It will help me and it might interest some of you to see a list of the contents of the papers/documents in Ellis Bickerstaff's Civil War pension file. The list below records the papers in the order I found them when the file arrived.Some forms have titles, some have only numbers, some have both. If you peruse the list you'll notice that some were filed more than once on different dates.
Ellis died on June 29, 1907. All forms after that date involve only his wife, Lucy, and her efforts to obtain/maintain Ellis's pension or refer to her death.
As I looked through the papers to identify their dates, it became obvious to me that Civil War veterans had to petition to receive pensions and that not all veterans qualified. If a veteran received a pension and after some years wanted to increase the amount, there was more paperwork to be done. There were fees involved with obtaining a pension: an attorney was involved with nearly a dozen of the forms; a notary was required for almost as many; Ellis was examined by physicians at least three times. Do you suppose they used the term "red tape" in the late 1800s and early 1900s?
I will put these papers in chronological order then transcribe, compare, and evaluate them. I'll continue to share what I find.
The List of Papers/Documents
Card (4" x 6") with Certificate Number and names of pensioner and veteran
Form 3-732 - Apr 15, 1910
Form 3-230 - Apr 25, 1891 (initial date) through Oct 30, 1902
Form 3-730 - Jul 12, 1907
Form 3-060a Military Service, Jan 21, 1891
Form 3-453 - Apr 11, 1900
Form 3-216a - Jul 26, 1890 (application filing date)
Form 3-1647 - Feb 27, 1907
Form 3-859 - Sep 6 & 13, 1907
Form 3-852 - Dec 14 & 18, 1909
Form 3-357 Increase Invalid Pension - Feb 1, 1905
Note from Ellis to attorneys with current address - Mar 6, 1905
Form 3-357 Increase Invalid Pension - Oct 15, 1902
Form AA Declaration for Invalid Pension, (filed by atty.) 2 pages - Dec 16, 1901
Form 3-145b Increase Invalid Pension - Jun 12, 1900
Form 3-127 History of Claim - Jul 26, 1890
Form 3-146b - Apr 5, 1894
Form 3-145b Increase Invalid Pension - Feb 21, 1893
Form 3-145a Invalid Pension - Jul 26, 1890
Claim for Disability Pension (filed by atty.), 2 pages - July 19, 1890
Declaration for Increase and Additional Disability (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Jan 20, 1899
Declaration for
General Affidavit (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Jan 2, 1895
Form 3-111 Surgeon's Certificate, 2 pages - Oct 19, 1892
Form 3-111c - Jul 11, 1894
Form 3-516 (from Medical Division) - Jun 14, 1899
Form 3-111 Surgeon's Certificate, 2 pages - Jun 5, 1899
Form 3-155 (old Form 3-111) Surgeon's Certificate, 2 pages - Jun 4, 1902
Form 3-156 Surgeon's Certificate, 2 pages - Jun 4, 1902
Form 3-111 (partial?) - Feb 4, 1891
Form 3-438 Accrued Pension - Apr 6, 1910
Notary Public Certificate - Nov 30, 1907
General Affidavit (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Feb 1, 1910
General Affidavit (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Jan 19, 1910
Form 3-361 Widow's Pension, 2 pages - Apr 11, 1910
Notary Public Certificate, 2 pages - Jan 4, 1908
Form 3-155 Surgeon's Certificate, 2 pages - Feb 1, 1905
Form 3-367 Widow's Pension - April 6, 1910
Form 3-202 Board of Review - Apr 13, 1910
Note from Lucy to attorneys - Feb 5, 1910
Note from Lucy with current address - Apr 5, 1910 (U.S. Pension Office stamp)
General Affidavit (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Mar 21, 1910
Letter to Commissioner of Pensions from attorneys filing power of attorney - Jul 30, 1909
Power of Attorney, 2 pages - Jul 29, 1909
Statement from Pastor - Feb 25, 1908 (U.S. Pension Office stamp)
Form 3-007 Declaration for Widow's Pension - Jul 27, 1907
Claim for Pension. Widow. - Jul 27, 1907
Declaration for Widow's Pension - Dec 11, 1909
Widow's Claim (filed by atty.) - Dec 11, 1909
Form 3-014 Declaration for Pension - Feb. 25, 1907
Statement of Marriage, Children - Jul 4, 1898
Certificate of Death for Ellis Bickerstaff - June 30, 1907
Form AA Declaration for Invalid Pension - Nov 30, 1904
Form AA Soldier's Application (filed by atty.) - Nov 30, 1904
Additional Evidence (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Dec 26, 1890
Additional Evidence (filed by atty.), 2 pages - Dec 11, 1890
Form 3-464aa - May 19, 1899
Form 3-798 Drop Order and Report - Jul 12, 1907
Form 1081 Pensioner Dropped - Jun 21, 1913
Statement of Pastor - Aug 17, 1909
Nancy, it really puts the "red tape" concept into perspective when you see the list of forms like this! I'm really enjoying reviewing your pension files with you!
ReplyDeleteYou really got a lot of information in your pension file. I don't think I've ever received that much information in one file. Everytime I see that name "Bickerstaff" I wonder about the meaning of the name. There are Bickerdykes in my family tree. Interesting names.
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