Recently, I got a question asking for an explanation of where the spouse and child information comes from that are found in the Mil Info screen. I think I'll split the answer into two posts in case it gets a little long.
The primary source for spouse and child information in the pension record is what we call a family circular. In 1898 and 1915, the pension bureau sent the veterans on the pension roles a questionnaire seeking family information. Both family circulars have information about the spouse such as her maiden name and marriage date. It also lists any of the soldier's previous marriages. If the veteran's first wife died, he might mention her death date on the family circular.
The two family circulars differ slightly in their questions about the veteran's children. The 1898, circular asks, "Have you any children living? If so, state their names and the dates of their birth." Therefore, only living children will be listed. The 1915, circular asks the veteran to, "State the names and dates of birth of all your children, living or dead." So, if the veteran lives to 1915, this circular might list more children than the 1898 circular.
This information is provided by the veteran to the pension bureau. Please note, that the circulars do not ask for the child's gender. The pension inputter inferred the gender of each child based on the name given. These circulars are also where we often get the living/dead date. If the child is listed on the 1898 circular, then we know the child was alive in 1898. If the child is listed on the 1915 circular, but not on the 1898, then we can infer that the child was dead by 1898.
This is where we get most of the information about spouses and children. A few other sources will be discussed in the next post.
Heather, Thank you. That was very informative. Understanding the different approach in 1898 and 1915, helps explain why the information sometimes varies. --Janice
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