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!
![Obituary for Thomas Blackburn, People’s Friend newspaper article 27 July 1807](https://blog.genealogybank.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/peoples-friend-newspaper-0727-1807-thomas-blackburn-obituary.png)
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](https://blog.genealogybank.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/photo-0705-2016-rippon-lodge.png)
I also found this excellent article that describes the history of Rippon Lodge, which was built by Thomas Blackburn’s father Richard around 1747.
![An article about Rippon Lodge, Evening Star newspaper article 24 April 1921](https://blog.genealogybank.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/evening-star-newspaper-0424-1921-rippon-lodge.png)
This article also describes the tombstones in the family plot on the property.
![An article about some of the tombstones found on the property at Rippon Lodge, Evening Star newspaper article 24 April 1921](https://blog.genealogybank.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/evening-star-newspaper-0424-1921-rippon-lodge-tombstones.png)
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.
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