I have several questions about the pension process in Al. after the war. Thanks for your help.

1) When was the first pension law passed? How comprehensive was it? What did a soldier have to provide to prove service? Parole only? Affidavit?

2) Did ex-soldiers have to be indigent before they could collect an Al Pension?

3) Is there any way to determine if a soldier applied for a pension without sending $20. to the state archives? That gets rather expensive if the answer is "no".