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Of all the sources of genealogical information, probably none is more valuable or more interesting than military pension records--and with good reason. Since pensions were granted on the basis of applications which were supported by affidavits and documents substantiating proof of service, all of which were examined and passed upon by the War Department before being submitted to Congress for approval, they are clearly authoritative sources of information. Starting with the Revolutionary War, various acts of Congress authorized the granting of pensions for invalid claims or for military service, and pension rolls--or lists of veterans entitled to receive pensions-- were frequently published as Congressional reports.

All such reports published between 1792 and 1841, totaling twelve volumes and containing the names of approximately 120,000 pensioners, were reprinted by the Genealogical Publishing Company. Now, however, these invaluable pension rolls are available on a single Family Archive CD, complete with an electronic name index that enables you to locate the pensioner quickly and efficiently. No more hunting around in obscure and expensive publications! No more legwork!

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 of 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 or the later frontier wars.

The following is a list of the publications on which this CD is based: (1) The Pension Lists of 1792-1795, (2) Index to U.S. Invalid Pension Records, 1801-1815, (3) Revolutionary Pensioners: A Transcript of the Pension List of the United States for 1813, (4) Revolutionary Pensioners of 1818, (5) The Pension List of 1820, (6) The Pension Roll of 1835 (4 vols.), (7) A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services, 1840, (8) Pensioners of the Revolutionary War Struck off the Roll, and (9) Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions.

System Requirements: You must have a CD-ROM drive, and in order to read the CD you must use either the Family Archive Viewer (version 4.0 or higher), which is available as a free download at http://www.genealogical.com/content/dlfav6.html, or Family Tree Maker for Windows, version 4.0 or higher (Family Tree Maker software can be ordered from www.FamilyTreeMaker.com).

To access information on our Family Archive CDs using the Family Archive Viewer:

1. Install the Family Archive Viewer CD or download it from http://www.genealogy.com/dlfav6.html.
2. Start the Viewer if it is not already running
3. Insert the CD you wish to view into the CD-ROM drive. If you have 2 or more CD-ROM drives, the CD must be placed in the first one.
4. The CD should open automatically, but users of later versions of the Family Archive Viewer must click the CD/magnifying glass icon in the top toolbar (above the template in some versions) to read the CD.
5. When the screen entitled "About this Family Archive" appears, click OK where prompted.

To access information on our Family Archive CDs using Family Tree Maker:

1. Start your Family Tree Maker and open a Family File. (If the program is already running, skip to Step 2.)
2. Insert the CD in your computer's CD-ROM drive. (If you have 2 or more CD-ROM drives, the CD must be placed in the first one.)
3. From the View menu, select Family Finder, or select the Family Finder icon from the toolbar.
4. For FTM 2005, FTM 2006, or Version 16, you must go to the View menu, select Data CD, then View CD. For FTM 2008 or higher, you must download the Family Archive Viewer.

To search the CD for names, select the Search Expert button in the top right of your screen, then select "Search this archive for someone NOT from your Family File." You can also search for names by using the Index.

Note: If a window opens that contains a list of files on the CD, simply close it.