Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
These lists were maintained by the Auditor of the State of Louisiana.

The Louisiana State Legislative Assembly passed a law in 1876 granting pensions to certain residents of the State of Louisiana based on service in the War of 1812, 1814-1815. The pensioners would sue in their parish court to have their name placed on the pension lists. The pensioner was entitled to $144.00 annually. The pension was to be paid quarterly. Some of the requirements to receive the pension were as follows:


 * Be a resident of the State of Louisiana during the War of 1812 and/or the siege at New Orleans in 1814-1815
 * Honorably discharged from the Louisiana unit he served in
 * Be a current resident of the state
 * Be at least seventy-five years old

Witnesses would be brought into court to testify that the requirements were met. They normally provided information regarding the name of the unit served in, commanding officers, length of service, and approximate age. The witnesses did not provide birthdates, only testimony that they believed or knew the person to be at least seventy-five. Widows could apply for the pension if all the criteria for the deceased soldier were met. The widow did not have to be seventy-five, only her deceased husband. Proof of marriage was apparently not required. Her testimony would indicate only that she was the widow of “the soldier’s name.” These records cover only a small percentage of the resident population of Louisiana in the late nineteenth century, because of the requirements needed to obtain a pension for military service in this war. For a list of pensioners currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

These records pertain to service rendered 1812, 1814-1815 but were filed beginning in 1873 continuing to approximately 1879.

These lists are arranged in alphabetical order according to the applicant. There are several types of lists in this collection, including pensions paid by the State Auditor and pensioners granted pensions under the various acts passed by the Louisiana State Legislative Assembly. Many veterans of the War of 1812 and 1815 were excluded from federal pensions granted in 1871. The act of 1878 abolished the requirement of loyalty during the Civil War.

The military service, residency and other facts that were established at the time of the trial proceeding are quite reliable, though there is still a chance of misinformation. The widow named in the petition was the surviving spouse but not necessarily the mother of the soldier's children.

Citation for This Collection
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Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in most pension lists are:




 * Name of the soldier
 * Given name(s) of widow
 * Records of pension payments
 * Date of pension payments

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the Title ⇒ Select the Image range which takes you to the images. Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Use military pension records to establish military service, time period and place served. Use these lists in conjunction with the War of 1812 pension applications. The Louisiana state pension records provide proof of residency within the state at the time of the war and at the time of petition. Use this information to search for information in other records.

Related Websites
Louisiana War of 1812 Index

Related Wiki Articles

 * Louisiana Military Records
 * United States in the War of 1812

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists." images, FamilySearch (https://familyserach.org: accessed May 10, 2012. entry for Mary Ann Curry, List of Pensioners&gt;Pensions of Veterans, 1878-1879&gt;Image range 3 - 44&gt;Image 10, Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.