@bethroots I have a similar story:

Othniel Young, 1758-1846 was my 5th great- grandfather. He was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island, USA and died in Burrillville, Rhode Island, ten miles away. Six generations later, my father was born sixteen miles from Smithfield, in Providence. What I found in military records was his pension application from August 7, 1832, made when he was seventy-four years old, for his service during the American #RevolutionaryWar. His file contained pages of detail about his enlistment, where he served, in which battles, under which officers. It was mostly facts, without any color to the words, but there it was in long hand, pages of his own account, signed by him, and the testimony of others, including officers still living. It contained correspondence with his descendants, who asked the War Office about him; his name, his dates, the details of his service. Other people like me, descended from him, who were curious about their ancestor...

https://fastestslowguy.blogspot.com/2026/03/othaniel-youngs-revolutionary-war.html
#AmericanRevolution