Alexander Mathison's pension file from the Civil War has quite a few forms to go through. That's because of the rules to qualify for a pension due to service in the conflict. With the passage of the pension law in 1862, the only way to become eligible was for the the member of the military or naval service to die or become disabled. This, of course, required proof of death or disability. So, the rules to qualify for a pension didn't include everyone who had fought, they were fairly restrictive. While a pension would not be much use to a soldier or sailor if he died it meant that the pension would go to his family. The definition of family was broad, including widow, children and even orphan sisters who were dependent on the serving family member. All of these rules: the proof of death or disability and/or the proof of relationship to the dead or disabled, meant lots and lots of forms.
On October 3, 1864 at Big Shanty, Alex was shot in the right leg and captured. He survived and, after a time, was paroled. The gunshot fractured his right tibia, a serious wound that could cause a disability thereby making him eligible for a pension. This meant that the 1862 pension legislation would apply to him providing he had medical backing as well as proof that the debility came about due to his service in the army. What constituted a disability? The legislation didn't define it leaving it open to interpretation. But to aid in this interpretation records of the soldier's service as well as medical information were needed and added to the file.
Included in the paperwork in his file was a questionnaire which Alex filled out himself in 1915. From other papers included in the file, it appears that pension legislation changed again May 11, 1912. The questionnaire was sent out after the 1912 date. The questions asked of the pension applicant were about his family. They included the names and birthdates of children as well as information about his marriage and the maiden name of his wife. It's wonderful information for jump starting genealogical research and will help me to find out more about the man. In the meantime, I continue to mine his pension file and feel a need to figure out the timeline of the changes in rules in regard to Alexander Mathison's pension application.
Sources:
Civil War Pension Application Processing, 1861-1885 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/civilwarpension.html
The National Archives, Soldiers Certificate No. 74172,
Veteran: Alexander Mathison Rank: Private Service: Co. “B” 15 Ill. Inf Can No.:
1185 Bundle No.: 30
Image:
Civil War re-enactment at Kennekuk County Park, near Danville, Illinois By Daniel Schwen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4901578
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