Daily AncestorPension agent
A pension agent was the federal officer at a regional pension agency who paid approved military pensions to the pensioners assigned to him.
In the 1860s a pensioner drew his semiannual payment from his designated pension agent. There were 58 agents by 1871, cut to 18 agencies in 1877. A pensioner who could not travel could name an attorney-in-fact to collect for him, often a paid middleman.
NARA's pension payment records include Pension Agency Payment Books, 1805 to 1909, with an index, so the agency named in a file points to where payments were recorded.
As seen in a recordPension payment record, 1889
Paid at the Pension Agency, Columbus, O., to Mar. 4, 1889
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Pension agent." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/pension-agent. Last checked 2026-10-12.