Iowa, Benton County, Widows Pension Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of digital images of pension records for the years 1929 to 1960.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information varies between records. You may find any of the following:
 * Name (Married and Maiden)
 * Birth date and place
 * Address or residence
 * Gender
 * Color
 * Name of father
 * Maiden name of mother
 * Years payments were made
 * Receipt number

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The name of the widow
 * The approximate age of the soldier
 * The military unit in which the soldier served

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record
 * 2) Select the Item of Interest to view the images.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s pension record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. This information will often lead you to other records.

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

 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * Use the names along with the residence of the widow to locate census, church, and land records.
 * This index is to widow’s pensions, but you will still need some information on the soldier.
 * This index is for widows whose husbands died during the war. It does not include widows whose husbands died after the war.
 * 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.
 * 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?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.

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.

"Iowa, Benton County, Widows Pension Records, 1940." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Benton County Clerk's Office, Vinton, Iowa.
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