United States Mormon Battalion Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 1846-1923. The index corresponds to the approximately 370 pension applications relating to the Mormon Battalion. The records are arranged by the name of the veteran, but are also searchable by the claimant’s name. The application files are NARA microfilm publication T1196, Selected Application Files Relating to the Mormon Battalion,Mexican War,1846-1848 and are part of Record Group 15, Records of the Veterans Administration.

In July 1846, over five hundred Mormon men gathered at Council Bluffs, Iowa to join the U.S. Army in the Mexican American War. Most of the soldiers’ enlistments ended after one year, but several continued on for another eight months. Pensions were sought by the veterans themselves and by widows or other dependents.

This index is based on pension applications for service performed during 1846-1848. It was created to provide easier access to the Mormon Battalion pension applications. The information in this index is quite reliable. However, keep in mind that it still may contain alternate spellings or misinterpretations.

Additional information about the collection can be found in the National Archives' Organization Authority Record, [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10535785 Army of the West. Mormon Battalion. 7/16/1846-7/16/1847].


 * See also Claire Prechtel-Kluskens For Love and Money: Pension Laws Affecting Widows of Military Veterans NGS Magazine 42 #1 (January-March 2016): 35-39. FS Library 973 D25ngs

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Collection Content
Sample of indexed information:

Coverage Table
Coverage tables for each company can be found at the following pages. They include links to images of bounty land, pension and compiled service record images in the National Archives Catalog.
 * Pension Applications, Company A
 * Pension Applications, Company B
 * Pension Applications, Company C
 * Pension Applications, Company D
 * Pension Applications, Company E

The National Archives has bounty land applications available online. A finding aid is available at Mormon Battalion Bounty Land Application Files.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The soldier's name
 * The age of the soldier
 * The rank of the solider
 * The names of other family members and their relationships

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the pension file to determine where other records for ancestor existed
 * Search for your ancestor in census records
 * Search for your ancestor in vital 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
 * You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the United States.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Selected pension application files relating to the Mormon Battalion, Mexican War, 1846-1848
 * Compiled service records of volunteer soldiers who served during the Mexican War in Mormon organizations
 * The final muster rolls of Companies A.B.C. of the Mormon Battalion, 1847-1848 : copy from the National Archives, record group 94, War Dept. AGO, M.R.
 * Roster and record of Iowa soldiers in the War of the Rebellion : together with historical sketches of volunteer organizations, 1861-1866 Des Moines, Iowa : E. H. English, 1908-1911 Vol 6 includes the Mormon Battalion of Iowa Volunteers, pp. 825-881 or image 556 -584 of film 007811621
 * David L. Bigler and Will Bagley, edited. Army of Israel : Mormon Battalion narratives Spokane, Washington : Arthur H. Clark, 2000 FS Library 289.373 H2b v. 4
 * Bea W. Barton, The Mormon Battalion, Mississippi saints and pioneers Douglas County Colorado : honorable remembrance to the latest generation, 1846-2005B.W. Barton, c2008 FS Library 978.886 K2b

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States Mexican War Index and Service Records, 1846-1848
 * United States Mexican War Pension Index, 1887-1926

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Daniel Tyler. Concise History of the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War,1846-1847 (1881)
 * Kate B. Carter, The Mormon Battalion Salt Lake City, Utah : Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1956
 * B.H. Roberts, The Mormon Battalion Its History and Achievements Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret News, c1919
 * Pauline Udall Smith, assisted by Alison Comish Thorne, Captain Jefferson Hunt of the Mormon Battalion Salt Lake City, Utah : Nicholas G. Morgan Sr. Foundation, c1958
 * Henry M. Standage, Henry Standage's journal : an account of his experiences in the Mormon Battalion Mesa, Arizona : Standage Family, 1972
 * Carl V. Larson, comp. and ed. A database of the Mormon Battalion : an identification of the original members of the Mormon Battalion. Providence, Utah : K.W. Watkins & Sons, c1987
 * compiled by the directors and staff of the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center ; edited by Elmer J. Carr.Honorable remembrance : the San Diego master list of the Mormon Battalion.(1978)

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Estados Unidos, Pedidos de Pensão do Batalhão Mórmon (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)