The following announcement was written by Footnote.com:
Civil War Widows’ Pension Now Available On The Internet For The First Time
Lindon, UT – October 16, 2008 – Today, Footnote.com released the first digitized versions of the Civil War Widows’ Pension Files.
Through its partnership with Footnote.com, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and FamilySearch, Footnote.com has worked together to prepare, scan, index and now publish these highly popular original documents. “These are one of the most heavily used series of original records at the National Archives,” said James Hastings, NARA Director of Access Programs.
Having never been microfilmed before, the Civil War Pension Files were previously accessible only at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Now, through this project, anyone can access these records via the internet exclusively on Footnote.com.
“The significance to family historians is obvious,” says Cynthia Fox, a NARA Deputy Director. “However, these records offer much to the scholarly community as well. They document the lives of common Americans; people who rarely left journals or collections of letters. They often tell the life stories of people whose daily lives would otherwise be undocumented. Having these records online opens this virtually untapped resource for the study of social history in new and exciting ways.”
Footnote.com has additional paper-to-digital projects to the site including:
• The Southern Claims Commission
• WWII & Vietnam War Photos
• Homestead Records“It’s crucial to preserve this information and make it available on the internet where more people can interact with these records,” explains Russ Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “At Footnote.com we believe it’s all about people connecting with history in a unique way and our goal is to make sure we provide the best content to help make that connection.”
Footnote.com now features over 45 million records ranging from the time of the Pilgrims and the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. Millions of documents are added every month with increasing numbers of people adding their own piece of history to the Footnote.com site through photos, documents, letters and stories.
Visitors can view every image on Footnote.com by signing up for a free 7-day trial. To learn more, visit www.footnote.com today.
About Footnote.com
Footnote.com is a history website where real history might just surprise you. Footnote.com features millions of searchable original documents, providing users with an unaltered view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com, all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit www.footnote.com.
Excellent post. The amount of detail in those folders astounds me. Details abound about the lives and individuals recorded there.
Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com
Posted by: Dae Powell | October 17, 2008 at 10:23 AM
from article - "Having never been microfilmed before, the Civil War Pension Files were previously accessible only at the National Archives in Washington, DC. "
Are these all Union Soldiers' widows? There have been microfilm of Confederate Soldiers and their widows' pension applications for quite some time. Various libraries have copies of these.
Posted by: mjrclark | October 17, 2008 at 12:07 PM
If I remember correctly, Confederate records are kept at the state level. NARA is federal.
Posted by: Bobbi | October 17, 2008 at 01:28 PM
Do you think Footnote will ever have the Confederate Pensions any time in the future?
Posted by: Peggy Fox | October 22, 2008 at 04:19 PM