Virginia, Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection is NARA publication M2094 Southern Claims Commission Approve Claims, 1871-1880: Virginia and is from RG 217. Approved applications are arranged by county and then alphabetical by name. These are records of Virginia, Southern Claims from civilians seeking compensation for lost or destroyed property as a result of the Civil War.

Additional information about the records created by the Commission can be found at United States, National Archives, Southern Claims Commission. For more about the commission see the National Archives' Organization Authority Record, [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10503420 Southern Claims Commission. 3/10/1871-3/10/1880].

National Archives Catalog Related Collections

 * Disallowed Claims Files, 1871 - 1880. NAID 562207
 * Alphabetical Geographical Lists of Claims, 1871 - 1873. NAID 6256575
 * Registers of Claim Cases Heard by the Commissioners, 1871 - 1880. NAID 6256588
 * Name Indexes to the Registers of Claim Cases, 1871 - 1873. NAID 6256845
 * Register of Claims, 6/6/1871 - 6/17/1871. NAID 12008935
 * Barred Claims Files, 1871 - 1880. NAID 562208
 * Settled Case Files for Claims Approved by the Southern Claims Commission, 1871 - 1880. NAID 566157 - Search within this Series. Digital Images of Approved Claims

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information may differ between cases and may include any of the following: • 2

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 a probate record to identify guardians, heirs and relatives
 * Use a will to approximate a death date, then find a death certificate
 * Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records for earlier years
 * Use the information to locate census, christenings, marriage and land records

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
 * Look for an index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * 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 with the same family number

Research Helps

 * Virginia Guided Research
 * Virginia Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Virginia Research, 1880-Present

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Frank W. Klingberg. The Southern Claims Commission. Berkeley, California : University of California, 1955.
 * Gary B. Mills. Southern Loyalists in the Civil War : the Southern Claims Commission.Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, 1994. FHL 975 M2s
 * Gary B. Mills. Civil War Claims in the South : an index of Civil War damage claims filed before the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880.Laguna Hills, California : Aegean Park Press, 1980. FHL 975 H22m
 * Records of the Commissioners of Claims (Southern Claims Commission) 1871-1880: M0087, 14 roll
 * Commissioner of Claims. Southern claims, ca. 1871-1880
 * Mary Elizabeth Massey. Refugee life in the Confederacy. Baton Rouge, Louisiana : Louisiana State University Press, 1964, c1964. FHL 973 W2mm
 * West Virginia, land records : Southern Claims Commission approved claims, 1871-1880

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Alabama,Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871-1880

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Consolidated Index of Claims Reported by the Commissioner of Claims to the House of representatives from 1871-1880. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892

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.