Civil War (and later wars) pension records typically have birth dates, addresses of next of kin, medical
information, proof of marriage, proof of children's births, a summary of
military service, pages from family Bibles, family letters, depositions of
witnesses, affidavits, discharge papers. death certificates and other supporting
papers. The amount of data in a veteran's pension file
varies from a few pages to 100's of pages.
Use the certificate number and/or application number from the Civil War Pension Index available FREE to order the soldier's complete pension record from NARA. If the index shows an application number but no certificate number, it means a pension was applied for but not granted. However, the veteran still went through the application process (perhaps many times) which is the source for most of the genealogy data in the file.
Order the "Federal Military Pension Applications - Complete File" from NARA online. You may also order by mail by requesting Form 85 from the NARA website.
NARA suggests sending a copy of the Pension index card from Ancestry. Read more detailed info about Ordering Copies of Original Pension Records from the National Archives.
If the pension card includes a "CX" or "C" number at the bottom, it may be that the record is still in the custody of the Veterans Administration instead of NARA. If your soldier died after 1928, the pension file may still be held by the Veteran's Administration. In either case, send a letter to:
Department of Veterans Affairs(Write Freedom of Information Act Request on the envelope.)
Director, Records Management Service (005E3)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Use the following Sample letter
Veterans Administration Regional Office
(Your state of residence)
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am advised that there is a veteran's pension file for my (list relationship) (list name), designated C-(list certificate #), and it is in the custody of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
I am requesting that you conduct a BIRLS search for the file and retrieve it for my use from the Federal Records Center where it is currently housed. Procedures for recall of records from Federal Records Centers are found in VA Handbook 6300.1, Chapter 6, Part 5.
Thank you,
your name, address, and phone number
For additional information about the Freedom of Information Act, visit FOIA.
VA FOIA/ Privacy Act Officer
Department of Veterans Affairs
Director, Records Management Service (005E3)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420