A partnership between the Museum of the American Revolution and Ancestry.com makes it easier for African American and Native American families to get answers about ancestors who served during the Revolutionary War.

Philadelphia local radio station KYW reports that Ancestry.com has digitized a rare collection of military documents from the war that descendants can search online for free.

The museum acquired the records in 2022 from the Patriots of Color Archive.

The trove comprises nearly 200 rare documents, including original muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers and discharge forms. For people of color, it’s almost impossible to find these government papers.

This development paints a better picture of their ancestors’ service to the nation.

“A lot of people don’t realize how many Black and Native men served in the Revolution,” Amiee Newell, director of collections and exhibitions at the museum. “It was in the thousands — not tens or hundreds.”

The museum will use the collection to tell the soldiers’ stories.

“We are starting here to work on a digital project to go even deeper into the soldiers’ stories,” said Newell. “So stay tuned for that.”