United States, General Index to Pension Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of the name index to pension files held at the National Archives. The files relate to service between 1861 and 1934. Most of the files are for Union Civil War service but also include the War with Spain, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion and Regular U.S. military forces. The index is in alphabetical order.

State and federal governments filed pension records so as to keep track of the fund leaving the treasuries to support the veterans and widows of wars. The applications are usually reliable, depending on the memory of the applicant and the records to which he had access.

 Related National Archives Collections
 * Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Soldiers Who Served in Both the Mexican War and the Civil War, ca. 1847–ca. 1888
 * Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Veterans Who Served in the Army and Navy Mainly in the Civil War and The War With Spain ("Civil War and Later Survivors' Certificates"): Nos. SC 9,487 - 999,999, 1861–1934
 * Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of the Army and Navy Who Served Mainly in the Civil War and the War With Spain, 1861–1934
 * Index to Civil War and Spanish-American War Claims Files, ca. 1970–ca. 2011
 * Regimental and Company Books of Civil War Volunteer Union Organizations, 1861–1867

 Related Articles
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens.  Anatomy of a Union Pension File. NGS Magazine 34 # 3 (July-September 2008): 43-48. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * Marie Varrelman Melchiori and Claire Prechtel-Kluskens.  Did your Union Army Civil War ancestor apply for a pension ? NGS Magazine 40 #3 (July-September, 2014): 39-43. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens, “A Reasonable Degree of Promptitude” Civil War Pension Application Processing, 1861–1885 Prologue 42 1# (Spring, 2010)
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens. Family data circulars of 1898 and 1915. NGS Magazine 38 #4 (October-December 2012): 28-31. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * Claire Prechtel-Kluskens.  Did your Union Civil War ancestor have an artificial limb? NGS Magazine 40 #1 (January-March 2014):41-45. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * 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
 * Claire Prechtel -Kluskens,  Did Your Civil War Ancestor Respond to Call No 13? NGS Magazine 42 # 2 (April-June ): 35-39. FS Library 973 D25ngs
 * John P. Deeben  Finding Pension Information in Congressional Records NGS NewsMagazine (October/November/December, 2008):33-37 (Veterans and Private Claims)

'''Copies of pension files are available from the National Archives. To request copies follow the instructions in the following link. Requesting Pre-WWI Service Records'''

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

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier with the pension
 * The age and birth place of the soldier
 * The state and county where the solider lived
 * The dates of military service
 * The military unit in which the solider served

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 age to calculate a birth date
 * Use the death dates to search for death certificates, mortuary, or cemetery records
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date
 * Use the birth date along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking the pension
 * 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 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.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * General index to pension files, 1861-1934 NARA T0288
 * Organization index to pension files of veterans who served between 1861 and 1900- 1917 NARA T0289
 * Index to general correspondence of the Record and Pension Office, 1889- 1904
 * Index to pension application files of remarried widows based on service in the Civil War and later wars and in the regular Army after the Civil War NARA M1785
 * Lists of Navy veterans for whom there are Navy widows' and other dependants' disapproved pension files (Navy widows originals), 1861-1910 NARA M1391
 * Compiled records showing service of military units in volunteer Union organizations M0594
 * Enrollment of the late soldiers, their widows and orphans of the late armies of the United States, residing in the State of Indiana for the year 1886-1894, 89 rolls
 * Tabular statements of the census enumeration, and the agricultural, mineral and manufacturing interests of the state : also alphabetical list of the soldiers and sailors of the late war residing in the state, June 20, 1885 Madison, Wisconsin : Democrat Printing Company, State Printers, 1886 FS Library 977.5 X2w

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Thayer M. Boardman, Myra R. Trever, and Louise W. Southwick, comp. Preliminary inventory of the administrative records of the Bureau of Pensions and the Pension Service, (record group 15)Washington, D.C. : National Archives & Records Administration, 1953
 * John William Oliver. History of the Civil War military pensions, 1861-1865 (Madison, Wisconsin, 1917)

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, o Índice Geral de Arquivos de Pensão (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)