United States, General Index to Pension Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of the name index to pension files held at the National Archives. The files relate to service between 1861 and 1934. Most of the files are for Union Civil War service but also include the War with Spain, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion and Regular U.S. military forces. The index is in alphabetical order.

State and federal governments filed pension records so as to keep track of the fund leaving the treasuries to support the veterans and widows of wars. The applications are usually reliable, depending on the memory of the applicant and the records to which he had access.

See also Claire Prechtel-Kluskens.  Anatomy of a Union Pension File. 34 # 3 (July-September 2008): 43-48.

'''Copies of pension files are available from the National Archives. To request copies follow the instructions in the following link. Requesting Pre-WWI Service Records'''

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Pension
 * Name of the person claiming the pension
 * Service record of the soldier, including rank, company, and regiment
 * Age
 * Enlistment date
 * Discharge date
 * Date pension was filed
 * Whether an invalid, widow, or minor
 * Application number
 * Certificate number
 * Additional service information, including company and regiment
 * Death date of the soldier
 * Death place of the soldier

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier with the pension
 * The age and birth place of the soldier
 * The state and county where the solider lived
 * The dates of military service
 * The military unit in which the solider served

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * 1) Select Surname Range to view the images.

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
 * Use the age to calculate a birth date
 * Use the death dates to search for death certificates, mortuary, or cemetery records
 * Use the age to calculate an approximate birth date
 * Use the birth date 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

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies

Related Family History Library Holdings

 * General index to pension files, 1861-1934
 * Organization index to pension files of veterans who served between 1861 and 1900- 1917
 * Index to general correspondence of the Record and Pension Office, 1889- 1904
 * Index to pension application files of remarried widows based on service in the Civil War and later wars and in the regular Army after the Civil War
 * Lists of Navy veterans for whom there are Navy widows' and other dependants' disapproved pension files (Navy widows originals), 1861-1910
 * Compiled records showing service of military units in volunteer Union organizations

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * 1890 Census of Union Veterans and Widows
 * United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865
 * United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933
 * United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904
 * United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917
 * United States Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files, 1861-1934
 * United States Remarried Widows Index to Pension Applications, 1887-1942

Related Digital Books

 * Thayer M. Boardman, Myra R. Trever, and Louise W. Southwick, comp. Preliminary inventory of the administrative records of the Bureau of Pensions and the Pension Service, (record group 15)Washington, D.C. : National Archives & Records Administration, 1953

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.

How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?
Estados Unidos, o Índice Geral de Arquivos de Pensão (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)