Document Spotlight-More Pension Inquiries

If you read even a few War Department papers it is easy to see just how much time and energy the department spent verifying records for pensions, death benefits, and other financial matters. One can almost see clerks searching muster rolls and other documents to determine eligibility.

Transcriber Karenwalters recently came across a letter asking for such an inquiry. The original request sought to determine the status of a Captain Peter Withington on 11 May 1777. The writer wonders whether Withington was mustered dead on that day, or whether he had been discharged. Perhaps it meant the difference between a survivor’s benefit and a pension for Withington’s family.

Read the entire letter at http://wardepartmentpapers.org/scripto/mediawiki/index.php?title=.MzA1Nw.MjA0NDk&rcid=2308

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