A Union Civil War pension file I am looking at contains over 200 pages. Like most pension files of this type, it contains numerous affidavits. In this case, most of them revolve around the deceased soldier’s health and his mother’s financial status. A large number of individuals signed affidavits testifying to both those aspects of the claim.
Determining which of those individuals to research first has been a challenge. How should I prioritize my research into the individuals who appear in the file? It’s important to think about what my research goals are (for me it’s completely documenting the claimants life). While it’s hard to make list ranking individuals in the file from first to last, generally speaking I am using these factors to decide which people should appear higher on the list:
- Attendance at key events in claimant’s life-individuals who indicate they were at funerals or weddings of members of the claimant’s family are more likely to be close associates and possibly family members.
- Individuals who knew the claimant for a length of time that suggests they knew each other when claimant lived in other states or locations.
- Individuals who indicate they have known the claimant for her entire life.
These categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Individuals who indicate they knew the claimant for only a few years have been put further down on the list. Individuals who appear in a legal or other capacity are generally placed lowest on the priority list.
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