James Kitchen served in the Revolutionary War as a private in the Virginia militia. He served under Capt. Mathew Arbuncle at Point Pleasant, VA and as an Indian spy. His widow, Jane Patterson Kitchen, applied for a pension based on the Penison Act of 1838 but the penison was denied. Jane could not prove that she was the legal wife as the marriage papers were destroyed when their house burned on January 14, 1801 in Russell Co. VA. James' son John filed a sworn affidavit in Carter Co., KY in support Jane's widow's pension application, indicating that his father had served 3 years and 6 months at the mouth of the Kanawha as an Indian spy, and that he had fought in serveral Indian skirmishes. Several other witnesses also gave written testimony on the widow's behalf that they had knowledge of James Kitchen's service as an Indian Spy during the Revolutionary War. Additionally, the pension application file records indicate that the name of James Kitchen did appear on payroll lists of the Officers and Soldiers of the Continental Line of Virginia of 1776-1777, per the Auditor of Public Accounts. However, since the original payroll records upon which the lists were based were unavailable, the Auditor found that the actual dates of term of service could not be established. That James Kitchen did serve in the Virginia Militia, Revolutionary War does not appear to have been disputed by the pension court. However, despite numerous affidavits of witnesses, it appears that the Widow's Pension of Jane Kitchen was suspended, due to the fact that she was unable to produce a certified copy of a marriage bond or marriage license at the court's request for the court to examine as proof of marriage. Jane died while the application was in suspended status awaiting proof of marriage, however their son John continued the quest for approval of the pension application on behalf of Jane's estate, to no avail. The application for Widow's Pension was eventually denied.

A stone marker has not been located to commemorate the burial site of this ancestor.