Missouri, Confederate Pension Applications and Soldiers Home Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains digital images of Confederate pension files and applications for admission to the Confederate soldiers' home for the years 1911 to 1938. The applications are arranged in alphabetical order. The pensions are for Confederate veterans who were living in Missouri, although they may have enlisted from another state. The Confederate Soldiers’ Home in Higginsville, Missouri, was open for infirm and dependent former Confederate soldiers and sailors, their wives, widows, and orphans.

Service records were kept for each Confederate soldier. Those records, or abstracts of those records, were compiled into individual files. Each envelope/jacket contains information and cross references to original records relating to the soldier.

These records were created as permanent record of Confederate service and to determine eligibility for benefits and admission to the soldier’s home.

The information in these records is generally reliable. However, some of it depends on personal memory so it still may contain inaccuracies, such as slightly altered spellings and dates or misinterpretations.

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

Applications
 * Soldier’s name and place of residence
 * Date of application
 * Dates of service
 * Birth date or age
 * Birthplace
 * Name of spouse
 * Names of dependent children
 * Death date, if deceased
 * Military unit in which served
 * Commanding officers of company and regiment
 * Witnesses declaring veracity of statement

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The birth date of your ancestor

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Pension Record Type
 * 2) Select the Beginning name - Ending name to view the images.

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?

 * Search for the service record of the soldier
 * Search for vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search the land and probate records

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

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

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

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.