Florida Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
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. For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Citation for This Collection
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Information about creating source citations for FamilySearch Historical Collections is listed in the wiki article Help:How to Create Source Citations For FamilySearch Historical Records Collections.

Record Content
The key genealogical information found in applications submitted by the veteran may include the following information:


 * 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
 * War Department service abstracts
 * 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 to Use the Record
Confederate Pension applications can be used to find information about soldiers who served in the Civil War and their families. In addition to providing information about the veteran and his family, pension applications can also lead to more military records.

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.

You may also find these search tips helpful:


 * 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.

Related Websites

 * Florida Pension Files (index and images)
 * Florida State Archives
 * More information about Civil War Pensions
 * Find out about pension records in other Confederate States

Related Wiki Articles

 * Confederate Pension Records
 * Florida

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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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
"Florida, Confederate Veterans and Widows Pensions Applications, 1885-1955, digital images,FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 23 January 2012). entry for Jacob R Langston, pension applied for 5 September 1907; citing Pension Applications, Claim Numbers 01909-01950&gt; Image 6; State Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida, United States.