Daily AncestorMinor's pension
A minor's pension was a military pension paid on a dead soldier's service for his children under age 16, claimed much like a widow's pension.
Union pension law counted dependent minor children under 16 among those who could draw a pension. An application for minors had to prove both the soldier's marriage and each child's birth, so these files may hold copies of marriage records and other proof of the children's ages.
Minors' claims were processed the same way as widows' claims and filed in the widow's certificate series. A widow's own application also often names the children under 16.
As seen in a recordCivil War pension index card, 1880s
Minor's App. No. 528,317. Guardian: Ozro Fenwick, for minors of Erastus Pellett
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Minor's pension." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/minors-pension. Last checked 2026-10-12.