Pension Information — War of 1812 Example

Ancestor: Andrew Feaster

Buried in cemetery in La Grange, Florida. 1869. (Near Titusville)

Tombstone inscription: Corpl Andrew Feaster, Nevitt’s Co.,  2 S.C. Mil., War of 1812

Tombstone

Use Internet Explorer browser. Look up name in Ancestry Library Edition.  Listed on Databases page of UD Library web.

War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815. M313

Ancestry Library Edition. Go to Search> Military> select: War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815.

This file is an index to War of 1812 pension application files, original data from National Archives microfilm M313. Contains images of  the “envelopes” containing the actual pension applications. Information shown on the fronts of the envelopes includes name of veteran, name of widow (if she applied), pension claim or file number, and service type. May include: soldier’s residence and death date, widow’s maiden name and current residence, date of marriage.

This file is not a searchable file. Surnames are grouped in alphabetic ranges.

Pension application: Andrew Feaster

Note: the application form includes the wife’s maiden name.

The next step would be to request the original records from the National Archives.

See Identifying & Ordering Records from National Archives

Pension Application Records: Original Records

Pension Application records can contain a great deal of genealogical information.  To apply for a pension (or bounty land), the veteran needed to submit documentation, such as records of service or enlistment, birth certificate, and other information.

The claimant (person who filed the application) could have been the veteran or widow or a minor child.

At this time, the Revolutionary War pensions are the only pension application records that have been filmed. Original records can be requested from the National Archives. See Identifying & Ordering Records from National Archives.

Selected Records from Revolutionary Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. M805

• National Archives
• Family History Library
• Heritage Quest
• Footnote.com $

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900. M804

• National Archives
• Family History Library
• Heritage Quest *
• Footnote.com $

Ledgers of Payments, 1818-1872, to U.S. Pensioners Under Acts of 1818 Through 1858 From Records of the Office of the Third Auditor of the Treasury, 1818-1872. T718

• National Archives microfilm
• Ancestry Library Edition. Go to Search> Military Records> U.S. Pensioners, 1818-1872

* Description of Heritage Quest’s Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land… file says: “Heritage Quest images are limited to 10 pages per file.  Compilers selected what they felt were the most significant 10 pages of the file.”  See  Revolutionary War Pension Records and Bounty Land Warrants FamilySearch

Other Sources

Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files. By Virgil D. White. Waynesboro, Tenn.: National Historical Pub. Co., 1990.
Not at University of Delaware Library

Why Can’t I Find My Ancestor in Pension Rolls?

There are several possible reasons why someone can’t be found in pension applications or pension rolls.

• Veteran did not apply
• Variant spellings
• File is not indexed or indexing is not good
• Widow may have submitted the application
• Veteran did not serve long enough
• Laws at the time disallowed type of injury or service
• Veteran or widow may have applied for “Bounty Land”
• Records did not survive *
• Veteran may have applied for a pension through a state, not the federal government

* Two fires destroyed many records, one in the War Department (1800) and one in the Treasury Department (1814).

Military Records: Pension Indexes & Lists

Many pension lists and indexes to pension application records have been published on microfilm or on the Web.

Ancestry Library Edition has several indexes and lists and many digitized original records. See Military Records in Ancestry

Indexes

Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications in the National Archives. By National Genealogical Society, United States National Archives and Records Service, and United States Veterans Administration. Washington: National Genealogical Society, 1976.

• Not at University of Delaware Library
• Note: UD Library has 2 books extracted from this file:

• • Index to Delawareans in the Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications and
  • Marylanders in the Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications.
  • See Delaware Military Records

• Ancestry Library Edition: Go to Search> Military>    Revolutionary War Pensioner Census

Index to War of 1812 Pension Application Files. M313

• National Archives
• Ancestry Library Edition: Go to Search> Military> War of 1812 Pension Application Files

Index cards for Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications.

Civil War Pension Index Cards.

• Internet: FamilySearch
• Internet: Footnote.com $

Indexes pension applications of veterans who served in the U.S. Army between 1861-1917.

General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. T288

• National Archives

Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900. T289 (National Archives microfilm)

• National Archives
• Internet: Footnote.com $

Index cards giving pension application and certificate numbers. Card are arranged by state, then by units within regiments.

Example

Pension Information — War of 1812 Example

Pension Rolls or Lists

1792-1795 lists:

The Pension Lists of 1792-1795: With Other Revolutionary War Pension Records. By Murtie June Clark. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1991.
Morris Library E255 .P38x 1991

Transcriptions of the 1792-1795 Congressional reports.

1835 list:

Report from the Secretary of War, in Obedience to Resolutions of the Senate of the 5th and 30th of June, 1834, and the 3d of March, 1835, in Relation to the Pension Establishment of the United States. Washington: Printed by Duff Green, 1835-.  3 volumes. (23d Congress, 1st session. Senate. Doc. No. 514). Alternate Title: Pension Roll of 1835.

• Morris Library – Serial Set vols. 249–251
  • Serial vol. 249, v. 1. New England
  • Serial vol. 250, v. 2. Middle states and Virginia
  • Serial vol. 251, v. 3. Southern and western states and District of Columbia
• Ancestry Library Edition. Go to Search> Military, browse to name of state. Available: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

1840 Census:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, with their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. By United States Census Office and Norman Ross Publishing. New York, N.Y.: N. Ross Pub., 1990.

• Morris Library – Census Area – 1840 Census (vol. 4)
• Transcription (http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/census/1840/)
• Searchable images (http://www.evendon.net/PGHLookups/Census1840M.htm)
• Ancestry Library Edition. Go to Search> Military> Revolutionary War Pensioner Census

1883 list:

List of Pensioners on the Roll, 1883, giving the name of each pensioner, the cause for which pensioned, the post-office address, the rate of pension per month, and the date of original allowance, as called for by Senate resolution of December 8, 1882. Serial Set Collection, serial vol. numbers 2078-2082 (5 volumes). Senate Executive document 84 (vols 1-5). 47th Congress, 2nd Session. Alternate Title:  Name of Pensioners on Roll.

• Morris Library – Serial Set volumes 2078 to 2082
• Google Books

1. Serial vol. 2078, vol. 1: New England, New Jersey, and D.C. (Senate Exec. Doc 84/1)
2. Serial vol. 2079, vol. 2: New York and Pennsylvania (Senate Exec. Doc 84/2)
3. Serial vol. 2080, vol. 3: Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa (Senate Exec. Doc 84/3)
4. Serial vol. 2081, vol. 4: Northwestern and Western States and Territories (Senate Exec. Doc 84/4)
5. Serial vol. 2082, vol. 5: Middle Atlantic, Gulf, and Central States and foreign countries (Senate Exec. Doc 84/4)

More Information

Reprint of 1835 Pension Roll:

The Pension Roll of 1835. Reprinted with a new index. 4 vols. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1992. See the description on WorldCat.org

Revolutionary War Pension Lists (US GenWeb)

Pensions | Portal: United States Military Records (Research Wiki from Family Search)

“Pensions.” In Reference Information Papers. Washington, DC: National Archives.

Why Can’t I Find My Ancestor in Pension Rolls?

Finding Complete Records

Original records (up to 1916) are at the National Archives. Only Revolutionary War records have been microfilmed.

See Pension Application Records: Original Records