Daily AncestorService pension
A service pension was paid for having served a set length of time, with no need to prove a wound or illness from the service.
Early pensions went only to the disabled and to widows of men who died. Service pensions came later: Revolutionary veterans received them under acts of 1818, 1828 and 1832, and Mexican War veterans from 1887 if they had served 60 days, were honorably discharged and were at least 62.
Union veterans gained a broad benefit in 1890, when 90 days of service and an honorable discharge qualified a man unable to do manual labor for any reason. A pension act named in a file tells you which rules the applicant had to meet.
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Daily Ancestor. "Service pension." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/military/service-pension. Last checked 2026-10-03.