We’ve talked generally about the laws behind Civil War Pension records, and outlined how to order copies of them. Once you receive your ancestor’s pension file, a new challenge arises. Many at this point find themselves sitting before a large, intimidating stack of papers all shuffled together, unorganized and difficult to decipher. The next few blog posts in this series will cover in more detail what these papers are, how to read them, and what they can tell you about your Civil War ancestor.
We’ll start with the pièce de résistance, the ultimate, much-sought-after goal of all Civil War pension seekers back in the day: the Pension Certificate. See an example of one received by my great-great grandfather, Newell Elijah Gile, below:
Reading the Record
This certificate contains a lot of information about my ancestor. The first few lines reveal his Pension Number (463210), his rank (Private), and his military unit (Battery G of the 4th US Artillery regiment). It then states his entitlement to a pension at the following rates:
- $6 per month starting 2 February 1864.
- $8 per month starting 31 January 1887.
- $10 per month starting 9 March 1887.
Back Payments
The issuer dates the certificate to 22 January 1890, meaning that the Department of the Interior awarded this pension to Newell under the Pension Act of January 25, 1879, an act also known as the “Arrears Law.” This law entitled Civil War veterans to receive back payment of their pensions starting at the date of their discharge. Knowing this, I deduce that my ancestor was honorably discharged on 1 February 1864 (the day before the beginning of his pension entitlement). Adding up all of his back payments outlined in the certificate reveals that Newell was entitled to:
- $6 per month from 2 Feb 1864 – 30 Jan 1887 (~275 months x $6) = $1650.
- $8 per month from 31 Jan 1887 – 8 Mar 1887 (~2 months x $8) = $16.
- $10 per month from 9 Mar 1887 – 22 Jan 1890 (~34 months x $10) = $340.
Newell was about to receive a total payment of about $2,000, or over $55,000 when adjusted for inflation to today’s (2018) dollars. No small deal for a farmer in rural Kansas!
Newell’s pension award even featured in the local paper, giving an idea of just how big this news was in his small community:
Wounds Received
Lastly, this certificate gives a list of the wounds and medical conditions that led to Newell receiving a pension. These include:
- Bayonet wound of face.
- Incomplete right inguinal hernia.
- Injury of head.
As I continue searching through Newell’s pension file, I can expect to find the evidence he provided to prove he received these wounds as a soldier. Often, this includes a description of where, when, and how the injury occurred.
Conclusion
When you receive your ancestor’s Civil War Pension file, keep an eye out for their Pension Certificate. It can reveal:
- Their pension number, rank, and unit.
- Their date of discharge (and whether they were honorably discharged, as only those honorably discharged could be issued a Pension Certificate).
- When the pension was received and, by extension, which law it was granted under (see our outline of these laws and their date of passage here).
- How much money they received in pension back payments
- What wounds they received in battle
In this way, the Pension Certificate can serve as a road map to the rest of your ancestor’s pension file. Stay tuned, as in later posts we will discuss other papers you may find in these files, and what they can reveal about your ancestor.
See also the other posts in our Civil War series:
- Did Any of Your Ancestors Fight?
- What Was Your Ancestor’s Military Unit?
- Finding Your Ancestor’s Military Unit Using Pension Payment Cards
- Understanding Civil War Pensions
- How to Order Your Ancestor’s Civil War Pension File (Union Side)
- My Ancestor Was Wounded at Gettysburg
- My Ancestor’s Struggles With the Civil War Pension Office