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Newspapers contain hundreds of thousands of obituaries and articles about the troops that served in the Revolutionary War, such as this obituary for Col. Thomas Blackburn:

“…Thomas Blackburn, one of those firm & unshaken patriots who fought and bled for that Independence which we now enjoy!”

People’s Friend (New York, New York), 27 July 1807, page 3

GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives have more than 7,000 of the nation’s newspapers – from all across the country, back to Colonial times.

Obituaries like this one not only tell us of the soldiers that were wounded in battle and later died – but looking closer, they contain clues that we can use to find out more about these American heroes.

For example, this obituary says that Blackburn died at “Rip[p]on Lodge, his seat in Virginia.”

I quickly found that his home is still standing and that it “is the oldest house remaining in Prince William County, Virginia.”

Photo: Rippon Lodge in Prince William County, Virginia. Credit: WhiteKMJK; Wikimedia Commons.

I also found this excellent article that describes the history of Rippon Lodge, which was built by Thomas Blackburn’s father Richard around 1747.

Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 24 April 1921, page 64

This article also describes the tombstones in the family plot on the property.

Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 24 April 1921, page 64

While documenting everyone who fought in the Revolutionary War, use GenealogyBank’s newspapers not only for articles about them when they served, and their obituaries – but also articles about them and their families written long after they died.

GenealogyBank is your go-to source for all things documenting Colonial America.