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Understanding War of 1812 Pensions and Bounties

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Location: United Statesmap
Surname/tag: War_of_1812, war_pensions, war_bounties, land_bounties
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Contents

Background

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and the British Empire. This included Great Britain, Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. To end the war, Britain recognized the pre-war boundaries between the United States and Canada and gave the United States fishing rights in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They signed the Treaty of Ghent which became effective 18 February 1815, ending the war.

In 1813 and 1816, the United States Congress authorized military pensions for those men who had served in the War of 1812, between 1812 and 1815 and suffered service-related disability or death. Later, Congress passed acts to expanding pensions available to survivors of the war.

On 14 February 1871, a law was enacted to allow men who had served at least 60 days to draw a pension. There were a few stipulations:

  • He must have served at least 60 days
  • Proof of honorable discharge was required
  • Veterans needed proof that they remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War

Widows were entitled to apply for a pension if they were married prior to the end of the war and had not re-married in the interim.

in 1878, the act was expanded to apply to veterans who had served at least 14 days in the war or in any engagement. Also, their widows were not eligible to apply regardless of when the marriage took place. In some cases, the widow had not even been born until after the close of the war.

Pension Application Records

A typical file consists of about 30 pages, but can have more than 200 pages. Most existing records are for veterans and their widows who were on the rolls in the 1870s and 1880s. The specific documents contained in a particular veterans pension file will vary, but there are som common documents.

Documents Found in Applications

  • Declarations or awards of pension
  • Declarations or awards of widow’s pension
  • Adjutant General or other authority's statements of service
  • Questionnaires completed by applicants (numbered forms)
  • “Pension Dropped” cards
  • Marriage certificates
  • Death certificates
  • Discharge certificates
  • Statements of witnesses or authorities

Information That Can Be Found in the Records

  • Name of soldier/sailor
  • Name of widow
  • Veteran’s age and date of birth
  • Place of residence
  • Dates of service
  • Place of enlistment and discharge
  • Organization (NOTE: Many units were named for their commanding officer, but reading through the images may provide more descriptive information)
  • Rank

If the soldier’s widow applied for the pension, additional information available usually includes:

  • Widow’s age
  • Widow’s maiden name
  • Date and location of marriage
  • Date and location of the veteran’s death
  • Date and location of the widow's death or last residence

Index to Pension Application Records

Other War of 1812 Pension Records Indexes

Finding the Records

Online Resources

Family Search

Using the Records

It is recommended that you use a research log to keep track of your research. There were many veterans with similar names, dates of birth, and location. You may need to compare several records to determine that you have a match. If youj are unfamiliar with a research log, you can read about them here. Here are some research logs that you can use:

Ordering Copies from the National Artchives





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