Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The records consist of images of pension applications and an alphabetical index. They were filed by surviving former Confederate soldiers who lived in Kentucky or their widows.

The law providing for pensions was enacted in 1912 by the Kentucky State Legislature. For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

The collection covers the years 1912 to 1950.

Pension applications were created to provide a way for veterans or their widows to obtain financial assistance after serving in the military.

The information in these records is generally reliable.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The index includes the following information:




 * Application number
 * Full name of applicant

The following information is found on most Confederate soldier's pension applications in Kentucky:


 * Application number
 * Full name of applicant
 * Residence
 * Company, regiment, or battalion
 * Birth date and place
 * Enlistment date
 * Ending date of service
 * If a prisoner
 * If parolled
 * If swore allegience to the United States Government
 * Date of filing

The following information is found on most Confederate soldier's pension applications in Kentucky:


 * Application number
 * Full name of widow (applicant)
 * Residence
 * Length of residence in Kentucky
 * Birth date and place
 * Maiden name
 * Full name of soldier
 * Birth date and place of soldier
 * Who performed the marriage ceremony (A copy of the marriage certificate or license may also be attached.)
 * Enlistment date
 * Company and regiment
 * Length of service
 * When and where did the company and regiment surrender
 * Was the soldier present at the time of surrender
 * Reason if not present at the time of surrender
 * Death date and place of soldier
 * If the couple was living together at the time of death
 * Second marriage information
 * Property owned by the widow
 * Family of the widow
 * Witness for the widow
 * Date and place of signing

How to Use the Record
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the Application Number 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.

Confederate Pension applications can be used to find information about soldiers who served in the Civil War and their families. In addition to providing information about the veteran and his family, pension applications can also lead to more military records.

To begin your search, check the index. Use the application number to find your ancestor's application.

When you have located your ancestor’s application, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Compare the information given to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

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 birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records.

You may also find these search tips helpful:


 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful if the surname is uncommon.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension. Keep in mind that in some cases the applications were filed under the name of the widow or other dependent.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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
Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives

Related Wiki Articles

 * Confederate Regular Troops in the Civil War
 * Confederate Pension Records
 * Kentucky
 * Kentucky in the Civil War

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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
"Kentucky, Confederate Pension Applications, 1912-1950' digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 14 December 2011), Mrs Eliza E. Alcock, petition dated 13 July, 2909-3000&gt; images 17-20; Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, Kentucky, United States.