War of 1812 Pension Files
The first applications were based on
disability or death of a soldier. Beginning in 1871, they were based
on service. A veteran's pension file typically includes his rank,
place of residence, age or date of birth, and time of service.
War of 1812 Pension Files
The War of 1812 pension files resulted
from a man’s service during the war, 1812-1815. They were granted
to the veteran, his widow, or his heirs.
Description
The documents in this collection
include full pension application files for soldiers and sailors who
served in the War of 1812, as well as for their widows and children,
or other heirs. The first applications were filed by servicemen who
were disabled as a result of their service, or by widows who lost a
husband in the war.
The descriptive pamphlet for the Index
to War of 1812 Pension Application Files, M313, published by NARA,
provides a great deal of background and explanatory information about
the pension files and the acts that provided for them.
The pension provisions already in
existence for veterans of the regular and volunteer forces were
applied to veterans of the War of 1812 and to their surviving
dependents by acts of January 29, 1813 (2 Stat. 794), and April 16,
1816 (3 Stat. 285). Other similar or supplementary acts providing
benefits on account of death or disability were passed by Congress
between 1813 and 1871.
Information relating to the War of 1812
pension acts, and the attached table, are excerpted from: Glasson,
William Henry, and David Kinley. 1918. Federal military pensions in
the United States. New York [etc.]: Oxford University Press, American
Branch.
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