Finds in Civil War Pension Files

United States Civil War pension files, both Union and Confederate, are important sources of information for establishing the military service dates of a soldier, as well as the unit in which he served and where and when he applied for a pension. However, Civil War pension files can often provide many more details concerning a soldier and his family.
 
When Hannah Davis, widow of Joseph B. Davis, of Company G, 118th Regiment, Indiana Infantry Volunteers, applied for a pension based on her late husband’s service, she was required to prove the date of birth and parentage of her daughter, Margaret A. Davis. Within this pension application file is a proof of birth of Margaret A. Davis, on 13 January 1868 in White County, Indiana, including an affidavit from an individual who attended Hannah on the day after the birth.
 
Davis proof of birth
 
This birth record, contained within a Civil War pension file, is an example of the extensive resources located in the vertical files at the San Antonio Genealogical and Historical library. If you would like to view the images in the digitized SAGHS vertical files, please visit the SAGHS library and ask a librarian for assistance.