MY FIRST CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE ~ William Lunsford & his widow Nancy–Lawrence Co., Ohio–What now?

In the 13+ years I’ve been researching, I’ve never ordered or even seen a Civil War Pension File.  Well, I’ve seen images of some of them on various websites, but never seen one in it’s entirety.  And, certainly not for one of my ancestors.  So, this was an exciting moment for me.

I know that they can be full of family connections, history and other important information.
 
In this case it was the Civil War pension file for my 3rd great granduncle, William Lunsford, born 16 Mar 1816 in Mason, Warren, Ohio.  He married Nancy Massie in Sep 1836 in Ohio.  They had 12 known children.  William served in the Civil War from 1861-1864 in Company H, 9th West Virginia Infantry.  William Lunsford died at the National Home for Disabled Soldiers  in Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio on 20 May 1887.  Cause of death – Softening of the brain.

I had located a Pension Index cards several years ago for both William, who applied before his death, and Nancy, who applied after his death.

You can locate indexes to the Civil War Pension files at several websites.  However, the records themselves are not yet scanned and available.

General Index to Pension Files 1861-1934: NARA TO288

United States Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files, 1861-1934

                                                         Here are the two pension index cards I located:

Because I belong to a Facebook page called The Lawrence Register, I have met many descendants of my ancestors.  It’s an extremely active group.  I’ve been back to Lawrence County, Ohio and met some of those Facebook friends in person.
 
One “cousin” I met was Randy.  We believed we might be related via our Lunsford line.  However, during the many years we have communicated we have pondered an additional marriage for William Lunsford, prior to Nancy Massie.  A recent DNA test by Randy has proven that we have no actual blood connection.  This is the beauty of DNA testing.  It can really assist you in your research, but that’s a discussion for another post.
 
P.S.  Randy and I have decided to remain virtual cousins anyway.

I was more anxious than ever to get the pension file for William Lunsford and discover what it would say about marriages, children etc.

One of my contacts from another Facebook group Detroit Genealogy, has been so busy pulling documents from the National Archives that she has moved from Detroit to Maryland.  She is now closer than ever to the archives.  Her name is Deidre Erin Denton and she can be found at Twisted Twigs on Gnarled Branches Genealogy.  By ordering your pension file from Deidre you save money and time.

The website for ordering pension files directly from the National Archives is Veteran Service Records

I ordered the file through Deidre’s service and was not disappointed.  In fact, I was so happy that I’ve ordered a second file for another ancestor.

This file for William contains 174 pages!!!

What will it tell me?  I can’t wait to find out.
 
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT POST ABOUT THE PENSION FILE AND WHAT I LEARNED FROM IT

DISLCAIMER – I make no money nor benefit in any way from the work that Deidre Denton does regarding pulling files at the National Archives.  I make no guarantee about her work. The opinons expressed here are strictly my own.

Do you have any pension files for your ancestors?
 
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THE CIVIL WAR - HOW OUR COUNTRY DEALT WITH THE AFTERMATH

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - Civil War Soldier Headstones

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HONORING THOSE WITH MILITARY SERVICE IN OUR FAMILY

A

Revolutionary War

Civil War

World War I

World War II

Viet Nam

This is the day we honor those who have served in our military through the years. From the Revolutionary War through Operation Enduring Freedom, brave men & women have fought for our freedom.

