Pensions are valuable, BUT....

Many soldiers did not get pensions accorded to them. Records for the South especially are sketchy, and even in the North, the gubmint worked overtime to deny veterans their due. My wife has a PA ancestor whose health was ruined by the war, but the government denied him a pension when he was alive (which wasn't long after the war) and his widow one after he died.

Both are buried in unmarked graves in separate cemeteries in Philadelphia.

But I digress: please don't become discouraged if Great Uncle Festus doesn't show up on the pension records.

Bill Cross
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paula Wiegand 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 7:21 PM
  Subject: Re: Civil War Research


  On 17 Mar 2004 at 12:59, Craig R. Scott wrote:

  > Always look for a pension before a compiled military service
  > record. The pension being full of genealogical material will allow you
  > to know to a greater degree that you have the right soldier.

  Not only that, but the pension usually lists all of the units in which a
  soldier served. This is often the only record that conclusively ties a
  soldier in one unit with another soldier of the same name in another
  unit. Many people find one compiled military service for their
  ancestor and think their search is complete, it might be, but always
  check for a pension file to confirm it.
  _
  Paula L. Wiegand
  [log in to unmask]
  Genealogy Quest
  "Military records at reasonable prices"
  http://www.genealogy-quest.com/Military/index.html

  To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
  http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html


To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html