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Happy Fourth of July! I hope your holiday plans include watching a
parade or (safely) enjoying fireworks—and, of course, researching
your American Revolution-era ancestors.

The Continental Congress voted July 2, 1776—more than a year after the Revolutionary
War broke out—to declare independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson was selected
to compose a Declaration of Independence, which was ratified July 4 (that original
manuscript has been lost). A copy was sent to the printing shop of John Dunlap, who
produced 200 broadsides overnight.

Public readings took place across the Colonies starting July 8 in Philadelphia. Most
signatories signed the Declaration of independence Aug. 2; this document is on
display at the National Archives in Washington, DC. 

Whether your revolutionary relatives were Founding Fathers or members of the Continental
army—or, as was usually the case for women, kept the home front warm—they helped forge
a new nation. Most enlisted men were between ages 16 and 60, but younger and older
men also served.

On the other hand, maybe your family didn’t think a split with England was such a
good idea and remained Loyalists,
or even fought with British or Hessian troops.
The British offered some African-American slaves—now called Black
Loyalists—freedom in exchange for military service.

See these free FamilyTreeMagazine.com articles for advice and resources to help you
research your American Revolution genealogy.

• Revolutionary
  War Web resources

• Revolutionary War Loyalists

• Revolutionary
  War timeline

• 10
  Best Web Sites for Military Research

Elsewhere on the web, check out these Revolutionary War genealogy and history websites:

• National
  Park Service: Revolutionary War (a “capsule” history that links to a timeline,
  bios of important figures, historic sites and more)

• The American Revolutionary War (background
  and lists of battles, campaigns, leaders, regiments and POW camps)

• PBS Rediscovering George
  Washington

• Colonial Ancestors:
  Revolutionary War soldier indexes

• Revolutionary War Loyalist History and Genealogy

• Revolutionary War Records at Fold3.com (get free access
  July 1-15!)

• FamilySearch:
  Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications

• Ohio’s Revolutionary War Veterans
  Index

• Maine Genealogy: Revolutionary
  War Pension Rolls (Look for similar searchable indexes on the website for the
  state archives where your ancestor served.)

• Daughters of
  the American Revolution Genealogical Research System

• FamilySearch:
  Revolutionary War Compiled Service Records, 1775-1783