Our Society:
Provides instruction in family history.

Helps you find others who are interested in family history
and encourages fellowship and sharing of knowledge.

Collects, preserves, and disseminates genealogical,
biographical, and historical knowledge and information.
See what we have in our Research Center!

Keeps you informed about family history news and
upcoming events.
Welcome to the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society
**Next Meeting**
1:00 p.m. - Tuesday,
   May 20 , 2008  -
Hollin Hall Senior
Center, Room 112
(free and open to the
public).
Hollin Hall Senior Center * 1500 Shenandoah Rd * Alexandria, VA 22308
**Program**
Anatomy of a Civil War
Pension File
This lecture will show the
types of documents found
in typical Civil War pension
files and discuss their
usefulness in genealogical
research.
** Speaker **
Claire Prechtel-Kluskens
has been an archivist at the
National Archives and
Records Administration,
Washington, DC, since 1992,
and has been a
genealogical researcher
since 1976. At NARA she is a
genealogical microfilm
projects archivist
specializing in census,
immigration, and other
records. She lectures and
writes frequently on many
family history research
topics
TIME TO WRITE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
"Don't put off today what you should have done
yesterday"
TRY EACH DAY TO PUT ON PAPER FAMILY
REMEMBRANCES
Federation of Genealogical
Societies
Counter
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION FOR MAY 2008
The U.S. Government only paid pensions to Federal
troops.  Individuals who fought for the South received
a pension from the state in which they resided after
the Civil War.  However, the National Archives does
have a number of records regarding soldiers who
fought for the South.  These include the compiled
military service records, Casualty records,
information on individuals who died in Federal
prisions and a considerable amount of documents on
appointments of military personnel.

This lecture will show the types of documents found
in typical Civil War pension files and discuss their
usefulness in genealogical research. The National
Archives has over two million pension files relating to
Union Civil War soldiers and sailors--and their widows
and minor children. While each file is unique, they all
share common elements. Anatomy of Civil War
Pension Files will show and discuss the types of  
records and information found in these files. What if
you don't have an ancestor that fought in the war or
who never applied for a  pension?  Researchers may
still find useful information in the pension  files of
the ancestor's siblings, uncles, cousins, friends,  
neighbors, employers, co-workers, or
comrades-in-arms.