1883 Pensioners, Woodford County, Illinois On 8 Dec 1882, the US Senate passed a resolution to enumerate, by town, county, and state, all individuals receiving a pension. This list is taken from that document. It is used today as a major genealogical source for Civil War and the War of 1812 pensioners. Pensioners in this transcribed version of the original document are listed by county, post office and alphabetically by name. This document, digitally scanned by Google, can be found on Google Books (List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883, Vol III, pg 646-47 - Washington Government Printing Office 1883)

Last Name First Post Office Address Cause Monthly rate Date of org. allowance Cert. # Adams John W. Eureka minors of 12 Sept. 1882 192,192 Allison James A. Eureka ch. rheum 4 Dec. 1882 222,002 Andrews Courtland Cazenovia wd. r. arm 4 Sept 1879 162,486 Armstrong Milton Minonk dep. father 8 Mar 1880   Armstrong Barbara J. Roanoke widow 8 Dec 1867   Arnold James Roanoke surv. 1812 8 Jul 1878   Ball Samuel E. Low Point dis. lungs 18 Nov 1879   Barnes Lumuel Metamora lis. lung and rheum 4 Sept 1880   Bonney Maria L El Paso widow 8 July 1865 52,119 Brown Mary J. Eureka widow 1812 8 Jan. 1879 14,351 Bulkeley Rowland T Minonk paral. & c. l. leg 2     Bullock Wingfield M. Eureka wd. l. thigh 20 Mar 1880 163,838 Burger Geo. W. Secor wd. r. arm 4 May 1878   Calvert Monor Washburn asthma 6 Nov 1881   Cansey Thos. A Metamora rheum. and heart dis 4 Mar. 1881   Cluer John T Washburn dis. eyes 8 Sept 1879   Clutter Mary A Cruger dep. mother 8 July 1879 184,908 Corbin Madison Washburn inj. to abd. and g. s. w. r. leg 10 ...   Davidson Dan'l W Minonk injury to abdomen 6     Davidson James F. Eureka dis. of abdominal viscera 5 ... 134,695 Davis Henry W. Eureka sunstroke & nerv. pros 4 July 1882 215,231 Davison Helen Jane Minonk widow 14 Apr 1879   Deiker John G. Eureka wd. r. thigh 2 ... 147,831 Dixon Jame El Paso dep. mother 8 May 1864 23,121 Dunham Chas. E. Minonk dis. eyes & var. veins r. leg 12 Apr 1879   Emser Frank Spring Bay frac. l. leg 15 Dec 1881   Eyman Martha D. Eureka widow 20 ... 6,666 Filger David Minonk wd. r. arm 4     Furni Peter C. Eureka wd. r. leg 10 ... 44,378 Furrow David Washburn injury to abdomen 2 ...   Glimpse Wm. M. Kappa ch. diarr. dis. of abdominal viscera and dis. back. 6 Aug. 1882 216,493 Grater Geo. M. Metamora inj. hip 8 ...   Griswold John Benson rheum & dis. r. leg $12.00 Sept. 1878 155,439 Harkness Porter Minonk wd. l. arm 6 ...   Haxamer Eliz'th Kappa dep. mother 8 Sept 1868   Hayward Stephen K. El Paso sunstoke malar. poison ch diarr. dis. lungs & dis. heart 8 May 1882 208,846 Heinecke Henry Secor g. s. w. rt. arm 6 ...   Henry Rachel L. Eureka widow 8 ... 25,257 Hicks Martha Washburn dep. mother 8 Sept 1866   Hogan Edward Kappa wd. 1 side 2 Oct 1879 163,039 Huckins Samuel S. Metamora rheum. and g. a. w. hd 6 Nov 1880   January John W Minonk loss eyes 72 ...   Kellogg Price F. Metamora dis. lungs 4 May 1882   Kieswetter Peter Metamora dis. lung and ch. diarr 12 July 1881   Kingdom Eliz'th El Paso widow 18 ... 28,366 Kirchner Geo. Metamora dis. and var. veins l leg 6 June 1881   Kizer John C. Spring Bay g. a. w. l. knee 4 Dec. 1881   Lay Martha Washburn dep. mother 8 Dec 1864   Leddy Michael Secor anch. l. knee 16 Apr 1880   Leighton Sylvestor Eureka dis. eyes & aff. spine 4 May 1879 159,804 Leonard Geo Roanoke surv. 1812 8 Jan 1872   Livingston Philip F. Mononk wd. l. hip and back 4 ...   Longfellow Wm. J. Eureka rheum 4 Mar. 1880 165,703 Lyons Eliza Metamora dep. mother 8 June 1882   Lyons John Metamora inj. r. ankle 4 Nov 1881   Mader Gotfried Spring Bay wd. r. knee 6 ...   McClure Ellen Washburn widow 1812 8 Mar 1881   McCoy John P Minonk loss r. eye & par loss l. eye 12 ...   McGuire John L Metamora g. s. w. l. side 4 June 1880   McVey James Roanoke dis. lungs 4 June 1881   Mehlhorn Fred'k Minonk minors of 10 ...   Messinger Moses A Washburn var. veins r. leg 8 ...   Moiller Ann Metamora dep. mother 8 Apr 1865   Moliter Charles Metamora dis. eyes and rheum 6 Nov 1881   Morris Richard Minonk g. s. wds. r. thigh & leg 4 June 1882   Norris Richard N. Washburn wd. r. thigh and gr. 4 June 1879   Ore Benjamin K. Kappa injury to abdomen 4 … 145,512 Page Samuel T. Metamora rheum 2 Aug 1882   Pangburn John Eureka surv. 1812 8 July 1878 23,454 Perrine David R. Cruger g. s. w. l. forefinger 3 ... 