Book Description

Contains more than 28,000 files, many of which include the names of the wife. Most pension applications and their supporting papers contain information of much interest to soldiers' descendants, to genealogists, and to other researchers. They are more informative than official service records because they give more detailed information about a soldier's military, personal, and family history. The application lists the veteran's place of enlistment, unit, period of service, battles participated in, and whether he was wounded or captured. Made out in questionnaire form, it also asked such information as place of birth, number of children, and value of personal and real property owned by the veteran. Pensions for soldiers' widows were first issued in 1905. Their applications show place of birth for both widow and husband, and in many instances the names and ages of children. As proof of marriage was required for admission to the pension rolls, a copy of the marriage certificate is often found in widow applications. Supporting papers consist of correspondence between the applicant and the Pension Board, letters or sworn affidavits from old comrades and neighbors attesting to the veteran's character and the nature of his military service, and abstracts of the soldier's service record furnished by the Federal War Department. This volume contains essential information from over 28,000 files, including applications of soldiers, widows, and "colored" soldiers. Copies of the original complete pension files are available at the Tennessee State Library in Nashville. This updated and revised edition contains 300 entries that were not in original 1964 book.