Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the 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 this Collection Tell Me?
The information found in applications submitted by the veteran or his widow may include the following:


 * 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 the 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.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page:
 * 1) Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page
 * 2) Select "Claim numbers range" which takes you to the images.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

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?
When you have located your ancestor’s pension application, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. 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. In addition to providing information about the veteran and his family, pension applications can also lead to more military records

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

 * 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.


 * 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 had 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.

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.

Collection Citation:

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