I’ve been able to learn a lot about my ancestry from this very old book my grandfather put together over a 40 year period. He recently passed away and the book is potentially lost,
I have a antecedent named “Nathan/Nathaniel Cleaves” who, according to the book, bore some significance after the revolutionary war. According to this book, he was one of the first men to ever be compensated by the government for loss of his horse, saddle, and several fingers after having them shot out from under him in a battle.
What resources would I use to be able to verify this historical information? Google, ancestry, and anything else is leaving me high and dry. Are there any books or publications who cover such an obscure and limited scope such as “government payments” or benefits given to soldiers during that time period?
Do you have any idea when he received the payment or if it came from his state or the federal government? The payment should be listed in the records of the governing body that issued it. This could be a slog to find (especially if you don't know the when/where) and might require a visit to an archive. If he received the money in the form of a pension, you might be able to find it on fold3 so that's worth a check. Fold3 might be included in your ancestry subscription.