United States, Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

{{Contributor invite}}  

==== <br>Style Guide ====

For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: <br>[[FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages|FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages]]  

This collection covers the years from 1889 through 1904.  

The index cards are arranged by the name of the soldier or other subject of inquiry. Surnames are arranged alphabetically in a phonetic system. If the subject of inquiry was a military unit it was generally filed under the name of its commanding officer. These records may lead to pension files and other helpful military records.  

== Record Description ==

This collection is a card index to general correspondence received by the Record and Pension Office. The cards usually give the name of the soldier, unit in which served, name of the person or office making the inquiry, subject of the inquiry, and file number. The cards are organized alphabetically in a phonetic system. There may be multiple cards for one subject depending on the number of inquiries made.  

The “Index to General Correspondence of the Record and Pension Office, 1889-1904” indexes&nbsp;two groups of records held at the National Archives and Records Administration, as shown below:  

• Name of soldier<br>• Unit of service<br>• Name of person/office making the inquiry (sometimes the soldier himself)<br>• Subject of inquiry  

== Record History ==

In 1889, the Record and Pension Office was established in order to consolidate the information regarding military soldiers and volunteers. The office had the responsibility of keeping the military and medical records of the volunteer forces and the medical records for the regular army. They were responsible for all of the business relating to these records. <br>Inquiries made to the Record and Pension office cover a wide range of subjects and time periods. Some of the inquiries regard soldiers who served in the Revolutionary war, while others pertain to soldiers living at the time who were in need of documentation, or proof of service.  

=== <br>Why This Record Was Created ===

As correspondence was received by the pension office, it was filed and indexed onto cards. Inquiries were sometimes made by the soldier himself, a governmental office, or others. The correspondence included requests for the following: certificates of discharge, certificates in lieu of lost discharge papers, medals of honor, removal of charges for desertion, information needed for admission to homes for disabled soldiers or to complete the records of adjutants general of States, and information relating to the strength or service of the organizational units.  

=== Record Reliability ===

The cards index the correspondence received from 1889-1904, but the subject matter can range from as early as the Revolutionary War to the those who were alive at the time of the inquiry. Some of the cards will indicate the war in which the individual served, but others only list the company or division.  

== Related Web Sites ==

[http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ National Archives and Records Administration Online Catalog]  

[http://www.archives.gov/research/order/textual-records-dc.html Information on ordering files] from the National Archives  

== <br>Related Wiki Articles ==

[[Pensions|Pensions]]  

== Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections ==

When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.  

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: [[How to Cite FamilySearch Collections|How to Cite FamilySearch Collections]].  

== <br>How Has This Article Helped You? ==

[[FamilySearch Collection Feedback|Send us your story]]  

&nbsp;  

==== Style Guide ====

For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: <br>[[FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages|FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages]]  

== Sources of This Collection ==