03 March 2013

That Cross-Referenced Pension

The organizational index card for Alfred Butler indicates a "see also" reference to the card of George A. Stevens. Stevens' card is shown below. 

Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900, Michigan Light Artillery, Unit 1, Company K, Card for George A. Stevens; digital image, Fold3, (from National Archives Microfilm Publication T289) 3 March 2013.
Of course, it also indicates a "see also" reference to Alfred Butler. There are also references to the application of a widow under Butler's service, the service claim of Alfred Butler, and the children's claim under Butler's service. There was no apparenty widow claim filed under Stevens' service, so it is likely that his widow did not survive him. That will not be known for certain until the actual records have been searched.

The purpose of these cards must be kept in mind--they were to assist the pension office in finding material in an era when there was no computerization of records.

Research on Butler's pension is underway. Depending upon what is located in that file, Stevens' file may or may not be obtained. The real person of interest is Alfred Butler because he is the child of an ancestor. Stay tuned.