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From:
Subject: Re: [TGF] CW Pension files
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:14:11 -0500 (EST)


>From the NARA blog the archivist states, "The online pension index is a
digitized copy of the index used by the National Archives to retrieve pension
files for copying"

This statement say's to me that NARA uses all the numbers from the index
to located the file. The purpose of the citation is to allow someone to find
the record. Given this wouldn't you would need to cite all the numbers
from the index cards as they are written?

Ann

<snip>

That is interesting to read.

So this archivist is using these prefixes or "series" ("SO," "SC," "WO,"
and
"WC") despite the facts that (1) they do not appear anywhere in either of
the two indexes (the General Index or the Organization Index), (2) they do
not appear anywhere on any of the paperwork accompanying the files
themselves, (3) researchers do not use these prefixes to request the files
either in person or by mail, and (4) the other prefixes mentioned in the
article ("C" and "XC") DO appear in the indexes and in the files, and ARE
used to request the files, and (5) the "S*" and "W*" prefixes ARE used in
all of the above situations for the pensions from earlier wars.

I'd be interested in hearing from one of the members of this list who has
been accessing the pension records regularly for 20+ years to hear what
their experience has been.

To go back to the original context of the question, in my opinion, we
should
not be citing the CW widows pension as WC123456, because we cite what we
are
using, and this number does not appear on the file that we are using. We
would cite "widow's certificate no. 123456" because the file is identified
in this way.

Michael Hait, CG(sm)

This might be helpful. It was posted in May of 2010 here:
http://blogs.archives.gov/online-public-access/?p=1702

Laurie Huey
Florida
>
> <snip> There are actually five separate series of Civil War and later
> pension files. There are two series of applications that were rejected
> and never converted to certificates of pension. These series are the
> soldier’s or survivor’s original (SO) application and the widow’s
> original (WO). These files tend to be thinner but that is not always
> the case. Sometimes a soldier or a widow kept reapplying each time the
> laws became liberalized, and the files are very rich. There are three
> series of certificate files: soldier’s certificates (SC); widow’s
> certificates (WC), which include minor child and indigent parents; and
> certificates (C or XC).
>
> The pension case file is filed under the last certificate number. If a
> soldier applied for a pension based on wounds or illness suffered
> while in the service, his application file got a number (SO) in the
> soldier original series. Once the pension office had reviewed the
> application and decided that the soldier was an invalid and deserved a
> pension, they gave him a certificate number and moved the entire
> application file into the soldiers’ certificate file series (SC)
> soldier certificate files under the new SC number. The original
> application number (SO) became void. When the soldier died if his
> widow applied to have the benefits continued her application was given
> a new number (WO) widow’s original. Once the claim for continued
> benefits was approved, the entire file was given a new number as a
> widow’s certificate (WC). Minor children and invalid parents’ claims
> were processed in the same way as a widow’s claim. This system
> continued until the beginning of the 20th century. The pension office
> decided to stop moving files around and to create a single pension
> series of certificate (“C”) files. Old numbers of active files were
> given either an XC or a C number. Active files of soldiers were given
> new C file numbers and active files for widows and dependants were
> give XC file numbers. These new file numbers (C & XC) appear at the
> bottom of the Pension Index Cards. Pension files (C and XC files) are
> filed together in sequence. </snip>
>
>
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