Mississippi, Confederate Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection includes records of state pensions paid to Confederate veterans and to widows of Confederate veterans living in Mississippi. County pension reports, 1900-1933 and Confederate pension rolls, 1889-1935 are also included. There are also two censuses, an enumeration of veterans and widows dated 1907-1933 and an enumeration of indigent and disabled soldiers and dependents, 1863-1868.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information for collections published in FamilySearch.org. Source citations include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Confederate Pension Records include only the following:


 * Name of pensioner/petitioner
 * County and post office where pension is sent
 * Date issued and number of warrant
 * Amount of payment

How To Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Soldier's name
 * Widow's or dependent's names
 * Approximate birth date or other identifying information

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection image by image. ⇒ Select Browse through images on the initial search page ⇒ Select the County category ⇒ Select the Record Type, Date Range and Volume category which takes you to the images

Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

The pieces of information in the record 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. For example:


 * Death dates may lead to death certificates, mortuary, or burial records.
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the residence or place of birth of the deceased to locate census, church, and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * It may be helpful to compile the entries for every person with the same surname as the deceased; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Search the records for children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have received 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.
 * When searching the records keep in mind that in some cases the records were filed under the name of the widow or other dependent who received a pension.
 * Applications were sent to and processed by the state where the veteran or family member lived at the time, which was not always the state in which the soldier had served.

Related Websites

 * More information about Civil War Pensions
 * Find out about pension records in other Confederate States

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mississippi in the Civil War
 * Confederate Pension Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Mississippi Confederate Records, 1889-1942," images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/: accessed 28 March 2012), Choctaw &gt; Confederate pension reports, 1902-1932 &gt; image 113 of 355; entry for Alexander, E., petition report filed June 1910; citing Mississippi Confederate Records, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Mississippi, United States, FHL digital images, 167,950 images. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.