Mississippi, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes applications for state pensions filed by Confederate veterans and by widows of Confederate veterans living in Mississippi. This collection covers the years 1900 to 1974.

In 1889 Mississippi began granting pensions to Confederate veterans. their widows and dependents. 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 Mississippi, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information will vary depending upon the record and may include any of the following:


 * Name of soldier, widow, or dependents
 * Date and place of birth
 * Dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Company in which served and its captain
 * Length of service
 * Name of regiment and its commander
 * Details on wounds received
 * Sworn statements on proof of service by comrades
 * War Department service abstracts
 * Place and length of residency in the state
 * Date and place of marriage
 * 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 your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

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?

 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records
 * Search for birth and marriage records
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search for land and probate records

I Can’t Find Who 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. 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 Mississippi.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * Locating a Confederate Civil War Soldier (1861–1865)
 * Mississippi Guided Research
 * Mississippi Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Compiled service records of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Mississippi; index to records
 * Mississippi. County rosters of military veterans, 1936-1939 War of 1812-Civil War
 * Mississippi. Confederate veterans and widows pension applications, 1900-1974
 * Mississippi. Confederate soldiers & sailors, widows pension applications
 * Mississippi. Confederate records, 1889-1942
 * Betty C. Wiltshire, Mississippi Confederate pension applications 3 volumes. Carrollton, Mississippi : Pioneer Pub. Co., 199-? FHL976.2 M2wb
 * Amite County. Military records, 1843-1946; indexes 1904-1937
 * Attala County. Confederate pension and census records, 1892-1946
 * Carroll County. Confederate soldiers' and sailors' pension applications, 1894-1924
 * Carroll County. Roster of confederate soldiers and sailors 1861-1865; record of confederate pensions, 1894-1937
 * Claiborne County. Confederate military records, 1861-1865, 1907
 * Copiah County. Pension records, 1890-1949
 * Covington County. Military records, 1907-1919; pensions, ca. 1870-1940; index, 1870-1940
 * Franklin County. Military discharge records, 1861-1918; pension records, 1892-1945
 * Harrison County. Confederate pensions and miscellaneous, 1903-1941; index, 1903-1939, 1903-1941
 * Jones County. Pension records, 1860-1923; indexes, ca. 1903-1923
 * Lafayette County. Confederate pension applications, 1906-1935
 * Lawrence County. Military records, 1861-1952
 * Lincoln County. Confederate pension records, 1895-1936
 * Lowndes County. Confederate pension roll, 1906-1917
 * Noxubee County. Pension records, 1892-1950
 * Oktibbeha County. Enumeration of Confederate soldiers and widows, 1907

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Mississippi, Confederate Records, 1889-1942
 * Mississippi, 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.