Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications, Soldiers and Widows - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection consists of digital images of pension applications filed by Confederate veterans and their widows. Tennessee began granting pensions to resident Confederate veterans in 1891 and to their widows in 1905.

An index to the records is available now on website of Tenn. State Library

Record Content
The information will vary depending upon the record and may include any of the following:




 * Name of soldier, widow, or dependents
 * 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
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Date and place of the veteran's death

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * Soldier's name
 * Widow's or dependent's names
 * Approximate birth date or other identifying information

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 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.

Record History
In 1889 Mississippi began granting pensions to Confederate veterans. their widows and dependents. 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 Mississippi, Confederate pensions were also granted in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Why the Record Was Created
Pension applications were created to provide a way for veterans or their widows to obtain financial assistance after serving in the military.

Censuses were created to keep track of veteran's (or their families) receiving compensation for their service.

Record Reliability
The information in these records is generally reliable.

Related Websites

 * More information about Civil War Pensions
 * Find out about pension records in other Confederate States

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mississippi in the Civil War
 * Confederate Pension Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection

 * “Delaware Marriage Records,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 4 March 2011), entry for William Anderson and Elizabeth Baynard Henry, married 23 November 1913; citing marriage certificate no. 859; FHL microfilm 2,025,063; Delaware Bureau of Archives and Records Management, Dover.
 * “El Salvador Civil Registration,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 21 March 2011), entry for Jose Maria Antonio del Carmen, born 9 April 1880; citing La Libertad, San Juan Opico, Nacimientos 1879-1893, image 50; Ministerio Archivo Civil de la Alcaldia Municipal de San Salvador.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

"Mississippi Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1900-1974." FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org). Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi. FHL digital images. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

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.