134,980 Peterson Barthol Washburn wd. l. thigh 1 June 1879   Pierce Elijah Eureka dis. eyes 18 ... 120,412 Potter Eliza Eureka widow 8 ... 6,233 Pringzinger Bernhard Washburn dis. lungs 8 ...   Reeves Jesse Eureka dis. eyes & part deaf 6 Apr 1882 206,402 Reiter Joseph Roanoke rheum 2 Dec. 1882   Rickard Sarah El Paso dep. mother 8 ... 171,753 Robeson John E. Secor loss l. index fing 3 ...   Robinson Daniel Z Roanoke dis. lungs ch. diarr. and dis. of abdominal viscera 12 June 1880   Rogers Sam'l. T. El Paso wd. l. leg 1275 ... 110,186 Rogers Alma Minonk wd. hd. and loss eye 8 ...   Ropp David Kappa dep. father 8 Jan 1871   Rufin Andrew Benson wd. r. knee 2 Mar 1880 165,636 Rush Mary F. Eureka widow 8 Nov. 1869 136,553 Sands Charles Minonk ch. diarr 15 Mar 1881   Sanfaus Jacob Metamora dis. eyes 2 June 1882   Settle Dorothy Minonk dep. mother 8 Dec 1869   Shepherd Obediah Secor wd. l. hip 2.00   Oct 1879   Simpson James A Minonk inflam. liver and pancreas 6 ...   Smalley Olive W. Eureka dep. mother 8 Nov. 1870 146,268 Smilie Weldon R. Benson diarr. & dis. of abd. viscera 4 ... 123.227 Smith John J. Secor wd. l. thigh 6 ...   Smith David P Washburn g. a. w. r. thigh 4 Feb 1881   Smythe Henry Minonk wd. l. sh'r 6 ...   Sneed David F. El Paso ch. diarr. & dis. liver 4 Jan. 1881 180,661 Spellman Wm Spring Bay rheum. back 4 Nov. 1882   States Susan E. Eureka widow 8 ... 44,137 Stewart Wm. H. Eureka dis. heart 8 ... 135,932 Stivers Wm. K. Cruger wd. l. thigh 4 Jan 1879 157,434 Sutton Sarah M. Minonk dep. mother 8 Nov 1868   Swallow Presely El Paso wound scapula 18 ... 56,036 Swan Simon Minonk g. s. w. l. forearm 2 Mar 1882   Taylor Ambrose Kappa frac. inf. maxill. bone ... ... 102,604 Thomas Charles W. Washburn ch. diarr 4 Aug 1881   Thompson Nancy Metamora dep. mother 8 Aug 1865   Tucker Thomas Eureka inj. spine 4 Mar 1880 166,262 Waldon Theron D. Metamora wd. l. arm 8 ...   Warner John Eureka wd. r. arm 6 ... 83,716 Watson John H. Cruger wd. sacrum 6 ... 77,673 Weiler George Minonk g. s. w. l. leg 2 Oct 1881   Wiggins Andrew Eureka dis. eyes 2 Mar. 1880 165,606 Will Joseph M. Roanoke wd. l. arm 6 ...   Williams Mahlon Secor g. s. w. r. thigh 2 Oct. 1882   Wilson Mary Cruger widow 8 ... 48,787 Wilson Hollis N. Metamora dis. eyes 4 Mar. 1882   Wilson Benjamin jr Minonk inflammation eyes 6 ...   Wineteers Thos S Washburn shell wd. r. arm 2 May 1878   Wissel David Metamora wd. l. leg and dis. eyes 18 ...   Wolf Leannire Metamora dep. mother 8 July 1867   Wright John H Eureka ch. diarr 10 Sept. 1881 195,875 Wylie Joseph H. Minonk wd. l. hand 3.75 ...   Zinser Solomon L. Minonk wd. abdomen 4.25 ...

Where to Go From Here Most soldiers or their widows or minor children applied for a pension. In some cases, a dependent father or mother applied. The pension files are indexed by the National Archives microfilm publication T288, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (544 rolls) which is also available online at Ancestry.com (for a fee). The pension file will often contain more information about what the soldier did during the war than the Compiled Military Service Records, and it may contain much medical information if he lived for a number of years afterwards. For example, in his pension file, Seth Combs of Company C, 2d Ohio Cavalry, reported: "...my left eye was injured while tearing down a building...and in pulling off a board a splinter or piece struck my eye and injured it badly...it was hurt while in the Shenandoah Valley near Winchester, Va. about Christmas 1864--a comrade who stood by me name Jim Beach is dead." In another affidavit, Seth said he "also got the Rheumatism while on duty as a dispatch bearer on detached duty." To obtain a widow's pension, the widow had to provide proof of marriage, such as a copy of the record kept by county officials, or by affidavit from the minister or some other person. Applications on behalf of the soldier's minor children had to supply both proof of the soldier's marriage and proof of the children's birth. For more information on obtaining military pension records, visit the The United States National Archives United States National Archives