The original application number (SO) became void.
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Once the pension office had reviewed the application and decided that the soldier was an invalid and deserved a pension, they gave him a certificate number and moved the entire application file into the soldiers’ certificate file series (SC) soldier certificate files under the new SC number. If a soldier applied for a pension based on wounds or illness suffered while in the service, his application file got a number (SO) in the soldier original series. The pension case file is filed under the last certificate number. There are three series of certificate files: soldier’s certificates (SC) widow’s certificates (WC), which include minor child and indigent parents and certificates (C or XC). Sometimes a soldier or a widow kept reapplying each time the laws became liberalized, and the files are very rich. These files tend to be thinner but that is not always the case. These series are the soldier’s or survivor’s original (SO) application and the widow’s original (WO). There are two series of applications that were rejected and never converted to certificates of pension. There are actually five separate series of Civil War and later pension files. The cards may include the unit(s) in which the soldier served, a widow or other dependant’s name (if they applied), and the state where the application originated. The index cards include information that can be used to identify a particular soldier. The majority of the dark cards relate to Navy pensions. Cards that were too dark to read were not included on. Not all of the index cards are reproduced on.
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It was scanned by and is available for free at all NARA facilities and to subscribers at: The online pension index is a digitized copy of the index used by the National Archives to retrieve pension files for copying. It is available as a NARA microfilm publication (T288, General Index to Pension Files). The most important and frequently used is the name index. There are several indexes to the Civil War and Later pensions. Researchers can order copies of Civil War and later pension applications by using the form NATF 85, “ Order for copies of Federal Pension or Bounty Land Warrant Applications.” Applications on behalf of the soldier’s minor children had to supply both proof of the soldier’s marriage and proof of the children’s birth. To obtain a widow’s pension, the widow had to provide proof of marriage, such as a copy of the record kept by county or local officials, or by affidavit from the minister or some other person. The pension application file will often contain a statement of service prepared by the Adjutant General’s Office and it may contain medical information if the soldier lived for a number of years after the war. In rare cases, a dependent father or mother applied for a pension. Most Union Army soldiers, their widows, or minor children applied for a pension.
Detail of Authorization of Pension Petition, August 8, 1893 The following is a guest blog from Diane Dimkoff, director of the Customer Services Division.
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Please visit the Civil War Military Records Research page on for information on how to order Civil War Pension Files. UPDATE: The custodial information presented in this post may be out of date.