Mississippi, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection includes applications for state pensions filed by Confederate veterans and by widows of Confederate veterans living in Mississippi. This collection covers the years 1900 to 1974.

In 1889 Mississippi began granting pensions to Confederate veterans. their widows and dependents. In most states the pension system began with providing pensions to injured veterans and then later expanded to include veteran’s widows or other dependents. In addition to Mississippi, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Record Content
The information will vary depending upon the record and may include any of the following:


 * Name of soldier, widow, or dependents
 * Date and place of birth
 * Dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Company in which served and its captain
 * Length of service
 * Name of regiment and its commander
 * Details on wounds received
 * Sworn statements on proof of service by comrades
 * War Department service abstracts
 * Place and length of residency in the state
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Date and place of the veteran's death

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Soldier's name
 * Widow's or dependent's names
 * Approximate birth date or other identifying information

Search the Collection
To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the Browse link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Beginning name - Ending name" category which takes you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. The pieces of information in the record may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records. For example:


 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * When searching for an application keep in mind that in some cases the applications were filed under the name of the widow or other dependent who submitted the application.
 * Applications were sent to and processed by the state where the veteran or family member lived at the time, which was not always the state in which the soldier had served.

Related Websites

 * Mississippi State Archives Confederate Pensions Collection Description
 * Mississippi State Archives Confederate Pensions Image Browse
 * Confederate Pension Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mississippi in the Civil War
 * Confederate Pension Records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation

Image Citation