Confederate Pension Applications, 1889-1932 Series 1201
The records in this series document the military service and post-war quality of life of thousands of former Confederate soldiers and sailors and their widows and wartime servants residing in Mississippi. The applications and supporting documentation (if any) are organized in alphabetical order by name of applicant. Forms include information on the names and locations of applicants, as well as the dates of applications. People filed for pensions in the state in which they resided at the time, not necessarily the state in which enlistment occurred.
Read MoreThe records in this series document the military service and post-war quality of life of thousands of former Confederate soldiers and sailors and their widows and wartime servants residing in Mississippi. The applications and supporting documentation (if any) are organized in alphabetical order by name of applicant. Forms include information on the names and locations of applicants, as well as the dates of applications. People filed for pensions in the state in which they resided at the time, not necessarily the state in which enlistment occurred.
Background
In 1888, Mississippi began providing pensions for certain disabled Confederate soldiers and sailors, disabled servants of officers, soldiers, and sailors, and widows of soldiers or sailors who died in service (Laws, ch. 12). The requirement for a pension for "indigent" Confederate soldiers, sailors, widows, and servants was incorporated into the 1890 state constitution (Sec. 272). Over the years, the requirements for and the amounts of pensions were modified by state law until the law was repealed in 1992 (Laws, ch. 396, sec. 12).
Persons meeting the requirements had to file applications with their county board of inquiry (later county pension board), consisting of the board of supervisors, sheriff, and clerk of the chancery court. This board approved or disapproved the applications and forwarded them to the state auditor's office, where they also went through an approval process. Copies of the applications and the subsequent annual reports of the county boards were to be kept on file at both the county chancery clerk's office and the state auditor's office. Of the county applications, only Tishomingo County is represented in this series.