Having obtained a copy of her application for a Widow’s Indigent Pension, I quickly realized that they made it very difficult for a widow to obtain this pension. 

In the notice to applicant’s section of the application were the following instructions:

  • Must be a resident of Tennessee for three years
  • Widow must have married prior to 1890
  • Must have remained a widow after the death of her solider husband
  • Must be indigent (in case your unsure what this means as I was, it means poverty-stricken)

Once you get past the instructions, then you have to answer questions like:

  • When and where and in what Company and Regiment did your husband enlist or serve during the War Between the States?
  • How long did your husband serve in said Company?
  • Where and when did your husband’s Company and Regiment surrender?
  • Was your husband present at the time and place his Company and Regiment surrendered?
  • If not with his Command at surrender, state clearly and specifically where he was, when he left Command, for what cause and by what authority?
  • At the time of your husband’s death, were you living with him as his lawful wife?
  • Have you married since the death of your solider husband?
  • What property, real or personal, or income do you have or posses, and its gross value?
  • Do you have family? If so, give names and their means of support.  Have they any lands or other property?
  • Name some friend, giving his name and post office address who would be willing to have us write to him about your case.

After all this, then an application had to be sent from the Tennessee Board of Pensions Examiners to the Adjutant General in Washington, DC requesting verification of the soldier’s information supplied by the widow. 

Then, a reply comes from that office verifying the information provided. 

Then finally, you must have a witness that can certify, as to being physically present at the wedding and is personally knowledgeable of the information supplied in the application.