{"id":10968,"date":"2015-07-01T11:38:09","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T15:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=10968"},"modified":"2015-07-01T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T15:38:09","slug":"researching-contested-special-military-pension-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/researching-contested-special-military-pension-applications.html","title":{"rendered":"Researching Contested & Special Military Pension Applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

From its earliest days, the U.S. government has granted pensions to soldiers or their surviving relatives in cases where the soldier was killed or \u201cdisabled by known wounds in the\u2026war.\u201d Those early pensions were not granted for a lifetime of service in the military \u2013 as we think of pensions today \u2013 but instead were granted based on a clear demonstration of need, as shown in the pension application. Think of these as long-term disability claims rather than pensions.<\/p>\n

In this special military pension appeal request, the widow of Captain Morgan appealed to the government on behalf of her six children and herself, knowing that his death did not meet the specific requirements of the pension act (he did not die of wounds received in battle, but rather of exhaustion afterward). The House committee examining her claim stated that it \u201cis within the spirit of [the] provisions\u201d of the pension law. The Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary claims presented a bill to the 14th Congress to grant her a pension.<\/p>\n

\"military<\/a>
Source: Historical Documents, GenealogyBank.com; \u201cPension granted to the widow of a captain in the army who died in service.\u201d Communicated to the House of Representatives, January 26, 1816. American State Papers, 036 Claims Vol. 1, number 285.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In his pension request, Lieutenant William Monday appealed to the 9th Congress for a pension \u2013 but the committee members hearing his request did not agree and encouraged him instead \u201cto withdraw his petition, and the papers accompanying the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did not receive a pension, but his application gives us important details about his service during the American Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n

\"military<\/a>
Source: Historical Documents, GenealogyBank.com; \u201cApplication for a pension by a dismissed officer.\u201d Communicated to the House of Representatives, December 16, 1806. American State Papers, 036 Claims Vol. 1, number 176.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Revolutionary War the U.S. gave pensions to disabled soldiers, their widows and children. Congress also granted bounty land warrants to the able-bodied troops that survived the war. These land warrants were certificates redeemable for government lands.<\/p>\n

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In his special bounty land warrant request, Samuel Frazer confirmed that he served in the Revolutionary War but had a problem when he went to claim his land. He found that his land warrant was redeemed on 24 January 1792 by William Thomas. He appealed to the 7th Congress to correct this error, stating that \u201che had given no authority whatever for that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Committee of Claims acknowledged that \u201c\u2026warrants have doubtless been issued, in many instances, on forged powers of attorney\u2026\u201d but did not act to grant him a new bounty land warrant because it said it was impossible to determine the facts of the case, and left that determination up to the courts.<\/p>\n

\"bounty<\/a>
Source: Historical Documents, GenealogyBank.com; \u201cBounty land warrant.\u201d Communicated to the House of Representatives, January 12, 1803. American State Papers, 028 Public Lands Vol. 1, number 71.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tip<\/em><\/strong>: Get details on the lives of your ancestors from a range of sources, including contested and special pension applications. You want to find those ancestors who received pensions and bounty lands, as well as those that applied for them but had their cases rejected by Congress. You will find these contested and special pension applications in the Historical Documents<\/a> section of GenealogyBank.com.<\/p>\n

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