Records of Old Soldiers' and Widows' Pensions ; 1837 - 1871.

            Many discharged Loyalist soldiers and/or their widows who were living in New Brunswick by the middle of the nineteenth century were in destitute situations. To assist these people, the New Brunswick government passed, An Act for the Relief of Old Soldiers of the Revolutionary War and their Widows (12 Victoria, 1839). By this Act, old soldiers or their widows, and in some cases individuals who had been supporting them, could receive an annual pension from the Court of General Sessions of the Peace (later County Council) in their County. The Clerk of the Court paid the pensions and forwarded the appropriate petitions, schedules, and vouchers to the Provincial Secretary for reimbursement. By 1867 when the Government of Canada assumed responsibility for matters of defense, most of the petitioners were deceased.            

            The pension records in this series are a rich source of information for military history, social history, and genealogy. In many cases, details can be found on military units and on engagements in which the soldier participated. Genealogists may find biographical information, such as the date and place of marriage, or other facts about a person's life. The records are not complete, but those that are available are a valuable and colourful resource.            

            A detailed finding aid, which includes schedules of annual payments, lists of petitioners, and correspondence, is available at the beginning of each microfilm reel. The finding aid is arranged by County. An alphabetical list of petitioners, with references to the location of the relevant documents within the series, is available as a second part of the finding aid.
A microfilm shelf list and a brief table of contents has been created by the author of the Loyalist Collection Finding Aids and as a PDF in the electronic finding aid section.