Louisiana Confederate Pensions - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This 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?
The following information may be found in these records:

Submitted by the veteran
 * 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

Submitted by the widow of the veteran
 * 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 This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The birth date of the soldier
 * The place where the soldier lived

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.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death
 * 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 census records
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * 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

I Can't Find the Person 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
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Louisiana.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * Locating a Confederate Civil War Soldier (1861–1865)
 * Louisiana Guided Research
 * Louisiana Record Finder
 * Louisiana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Louisiana Research, 1880-Present
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Louisiana Confederate veterans pensions, 1912-1936
 * Winston De Ville. Civil War pensions in Louisiana, 1924 & 1933 : veterans & widows.
 * Louisiana. State Land Office. Soldier's proofs, 1884-1902

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Louisiana Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865

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.