Louisiana War of 1812 Pension Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Louisiana

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of pension lists for years 1812-1815, recorded between 1873 - 1879. Some lists are arranged in alphabetical order by surname. Also included are lists of veterans and lists of claimants. These lists were maintained by the Auditor of the State of Louisiana.

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

General Information About this Collection
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.

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.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
Information found in most pension lists includes:


 * Name of soldier
 * Soldier's company and year of claim
 * Given name(s) of widow
 * Eligibility status
 * Amount to be paid each quarter
 * Date of pension payments
 * Ordering officer

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * The name of the pensioner.
 * The name of the soldier's company.
 * The years the soldier served.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate "Title" ⇒ Select the appropriate "Image range" 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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s pension record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * 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 the names and dates to search for other records such as church and land records.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify other relatives.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

Citing 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.

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