Dear Mr. Bray:

I was able to obtain a very legible photocopy of Confederate Widow's Pension Claim No. 3655, dated 1891, for Jones County, Georgia, from the Genealogic and Historical Room of the Washington Memorial Library in Macon, Georgia (Bibb County). The year 1891 was when money became available for Confederate widows.

A Confederate widow applied at the county level. The widow had to have Three Witnesses to put forth her claim. Thus, the claim usually contains good information about friends and relatives. Also, who were the widow's lawyers and where were they from? In the case of Lucinda Christian Mitchell her attorneys were from Atlanta. The question can be asked, are there possibly additional family records that can be obtained from the Georgia Lawyers Association?

Also, for the initial year of the Confederate Widow's Pension Claim, quite a few people, including the County Clerk of the Inferior Court, witnesses, attorneys, etc., had to sign affidavits stating that the claimant was personnaly known to them and that the widowed spouse had resided in the county as claimed.

So you see, a very good source of information also might be the circa 1891 records of the Clerk of the Inferior Court.
You should be able to locate a county address for the courthouse via the internet.

Additionally, included in an eligible Confederate Widow's Pension Claim would be a mention of the State troops; regiment and company; a description of how the spouse died; the location, day, month, and year of death; and the cause of death. I think that most Confederate Widow's Pension Claims also include a statement to the effect that the body was taken home (county) and interred there, or other burial information.

Following the initial claim year, a new claim had to be submitted each year. I received a legible photocopy for the initial claim year, as well as subsequent years. The cost from Washington Memorial Library (on the internet) for all of the Confederate Widow's Pension Claim years was about $8.00-$10.00. The widowed spouse's year of death can be approximated by looking at the last year a claim was filed or money was received. The initial year claim was $100.00 per annum.

Also, a Confederate Widow's Pension Claim can be used to supplement census records. For example, the claim contains address information for receipt of the money. Additionally, family members may have signed affidavits. This is an important locator, because the widowed spouse may have lived with extended family. Because address information is included, the last year of the claim may give an indication of the town or city where the family burial plot is. Some counties have put, or are putting, cemetery information on-line. Jones County, Georgia, for example, has an extensive list of cemeteries.

Another good source of genealogy information is the Georgia Department of Archives and History. I have looked at these records for many years.

Faithfully,

Terri Anne Hastings