Arkansas Confederate Pensions - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This database contains an index and images to pension applications filed by Confederate veterans and widows living in the state of Arkansas for the years 1901 to 1929. 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. Requests for pensions 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 1891 Arkansas began granting pensions to impoverished Confederate veterans and in 1915 the State began granting pensions to their widows and mothers. 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 Arkansas, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, 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:

Veteran's Application
 * Soldier's Name
 * Date and place of birth
 * Unit dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Brief description of service
 * Wounds received
 * Physician's statement
 * Place and length of residency in the state

Widow of Veteran Application
 * Her full name
 * Place of birth
 * Date and place of marriage to the veteran
 * Date and place of the veteran's death
 * Names of witnesses
 * Proof of indigence

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier or widow
 * The place of birth of the soldier
 * The dates of military service
 * The military unit in which the soldier 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.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock.

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

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index or at Find A Grave
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well

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 a nearby locality
 * 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 in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * Locating a Confederate Civil War Soldier (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.