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Possible Pension Benefits for Your Ancestor |
| United State military pension records began with the Revolutionary
War and continued into the twentieth century. Most pensions were small,
and limited in scope. Only a small percentage of the soldiers who
served in the military were granted pensions. The National Archives
has preserved the pension records except in the case of the Revolutionary
War when the bulk of them were destroyed as part of the War of 1812
by the British. They are a treasure of information for the genealogist.
The applicant had to prove that he had served in the war by listing the dates of service, the company served with, and the names of officers who lead the company. He had to show that he was indeed the solder he claimed to be. To prove his identify, he might have used a page removed from the family Bible, or certificates of religious ordinances. Many applications asked the soldier to list the spouse and children. His places of resident since military service could by listed. Often pension files contained documents from the War Department showing the veteran’s military records. Sometimes a physical description of the man was included. If the soldier was disabled, his injuries and symptoms would have been describe. Some applications were made by widows, parents or orphans of the soldier if he had died. They often contained genealogical dates and places. Even when an application was denied, the application papers were still filed. If the soldier was not granted a pension, it does not mean that the application would not have information that might by important to his descendants. Until early in the 20th century, letters from people requesting
information from the pension files were sometimes included in the
pension envelope. Often these people were descendants of the soldier
who were trying to join lineage societies such as the DAR. These
letters can give a researcher clues to the soldier’s descendants
and other family members. |
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