There was not just one pension system put in place after the war. Civil War pension files may be in the custody of the Department of Veterans Affairs if they still were active in 1955 when the inactive files were transferred to the National Archives. T288 is available for viewing at the, National Archives at Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts), National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri, . This collection consists of pension applications and amended applications filed by resident Virginians who served in the Confederate military and their widows, as well as more than 500 enslaved and free Blacks who labored as cooks, herdsmen, laborers, servants, or teamsters. The Disability Act of 1890 removed the restriction of war-related injuries, allowing pensions based solely on time of service, and increased the eligibility of pensions of widows and surviving dependents. From these documents, it is possible to rediscover the lives of Black Americans connected to the Civil War over extended periods of time. Tennessee Confederate Civil War Pension Applications - Soldiers & Widows Tennessee Confederate Physicians Tennessee Confederate Soldiers' Home Applications Tennessee Civil War Veterans' Questionnaires And the system lasted long after the myth was prevalent. In 1937 Georgia had 232 veterans receiving pensions but still 1377 widows, all of whom were eligible for $30 a month even in the depths of the Depression. For more information see the Department of Veterans' Affairs Factsheet DP60 - War Widow(er)'s Pension. http://www.fold3.com : n.d. In addition to the specific information provided in the affidavit, they also provide information for your cluster genealogy studies, by identifying an associate and their specific association. The complete file is arranged under the last number assigned by the pension office. Tom Stoppard, Arcadia The scope of the Union anny pension program, run for the benefit of veterans and their dependent children and widows, came to be enormous. Pension Numerical Index - Historical military records The International Institute for Genealogical Studies, The International Institute of Genealogical Studies, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=United_States_Civil_War_Pension_Records_-_International_Institute&oldid=5301521. T288 General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. Funding such a massive pension system was not an easy thing. You can order online or use NATF Form 86 for military service records and NATF Form 85 for pension records. In 1899, the State Legislature authorized pensions for Confederate veterans who weren't disabled and resided in Alabama or for their widows. There are actually five separate series of Civil War and later pension files. The actual application process required the veteran to fill out a detailed form about his service, disability, and current status. for information about state agencies with records relating to Confederate pensions. Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans - Oliver Hawkins. These series are the soldier's or survivor's original (SO) application and the widow's original (WO). We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Athens GA: University of Georgia Press, 1999. Because African American soldiers were both less likely initially to be assigned to combat roles, and then less likely to be hospitalized (early disability applications required documentation from hospitals) if injured, they could not produce the documentation required by the application process. Using Virginia Civil War Service and Veterans Records . 0. See. Please email both RDT1 at. Civil War Records: Basic Research Sources | National Archives This index was created in 1949 to index Civil War and later pension application files dating from 1861 to 1934. Tennessee, U.S., Civil War Confederate Pension Applications Index If the veteran did not subscribe to the ideals of the Lost Cause, finding such comrades could be difficult. War Widow(er) Pension You may use arrow keys to change which option is selected. Requesting Copies of Civil War Service and Pension Records Glasson, William Henry, History of Military Pension Legislation in the United States. Ordering copies from the National Archives Once you have determined that you have an ancestor who probably was a pensioner, obtaining a copy of the pension record is the next step. If you are unsure about which record you should order, see Union Service Records, Union Pension Records, or Confederate Service Records. Another dozen or more were easier to find on Ancestry and/or FamilySearch after I confirmed correct name spellings in the organization-based index on Fold3. Pension File Citation Question - Evidence Explained: Citing History In certain circumstances, the War Widow(er) Pension will be paid automatically without regard to whether the veteran's death was as a result of war service or eligible war service. There also are 3 record series (XC files) in Record Group 15 at the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) that include claims files relating to Civil War Veterans. Confederate Pension Applications, Veterans and Widows PDF Anatomy of a Union Civil War Pension File $802.00. The website Understanding Civil War Pensions also provides an excellent background on the various pension laws affecting Civil War veterans and their widows and dependents. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Google Scholar Citations. Powell, Kimberly. President Grover Cleveland vetoed more than 200 bills related to pensions (most were private bills for veterans who did not qualify under the regular rules) and paid for it with his loss in the 1888 presidential election. Union pension files are not microfilmed and must be copied from the files at the National Archives (NARA) if they are not available digitally. For Union soldiers, the pension system began in 1862. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. Copies of Union and Confederate service files and Union pension files are available from the National Archives. There also are, (XC files) in Record Group 15 at the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) that include claims files relating to Civil War Veterans. 807 S. Woodlawn Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637 Tel: (773) 702-7709. For most modern Americans the image of Civil War veterans is the one they have seen in the movies or read in novels. Dependents (widows and children) of soldiers who were killed on duty were also eligible. If you choose to hire a professional researcher, look at the lists provided at the NARA site. Helps ADF personnel and their families access mental health services. Civil War | National Archives An unknown number (but probably a pretty large percentage) were physically or emotionally damaged by what they had been through. Two published indexes are available in many libraries: Allen, Desmond Walls. Claim for service pension part A - eligibility Children's names and other dependents' names are searchable as well. No federal pensions were offered to those that served in Confederate forces. No one got rich from these early pensions. A War Widow (er) Pension is a compensatory payment to the widow (er) and/or child (ren) of a veteran who died as a result of eligible war service. Free counselling, treatment programs and suicide prevention training. Further information is on NARAs, now available in digital form and may be viewed online via, U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. . The application and certificate numbers are necessary to obtain the records from NARA. For widows, eligibility rules focused on date of marriage and if they had remarried. Rules on dependents receiving pensions echoed those of widows with the 1890 law allowing completely physically or mentally disabled dependents to receive pensions throughout their life. Alabama, Texas and Virginia, U.S., Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958 Fold3.com, in conjunction with FamilySearch, is in the process of digitizing and indexing all 1,280,000 Civil War and Later Widows' Pension Files in the series. A pension file will typically contain more information about what the soldier did during the war than the Compiled Military Service Record, and may contain medical information if he lived for a number of years following the war. If you are lucky enough to have descended from one of the hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers who applied for a pension, the file will be one of your most valuable sources of information. Some repositories also have records of Confederate Homes (for veterans, widows, etc. We welcome updates and additions to this Wiki page. Any evidence deemed relevant to the claim will be found here. The result was a huge increase in expenditures and numbers of veterans receiving a pension. By 1910 more than 90% of living Union veterans were receiving some kind of government assistance. Links to a 1915 book on the Internet Archive -Orders, Instructions, and Regulations Governing the Pension Bureau. . Service pension overview | Department of Veterans' Affairs Once you have obtained a copy of this file, you will almost certainly discover some new and undiscovered information. If you choose to order online using NARA's online service click on the "Order Reproductions" tab and select "Military Service and Pension Records". This Act awarded pensions to soldiers injured during the Civil War and the surviving widows and minor children of soldiers killed during the war, generally called the General Law.. People find it quicker and easier to submit claims this way. In the section on Pension Files in Evidence Explained, you . This index complements the Civil War and Later Veterans Pension Index (T289), as well as other pension indexes and files, in assisting researchers in locating pension file numbers and names of Army and Navy personnel, as well as widows' pensions (marked with a w) on the card. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Because southern states could not use tariffs to fund their pensions, they needed alternative revenue sources. The eligibility requirements for each Southern state were slightly different but close enough that Georgia provides a model for all of them. War Widow(er) Pension claims are determined by officers of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, who have been delegated the authority to make such determinations by the Repatriation Commission. An example of these cards is shown below. Please check the websites of individual locations for details about requesting appointments. Civil War Pensions - Essential Civil War Curriculum Powell, Kimberly. T288 is available for viewing at the The National Archives in Washington, DC; the National Archives at Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts); the National Archives at Chicago; the National Archives at Denver; the National Archives at Kansas City, Missouri; The National Archives at San Francisco; and The National Archives at Seattle.