Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes pension records from 1885 to 1955. This database contains images of Confederate pension applications. These records were created at the state level therefore, there are some variations in the qualifications for receiving aid and the amounts of aid between the states. Applications 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 1885, Florida began granting pensions to Confederate veterans and, in 1889, they expanded to include veteran’s widows as well. 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 Florida, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Arkansas, 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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: The information found in applications submitted by the veteran or his widow
 * Name
 * Date and place of birth
 * Unit dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Brief description of service
 * Wounds received
 * Sworn statements on proof of service by comrades
 * Place and length of residency in the state
 * Widow's full name
 * Date and place of marriage to the veteran
 * 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 the soldier
 * The birth date of the soldier
 * The name of the solider's widow
 * The place where the soldier lived
 * 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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * 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 to locate census, church, and land records
 * 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
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been seeking 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 for an application keep in mind that in some cases the applications were filed under the name of the widow or other dependent who submitted the application
 * Applications were sent in 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 served

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Florida.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning United States Civil War Research
 * [[Locating a Confederate Civil War Soldier (1861–1865)]
 * Florida Guided Research
 * Florida Record Finder
 * Florida Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Florida Research, 1880-Present
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records

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

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Pension claims of Confederate veterans and their widows beginning 1885-1955
 * transcribed by Virgil D. White. Register of Florida CSA pension applications.Waynesboro, Tennessee : National Historical Pub. Co., c1989.

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * State Board of Pensions. Report of the state board of pensions : made under the provisions of sections 291.01 to and inclusive of 291.36 Florida statutes of 1941 and supplements
 * Computer based register and index to the Florida State Board of Pensions, Confederate service pension applications, 1885-1954

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.

Florida solicitudes de pensión para veteranos y viudas confederados (Registros históricos de FamilySearch)