege of Augusta |
| Battle of Sullivan's Island | Second Battle of Trenton | Battle of White Marsh | Siege of Savannah | Siege of Ninety-Six |
| Battle of Long Island | Battle of Princeton | Battle of Monmouth | Siege of Charleston | Battle of Eutaw Springs |
| Battle of Harlem Heights | Siege of Fort Ticonderoga | Siege of Boonesborough | Battle of Kings Mountain | Battle of Siege of Yorktown |
Notable Names
Veterans also include the names of officers they fought under or spotted in camp or on the battlefield. While it is impossible to list all the names of officers, please use these tags for the most famous.
| Major John André | General Charles Lord Cornwallis | Marquis de Lafayette |
| General Benedict Arnold | Lord Dunmore | General Casimir Pulaski |
| General John Burgoyne | John Paul Jones | General George Washington |
Other tags
Veterans often include colorful recollections of their service. You are welcome to use the following tags to draw attention to a topic that may be of interest to the public. We include the prefix of Revolutionary War before the subject so that a search for the tag will only return records from the Revolutionary War pension.
| Revolutionary War African American | Revolutionary War Musician |
| Revolutionary War Camp Life | Revolutionary War Native American |
| Revolutionary War Construction | Revolutionary War Prisoner |
| Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence | Revolutionary War Prison Ship |
| Revolutionary War Deserter | Revolutionary War Privateer |
| Revolutionary War Drummer | Revolutionary War Ranger |
| Revolutionary War Enslaved | Revolutionary War Recruiter |
| Revolutionary War Family Bible | Revolutionary War Sailor |
| Revolutionary War Farmer | Revolutionary War Sea Service |
| Revolutionary War Formerly Enslaved | Revolutionary War Scout |
| Revolutionary War Fraktur | Revolutionary War Small Pox |
| Revolutionary War Green Mountain Boys | Revolutionary War Spy |
| Revolutionary War Guard | Revolutionary War Substitute |
| Revolutionary War Hessians | Revolutionary War Surgeon |
| Revolutionary War Horse | Revolutionary War Tories |
| Revolutionary War Illness | Revolutionary War Valley Forge |
| Revolutionary War Illustrated Family Record | Revolutionary War Wagoner |
| Revolutionary War Kitchens/Waiter | Revolutionary War Washington’s Life Guard |
| Revolutionary War Minutemen | Revolutionary War Wounded |
| Revolutionary War Whig |
GET STARTED adding tags to pension files that have been transcribed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I’ve added tags but this pension is still on the list.
Since there are so many possible tags, we’re leaving a pension file on the list for longer than normal. Feel free to skip ahead and find another record to tag.
Do I have to tag every page?
No. It is possible that some pages or even entire pensions do not have anything to tag.
I have a suggestion of a tag to add to your list. What should I do?
You are welcome to add the tag to the pension file and send the suggestion to catalog@nara.gov for consideration.
Can I tag a pension that is not part of your list?
Of course! Any pension in the series can be both tagged and transcribed. Our missions just provide a smaller and more manageable subset of records for our volunteers.
I wan to transcribe, where is that page?
You can find the transcription mission page here and it is linked at the top of this page.
