Alabama, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The United States Congress established Southern Claims Commission the Southern Claims Commission, on March 3, 1871. The purpose of the Commission was to review and make recommendations to the House of Representatives regarding claims from Southerners who were loyal to the Union, and who had involuntarily “furnished stores and supplies for the use of the U.S. Army” during the Civil War. Later the law was extended to resources taken by the U.S. Navy. Claims were processed through May of 1880. Only about one third of submitted claims were approved.

The images in this collection show the claims approved by the Southern Claims commission for Alabama. The collection is NARA publication M2062 Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims,1871-1880: Alabama and is from RG 217, Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury. It contains 828 approved applications arranged by county and then alphabetical by name.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information may differ between cases and may include any of the following:


 * Name of claimant
 * Description and value of property
 * Date of incident
 * Details of incident
 * Witnesses' names


 * Relationships
 * Place of incident
 * Residences
 * Document and recording dates
 * Occupations

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age and residence

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to find vital records such as birth, marriage and death
 * Use the occupations listed to find other types of records, such as employment or military records
 * Use the information to find additional family members in census records
 * Search for land, probate, and church records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initials

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Alabama.
 * Alabama Guided Research
 * Alabama Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Related Collections

 * Frank W. Klingberg. The Southern Claims Commission. Berkeley, California : University of California, 1955.
 * Gary B. Mills. Southern Loyalists in the Civil War : the Southern Claims Commission.Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994. FHL 975 M2s
 * Gary B. Mills. Civil War Claims in the South : an index of Civil War damage claims filed before the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880.Laguna Hills, California : Aegean Park Press, 1980. FHL 975 H22m
 * Records of the Commissioners of Claims (Southern Claims Commission) 1871-1880: M0087, 14 roll