Revolutionary War pensions are a very important source for American genealogical research.
Indexes to the main set of U.S. government pensions have been available for decades in book form and more recently online at www.footnote.com, where they are more easily searchable than ever before.
Now comes a new index with brief abstracts of pensions issued by state governments like South Carolina, the pre-1814 U.S. government pensions not included in the aforementioned index volumes or online, and those created by private acts of congress.
The book is "Revolutionary War Pensions" by Lloyd D. Bockstruck, retired genealogy librarian for the Dallas Public Library System and a noted genealogy lecturer.
The author has ferreted out this information from a variety of sources, so reading his introduction is necessary in order to understand where to go to find the actual documents, which number more than 16,000.
Each entry is arranged alphabetically. The state information is listed here for the first time in book form.
One example would be my ancestral uncle, Theophilus Wilson of Fairfield District, S.C., whose papers actually name his father as well as his heirs at his death in 1853, and a good amount of other information about his service and his life.
This great new 1,000-page resource is available in paperback for $89.50 plus $5.50 postage from Genealogical Publishing Co., 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211-1953. 1-800-296-6687, www.genealogical.com.
Documents road show
The May 12 Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn Seminar will feature Tina Seetoo, staff conservator, who will discuss the proper preservation of family items, then be available to assess your family papers and provide guidance for their care and preservation. No monetary appraisal will be given. Noon-1 p.m. Free; bring your own lunch. 678-364-3700, www.georgiaarchives.org.
Sitting up with the dead
On May 13 the Gainesville Branch of the Hall County Library System will host a genealogy evening lockup in the library. "Sitting Up With the Dead" is the theme and after 5 p. m. the library will be closed to the public and those already inside will have full use of the genealogy collection until midnight. Cost is $12 by check, payable to "Hall County Library System," mailed by May 9 to Ronda Sanders, Hall County Library, 127 Main St. N.W., Gainesville, GA 30501. You can search the catalog ahead of time to plan your strategy or check further details about the event at www.hallcountylibrary.org; search under "Adults" for "Genealogy." 770-532-3311, Ext. 116.
About the Author
