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Headquarters Branch • 1640 So. Lindbergh Blvd. • St. Louis, MO 63131
314.994.3300 ext 208 •
scollections@slcl.org
      
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Researching Southern Claims Commission
Records |
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Between
3 March 1871 and 3 March 1873,
Southerners filed 22,298 claims before
the Southern Claims Commission (SCC)
based on the fact they
- were
loyal to the Union during the Civil
War
- had
quartermaster stores or supplies
taken by or furnished to the Union
Army during the rebellion
Southern
Loyalists made 22,298 claims for
property losses totaling $60,258,150.44.
However, only 7,092 claims (32%) were
approved for settlements totaling
$4,636,920.69. Each claimant sought to
prove their loyalty and loss through the
testimony of others. The paper trail
created by the claimants and the people
who came forward to testify, for or
against a claimant, provide a wealth of
information about individuals living in
the South during the Civil War.
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States
Affected |
Step-by-step
Search Plan | Resources
Available
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States
Affected
Claims were made to the
Southern Claims Commission based
on losses in the twelve states in
rebellion at the beginning of
the Civil War. Those states
were: |
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- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
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- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- North
Carolina
- South
Carolina
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- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West
Virginia
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The
Southern Claims Commission
affected those states
shown in blue
in
the map above.
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Step-by-step
Search for a Southern Claims
Commission Claim
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Resources
Available
The resources are listed in the
order in which a researcher would use
them: 1) indexes;
2) descriptive pamphlets;
3) film/fiche; and
4) questions asked.
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Indexes
- Southern
Loyalists in the Civil War by Gary B. Mills
- 973.745/M657S
- There is both a reference
copy and a NGS Book Loan
Collection circulating copy
available
- Lists
all claimants in
alphabetical order; further
tells state and county,
commission (claim) number,
office and report numbers
(needed to find disallowed claims), year,
and status of claim.
- Civil War
Claims in the South: An Index of Civil War
Damage Claims Filed Before the Southern Claims Commission, 1871-1880, by Gary B. Mills
- R 973.717/M657C
- reference copy only
- Lists
claims by states, then
alphabetically by name of
claimant; also lists county
and commission (claim)
number.
- Consolidated
Index of Claims Reported by the
Commissioner of Claims to the
House of Representatives from
1871 to 1880, compiled under supervision of J.
B. Holloway
- R929.3/U58C
- Reference copy is large
oversize book, ask librarian
for location.
- Available
on the following National Archives
micropublications:
- P2257,
Part 1, Records of
the U.S. House of Representatives:
Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880
- M87 - roll
14, Records of the
Commissioners of Claims
(Southern Claims Commission,
1871-1880)
- M1407,
first 4 fiche,
Barred and Disallowed Case
Files of the Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880.
- Lists
all claimants in
alphabetical order; further
tells state, commission
(claim) number, office and
report numbers (needed to
find disallowed
claims), year, amount
claimed, amount allowed,
amount disallowed, status,
and nature of claim
(animals, crops, lumber,
etc.)
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Geographical
List of Claims
- Available
on National Archives
micropublication M87 - roll
13, Records of the
Commissioners of Claims
(Southern Claims Commission,
1871-1880)
- Lists
claims by state, county,
then claimant. Also lists
amount of claim. This source
helps determine which
individuals in a "neighborhood" filed claims.
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Available
on this web site as Adobe
PDF file
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Descriptive
PamphletsA Descriptive Pamphlet (DP)
tells about the records on a
particular film/fiche set. It also
includes an individual fiche list or
roll-by-roll list which can
determine the specific fiche or roll
of film needed. The following links
lead to complete copies of the DP
for each listed film/fiche set in
Adobe®Acrobat® format.
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M87,
Records of the Commissioners
of Claims (Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880)
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M1407,
Barred and Disallowed Case
Files of the Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880
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M2062,
Southern Claims Commission
Approved Claims, 1871-1880:
Alabama
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M1658,
Southern Claims Commission
Approved Claims 1871-1880:
Georgia
- M2094, Southern Claims Commission Approved
Claims, 1871–1880: Virginia
- M1762, Southern Claims Commission Approved
Claims, 1871–1880: West Virginia
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Film/Fiche
(The
SCC film/fiche listed below are part
of the Julius K. Hunter & Friends African American Research
Collection here in Special
Collections.)
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Barred and Disallowed Case
Files of the Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880, M1407
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Records of the Commissioners
of Claims (Southern Claims
Commission, 1871-1880), M87
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Records of the U.S. House of Representatives:
Southern Claims Commission,
1871-1880 (part
two includes summary reports of
the Commissioners of Claims in
all cases reported to Congress
as disallowed under the Act of
March 3, 1871 - 4 vols.)
P2257
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Southern Claims Commission
Approved Claims, 1871-1880:
Alabama, M2062
- Southern Claims Commission
Approved Claims 1871-1880:
Georgia, M1658
- Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims,
1871–1880: Virginia, M2094
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Southern Claims Commission Approved Claims, 1871–1880: West Virginia,
M1762
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U.S. Court of Claims Docket
Cards for Congressional Case
Files, ca. 1884-1943 ,
M2007
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Questions Asked
- There were three versions of the
questions to be asked of claimants and
witnesses
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Return
to Guides and Finding
Aids page |
Modified:
31 July 2008
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