Federal Military Pension Application - Civil War and Later Complete File (NATF 85D)
Fee (includes shipping & handling): $80.00
Reproduction of the complete pension application file (up to 100 pages), based on Federal (not State or Confederate) military service during the Civil War or later. It includes the Pension Documents Packet and all other information of an official or personal nature in the file. If the file exceeds 100 pages, you will receive a form and instructions to order copies of the remaining pages.
What reproduction quality can I expect if I select CD/DVD or Electronic Transfer as my delivery method?
All NARA reproductions contain the best available images of the original archival documents. Due to age, physical deterioration and equipment available at the time the original documents were imaged, some images may not be up to today’s standards of clarity. NARA makes every effort to provide customers a clear and accurate duplicate of the original microfilm master.
How long will an Electronic Transfer be available?
Files will be available for 30 days from date of upload; downloads of the files should take place within that period. Files will be deleted after that point.
How can I find more information about my ancestor’s military service?
The National Archives is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. Please refer to the Access to Military Service and Pension Records page on the National Archives website for further information.
Is the online Federal Military Pension Application File the same as the NATF Form 85?
The online Federal Military Pension Application Files are identical to the Copies of Federal Pension Applications ordered by mail on the NATF Form 85.
What is the difference between a complete and a pension documents packet?
The pension documents packet will contain, to the extent that these documents are present in the complete file, eight documents that contain genealogical information about the pension applicant. The pension documents packet will include any of the following items that are in the file - declaration of pension, declaration of widow’s pension, Adjutant General statements of service, questionnaires completed by applicants (numbered forms), “Pension Dropped” cards, marriage certificates, death certificates, and discharge certificate. Complete pension files usually provide the most genealogical information for researchers. The complete pension file contains all existing documentation included in the partial file and other supporting documents of a personal nature.
Are the documents provided in the Pension Documents Packet included in the Complete Pension File?
The eight specific pension-related documents included in the pension documents packet are included in the complete pension file. The complete pension file includes the pension documents packet and all other information of an official or personal nature.
If I purchase the complete pension file after I have already purchased the pension documents packet, will the fee for the complete pension file be reduced?
We do not prorate the fee for the complete pension file for customers who have already purchased the pension documents packet.
How were pension file numbers treated for Civil War and later pensions?
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 (XC or C).
Is the pension file number the same as the application number on the pension index card?
No. If the soldier received a pension, the application number and the certificate file numbers are not the same. If a soldier applied for a pension based on wounds or illness suffered while in the service, his application file got a number. 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 files under a new number. The original application number became void. When the soldier died his widow applied to have the benefits continued. Her application was given a number but the soldier’s pension certificate file was not moved to her new application number. In fact, her application becomes part of the soldier’s file. Once the claim for continued benefits was approved, the entire file was given a new number as a widow’s certificate. 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 pension certificate files that were still active were transferred (“X”) to the “C” files. The XC numbers, which appear at the bottom of the index cards, indicate that a file was transferred to the “C” pension series.
Why can’t I use this system to order records for military service before 1789?
The National Archives does not hold records for military service prior to the establishment of the United States Federal Government. NARA is the repository for the permanently valuable records of the United States Federal Government, as well as Presidential papers and historical materials.
Why can’t I use Request and Order Reproductions to obtain military service or pension records for service during the French and Indian War?
You will not find records in the National Archives relevant to your research. Although, the French and Indian War (1754-1763) relates to American history, it commenced prior to the establishment of the United States Federal Government. NARA is the repository for the permanently valuable records of the United States Federal Government, as well as Presidential papers and historical materials.
How can I find more information about my ancestor’s military service during the Revolutionary War?
Order the pension application file. The military service records and pension application files have been interfiled for Revolutionary War veterans. Therefore, you will receive both products by ordering the complete pension file.
Why can’t I use Request and Order Reproductions to obtain records related to participation in the Boston Tea Party?
You will not find records in the National Archives relevant to your research. Although, the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) relates to American history, it commenced prior to the establishment of the United States Federal Government. NARA is the repository for the permanently valuable records of the United States Federal Government, as well as Presidential papers and historical materials.
How do I get copies of military service records for service during World War I (WWI)?
Military service records from World War I to the present are located at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. You can access the NPRC at: https://www.archives.gov/locationsmo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html
How do I get copies of military service records for service during World War II (WWII)?
Military service records from World War I to the present are located at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. You can access the NPRC at: https://www.archives.gov/locationsmo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html
Why can’t I use this system to order records for copies of military service records after 1912?
Military service records from World War I to the present are located at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. You can access the NPRC at: https://www.archives.gov/locationsmo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html.
How do I get copies of military service records for service during the Korean War?
Military service records from World War I to the present are located at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. You can access the NPRC at: https://www.archives.gov/locationsmo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html.
How do I get copies of military service records for service during the Vietnam War?
Military service records from World War I to the present are located at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. You can access the NPRC at: https://www.archives.gov/locationsmo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html.
Why can’t I order reproductions of Confederate pensions on Request and Order Reproductions ?
Confederate pensions are not at the National Archives. Pensions based on military service for the Confederate States of America were granted by the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. To search these records, contact the state where the veteran lived after the war. Descriptions of state pension laws and addresses and telephone numbers of state archives that hold these records are available at https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogymilitary/civil-war/confederate/pension.html.
Why can’t I use Request and Order Reproductions to obtain records pertaining to the Hessians in the Revolutionary War?
The National Archives has no records or lists of German mercenaries who were American prisoners of war or who deserted from the British Army. We have been informed by the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Washington DC 20540, that they have some information about Hessians and other German mercenaries among their holdings. These records are scattered among the many holdings of the Manuscript Division and there are some lists of individual soldiers. There is a published reference to Hessians in the American Revolution. It is: Muster Rolls and Prisoner-of-War Lists in American Archival Collections Pertaining to the German Mercenary Troops Who Served with the British Forces during the American Revolution?, German-American Research Monograph No. 3 in three parts (Dekalb, Illinois), Westland Publications, 1974, 1976. This publication may be available in large public libraries having reference collections. The National Archives neither sells nor distributes this publication.
Why can’t I use Request and Order Reproductions to obtain records relating to Lafayette’s troops in the Revolutionary War?
NARA does not have service records for Lafayette’s troops. A list of French participants in the Revolutionary War, based on French records and published in Paris, was republished and indexed by the United States Government under the title Les Combattants Francais de la Guerre Americaine, 1778-1783 as Senate Document No. 77 of the 58th Congress, second Session (serial 4595). The list appears to relate only to men who returned to France and is therefore incomplete.
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