{"id":91385,"date":"2023-05-08T11:07:07","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T15:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=91385"},"modified":"2023-06-09T09:18:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T13:18:46","slug":"genealogy-tip-your-ancestors-civil-war-pension-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/genealogy-tip-your-ancestors-civil-war-pension-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Genealogy Tip: Your Ancestor\u2019s Civil War Pension (part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article \u2013 the second in a three-part series \u2013 Katie Rebecca Garner gives tips for researching your ancestor\u2019s Civil War pension. Katie specializes in U.S. research for family history, enjoys writing and researching, and is developing curricula for teaching children genealogy.<\/em><\/p>\n

In Part 1 of this three-part series (see link below), we learned some history about Civil War pensions. In Part 2, we explore the application process and see how this can help you in your research.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Civil War Union reenactors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Applying for Pensions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pension application process required the veteran to fill out a detailed form about his military service and subsequent disability, supply witnesses, and submit to a physical examination by approved physicians. In the case of widow or dependent pensions, the applicant had to also include information about the death of the soldier and their relationship to him. This process required time, travel, and money on the applicant\u2019s end. Pension attorneys sometimes helped in this process in exchange for future financial reward.<\/p>\n

For veterans applying for a pension because of disability, a physician had to confirm the disability. Many counties had one physician appointed for examinations for pensions until 1882-1883, then boards of three physicians were appointed. This increased the accuracy of physical examinations and saved money in pension fees in the long term.<\/p>\n

Disability was measured by a veteran\u2019s ability to make a living by manual labor. Loss of limb was considered total disability. Other considerations made were whether the disability was permanent or temporary, incurable or treatable, unavoidable from battle conditions or caused by carelessness on the soldier\u2019s part. Veterans on invalid pensions had to submit to regular physical examinations, and their pensions would be adjusted based on a change in disability. If a disability was cured, the veteran no longer qualified for an invalid pension.<\/p>\n

On the pension office end, they needed the Adjutant General\u2019s Office and the Navy Department to confirm details of service, death, or disability for each application. The pension offices processed many pension applications, which included gathering sufficient evidence of each case. Some pension applications took a long time to be processed because the applicants or their attorneys neglected to send all the required evidence. If there was a suspicious claim, the pension office would send out investigators to check for fraud.<\/p>\n

For widows\u2019 pensions, proof of marriage was needed. In cases where an original marriage record couldn\u2019t be found, cohabitation may have counted as marriage. In such cases, witnesses had to testify that the couple lived together as husband and wife and were considered by the community as husband and wife. Ironically, a widow of a veteran cohabitating with another man didn\u2019t count as remarriage for ending the pension. For this reason, some widows chose cohabitation over remarriage to avoid losing their pension benefits.<\/p>\n

If a pension application was denied, the applicant may have gathered additional documentation to prove their need or eligibility for the pension. If your ancestors went through this process, this would have enlarged the paper trail they left for you.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Civil War Confederate reenactors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo credit: https:\/\/depositphotos.com\/home.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Case Study<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barton H. Stewart, who served in the Civil War from December 1863 to July 1865, applied for a pension in July 1874. He had incurred disabilities in his war service, which caused him to be discharged earlier than the three years he committed to and affected his ability to work after the war. He died in October of that year.<\/p>\n

Next, his widow Elizabeth applied for a pension. She had to provide information on her marriage to Barton and list the dependent children they had. When she remarried, she had to send in records of that marriage. A few times, she wrote to the pension office inquiring about the status of her pension application, and they wrote back requesting more evidence.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Stewart Hendrickson died in 1903; after that, her children applied for dependent pensions. They had to send in the same information as their mother, stating that they were children of Barton and Elizabeth Stewart.<\/p>\n

The pension records for Barton and Elizabeth Stewart were key in researching their family. (This will be discussed in more detail in the third and final article in this series.) For now, let\u2019s continue by showing you how to find your ancestor\u2019s pension record.<\/p>\n

Researching Pensions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Archives (National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA) houses pension records for Union soldiers<\/a>. An online index may give you the pension application number(s), which you can use when placing an order for the record.<\/p>\n

NARA does not house Confederate pension records, though some can be found online. Since former Confederate states were on their own for pensions for their Confederate veterans, pension records are housed within each state. Southerners who served in the Union would have gotten their pensions from the federal government, so their pensions can be found at NARA. Confederate state pension records can be found at the Family History Library or through local state archives. Additional collections can be found through the FamilySearch catalog by searching the state then selecting the Military category.<\/p>\n

Below are FamilySearch Wiki articles for finding Civil War records for each of the Confederate and border states that sent sufficient men to the Confederate armies:<\/p>\n