Arkansas Confederate Pensions - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
This database contains an index and images of pension applications filed by Confederate veterans and widows living in the state of Arkansas for the years 1901 to 1929. These records were created at the state level and therefore there are some variations in the qualifications for receiving aid and the amounts of aid between the states. Requests for pensions 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 1891 Arkansas began granting pensions to impoverished Confederate veterans and in 1915 the State began granting pensions to their widows and mothers. 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 Arkansas, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Florida, 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. The information in these records is generally reliable.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in applications submitted by the veteran may include some or all of the following information:


 * Soldier's Name
 * Date and place of birth
 * Unit dates and places of enlistment and discharge
 * Brief description of service
 * Wounds received
 * Physician's statement
 * Place and length of residency in the state

If the application was submitted by the widow of the veteran it may also include the following:


 * Her full name
 * Place of birth
 * Date and place of marriage to the veteran
 * Date and place of the veteran's death
 * Names of witnesses
 * Proof of indigence

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier or widow.
 * The place of birth of the soldier.
 * The dates of military service.
 * The military unit in which the soldier served.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Beginning name - Ending name

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.

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

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Arkansas History Commission in Little Rock.

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

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section. It's always a good idea to keep your citation on a Research Log. This is an important tool to help keep track of what you have and have not found.  Family search wiki has a  Example Research Log that you can download and use.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find county or Arkansas Vital Records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the United States Census, 1860 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1870 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1880 (FamilySearch Historical Records). Search the state censuses as well.
 * Use the information found in the record to find United States, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Use the information found in the record to find United States, Bureau of Land Management Tract Books (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index or at Find A Grave.
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching a nearby locality.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the infobox above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
A citation is a note that shows where you found information. Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Using citations allow others to find the same records. Below are the proper citations to use for this whole collection as well as for individual images.

Collection Citation:

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