Louisiana Confederate Pensions - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
This database contains images of Confederate pension applications for the years 1898 to 1950. These records were created at the state level and therefore there are some variations in the qualifications for receiving aid and the amounts of aid between the states. Applications were sent to the state where the veteran or his dependents lived at the time of application, which was often not the state in which the veteran had enlisted or served.

In 1898 Louisiana began granting pensions to Confederate veterans or their widows. 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 Louisiana, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in applications submitted by the veteran may include some or all of the following:


 * Applicant's name
 * Date application was filed
 * Date and place of birth
 * Current residence and length of residency
 * Company, regiment and branch of service
 * Dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Nature of wounds received
 * Sworn statements on proof of service by comrades
 * Names of witnesses
 * War department service abstracts

If the application was submitted by the widow of the veteran it may also include the following:


 * Wife's full name and age
 * Number of children and their gender
 * Date and place of marriage to the veteran
 * Date and place of the veteran's death

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:


 * Name of the person
 * The birth date or place or date of the event

View the Images
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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.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension.
 * 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 in 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.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
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Citing This Collection
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