History begins with the evidence. Our goal is to make Revolutionary War records accessible while preserving the distinction between documented facts, historical interpretation, and unanswered questions.
Our Historical Sources
The Yost Post is a digital history project dedicated to researching and presenting the lives of lesser-known participants in the American Revolutionary War.
Our biographies are developed around surviving historical evidence, with particular emphasis on Revolutionary War pension applications, military records, firsthand testimony, and related historical sources.
Many veterans applied for federal pensions decades after the Revolution. Their applications sometimes include personal declarations describing their military service, officers, regiments, campaigns, wounds, captivity, and circumstances after the war.
Widows and other witnesses occasionally contributed additional testimony.
These records can provide extraordinary insight into individual experiences, but they also present challenges. Memories may have faded, dates may conflict, and surviving documents may be incomplete.
We therefore treat pension testimony as valuable historical evidence, not as automatically infallible.
How We Prepare a Biography
01. Identifying the Historical Record
We begin with an individual soldier and the available documentary evidence, including pension file numbers, National Archives identifiers, and surviving testimony.
02. Reviewing and Organizing the Evidence
We examine available transcriptions and supporting records to identify names, dates, locations, military service, family relationships, and significant experiences. We also identify conflicting information and details requiring further verification.
03. Developing the Historical Narrative
The evidence is organized into a readable biography that places the individual’s experiences within the broader historical setting of the American Revolution. Historical context helps explain events without inventing personal actions, thoughts, conversations, or experiences.
04. Documenting the Sources
Whenever possible, biographies include direct links to the original National Archives pension file and other materials used in preparing the article. These links allow readers to examine the evidence and pursue further research.
05. Editorial Review and Publication
Before publication, our editorial standard is to review biographical claims, source attributions, dates, military details, and areas of uncertainty. Articles may be revised when new evidence or corrections become available.
How We Use Artificial Intelligence
The Yost Post uses artificial intelligence as an editorial and research-assistance tool.
AI assists with organizing transcribed historical material, developing readable drafts, structuring biographical information, and preparing articles for publication.
AI-generated text is not itself historical evidence.
Historical claims must be supported by documentary sources. AI-generated details should not be accepted simply because they appear plausible.
We do not intentionally invent quotations, military service, battles, personal conversations, family relationships, or biographical facts to complete a narrative.
When a detail cannot be established, our editorial standard is to acknowledge that limitation rather than fill the gap with speculation.
Historical Portraits and Illustrations
Some biographies include AI-generated historical portraits or illustrations.
These images are artistic interpretations intended to help readers visualize the historical period. Unless specifically identified as an authenticated historical image, they should not be understood as accurate representations of an individual’s appearance.
Individual articles include an image disclosure where appropriate.
Historical Uncertainty and Conflicting Records
Historical research rarely provides complete answers.
A veteran might have remembered a service date differently from an official military record. A widow’s recollection might contain details not present in her husband’s declaration. Local traditions may preserve stories that cannot be independently verified.
When such differences are relevant, our editorial standard is to explain them rather than silently choose one version.
Our goal is to present the strongest account supported by the available evidence while remaining transparent about its limitations.
Corrections and Additional Information
The Yost Post is an evolving historical resource.
New documents, family records, or research may clarify details that were previously uncertain. We welcome documented corrections, additional primary sources, and information that can improve the accuracy of our biographies.
Readers who wish to suggest a correction are encouraged to provide the relevant historical document, archival citation, or other supporting evidence.
Make the historical record accessible, preserve its complexity, distinguish evidence from interpretation, and allow the sources to guide the story.