The first general pension law in North Carolina for Confederate veterans and widows was passed in 1885 and was restricted to veterans with serious injuries, e.g., lost a leg, lost an eye, or the widows of veterans who died in service. There were about 5,000 applications statewide under this pension. The second, more general, pension was in 1901 and there were about 40,000 applications statewide under this pension.

Below, arranged alphabetically, are those veterans and widows from Beaufort County who made application for Confederate Pensions during 1885 to 1901 (MARS ID # 5.21) and for 1901 and afterwards (MARS ID # 5.22). Veterans and widows could apply under both pensions, and some did.

If your ancestor or his widow applied for a Confederate pension in North Carolina, copies of applications for both the 1885 and the 1901 schemes are held by the NC Archives in Raleigh. Look at the NC Archives Web Site for further information. For a brief history of the Pension Bureau, see the recently published Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives: State Agency Records.

When requesting a Veteran's or Widow's pension file, please request only one at a time, submit the MARS ID #, the Veteran's or Widow's Name, and their County of Residence. Mail your request to the North Carolina State Archives, 4614 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4614. NC residents may send requests by FAX: (919) 733-1354, or by email: archives@ncmail.net. A small fee is required for all out of state residence.

Beaufort Co., NCGenWeb Pages