HONOR ROLL FROM OUR FAMILY
BARBOUR John - Civil War
BERRY Thomas - Civil War
BRIGHT William - Civil War
CHATFIELD Emery E. - World War II
CLARK Bemis - World War I
CORNELIUS Joseph E. - World War II
CRESSE William - Civil War
CURRY William B. - World War I – died of influenza
CUTCHER Andrew - Civil War
FINK Dorothy - World War II
FITZCHARLES George - World War I – killed in action
FLOWER Rodney - Civil War
FRAMPTON Arthur - Revolutionary War
FRAMPTON Isaac - Civil War
FRAMPTON John - Revolutionary War
FRAMPTON Samuel - Revolutionary War
FRAMPTON William II - Revolutionary War
GAYLORD James - Civil War
GAYLORD John - Civil War
GILLEN Elijah F. - Civil War
GILLEN Martin - Civil War
GOULD Harry Norman - Viet Nam era
HALL George F. - Civil War
HALL Gordon C. - World War II
HALL Robert W. - World War II
HALL Thomas C. - Civil War
HIBBARD Augustine - Revolutionary War
HUMPHRIES Lorenzo - Civil War
HUMPHRIES Richard F. - Civil War – killed in action
HUMPHRIES William M. - Civil War
HUNT James - Civil War
INGRAHAM Joseph A. - Civil War
KING Joseph E. - World War II
KING William A. - World War I
LONG Marion N. - World War II
LUNSFORD Andrew J. - Civil War
LUNSFORD Levi - Civil War
LUNSFORD Pleasant - Civil War – killed in action
LUNSFORD Reuben - Civil War
LUNSFORD William - Civil War
McKNIGHT Anthony - Civil War – died of Typhoid Fever
McNICHOL Allan - World War I
MILNE Robert A. - World War II
MURNAHAN Hiram - Civil War
PRATT Josiah Jr. - War of 1812
PRATT Josiah Sr. - Revolutionary War
SINE John S. - Civil War
SUMNER Abel B. - War of 1812
SURDAM George - Civil War
THOMPSON Sherrod B. - World War I
THOMPSON William D. - Civil War
THORNTON Robert D. - World War II
THORP Lee T. - World War I
THORP Stephen - Civil War
THORP Rev. Wallace W. - Civil War
THORP Walter B. - Civil War
VERMILLION Jesse - Civil War
VERNEY James G. - World War I
VERNEY Norman J. - World War I
WEBB, Carl E. – World War II – killed at Pearl Harbor on the Arizona
ZIMMERMAN, John W. – Active during Viet Nam


I wish we could live in a world without war. 
God bless those who have served and in doing so, gave everything for our freedom.  We cannot thank them enough.

If you know of a family member I have left off of this list, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS ABOUT OUR MILITARY
Pearl Harbor Day - December 7th - We Remember
Civil War Dead and Our National Cemeteries
Widow's Pension Files - Civil War Service

In honor,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

THE CIVIL WAR–HOW OUR COUNTRY DEALT WITH THE AFTERMATH

This year on April 9th we will remember the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.  The surrender took place at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

Last year I wrote a post about the Civil War Dead and how we got our national cemeteries.  If you’ve never thought about how our country took care of 620,000 dead soldiers, then this will help explain it.  Think of it.  All those fathers, sons, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins and friends.
 

HOW DID OUR NATION COPE WITH ALL THE CARNAGE LEFT BY THIS WAR?

 

May is a month where we honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our rights and freedom.

I wanted to share the information about this documentary with you.  I just watched it this morning, as I had recorded it several days ago.  Here is a link to the site:
The American Experience - Death and the Civil War

This was such an interesting study of how we came to have National Cemeteries in America.  So many of our citizens died on our own soil during this epic struggle that there was chaos over what to do with all the bodies. 

• How do you identify the dead?  There were no dog tags on soldiers back then.
• Do you return them home?
• How do you notify the loved ones?
• What about all those men who cannot be identified?  Where do you bury them?
• Do you just have bodies buried where they lie with no identifier?
• If so, then you have bodies in fields, backyards, alongside roads etc.

These were just some of the questions raised during this long and bloody battle.

How many soldiers did we lose in the Civil War?

Here is a comparison chart I found online with numbers from all the wars since our country began.  None of these numbers are 100% exact as new casualties are always being discovered.  However, you’ll notice that there were approximately 620,000 deaths during the Civil War.  And, all the other wars combined total approximately 644,000.  So, almost as many during the one conflict as all the others combined.

(Click on any image to enlarge it)


Our first National cemeteries were established in 1862, as a direct result of the deaths during the Civil War.  Here is a link to a site that gives the dates of the establishment & first burial of all our National cemeteries.
Dept. of Veterans Affairs - National Cemetery Administration

Here is the first page from that website.


My husband has many family members who are buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery here in San Diego, California.  Among them are his Mom, Dad, Uncles, Aunt and Cousin.

Here are some photos, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

WE’VE GONE FROM THIS:
TO THIS:
AND FINALLY TO THIS:




Do you have family members buried in our National cemeteries?  I can’t imagine that there is anyone reading this who doesn’t.
 
Watching this documentary was very educational for me.  Thanks again to PBS for their wonderful programming.

And, no words can thank any of our military men and women and their families enough for their service and sacrifices.

OTHER POSTS THAT YOU MAY BE OF INTEREST 
Cemetery Records - What can they tell you?  How do you use them?

God Bless All Who Have Served and Sacrificed.

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION