Military pension records are among the most authoritative sources of genealogical information because they were granted on the basis of approved applications. Pension applications had to be supported by documents substantiating proof of service and ultimately approved by the War Department before being submitted to Congress for approval.
Usually arranged by state or territory, information given for each pensioner generally includes rank, regiment, annual allowance, description of service, date enlisted, date placed on the pension roll, place or residence, nature of wounds or disability, date of death, and occasional references to family members, including widows and orphans. In the vast majority of cases, the pension records identify veterans of the Revolutionary War and the later frontier wars.