Just a note on what I am doing—I copied some of the Civil War Pension index cards from microfilm at the National Archives. Some of these cards are almost illegible because they are so badly faded. I tried to copy parts of some of the pensions that had very legible index cards as a representative sampling of the information that can be found in a Civil War Pension. If anyone has a pension they would really like to have copied let me know—I can’t promise to copy the whole thing though! I ran across a pension this week that must have been over 400 pages long—contained in 2 file envelopes Austin Beaty Civil War Pension certificate # 143,568 There is a Certificate of Disability for Discharge in this file. It states that Austin Beaty was a private in Lt. R. M. Overhiser’s Company “H” of the 58th Regiment of Pen Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted at Waterford Pennsylvania on October 3, 1864. He was born in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, is twenty years old, 5 feet 91/2 inches high, fair complexion, gray eyes and sandy hair. “The said Austin Beaty a Private of Co H 58th Regt Inftry Pa Vols lost the fore finger on his right hand by the accidental discharge of his musket while on Picket on the 19th day of February 1865.” In 1872, James O. Beaty of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania states that he was a private in the late Civil War in the same unit as Austin Beaty and “on the night of the 19th of February AD 1865 Austin Beaty….was on Picket duty…the night was cold that he had on his great coat and carried his gun at a secure arms loaded that while running to keep warm he tripped and fell and the gun was discharged the ball passing through the right hand so injuring the forefinger that it had to be amputated close to the hand…” On a form stamped 1890 Austin gives his wife’s name as Rachel Young and date of marriage as Oct. 5, 1865. He lists his children as Clark Elsworth born July 11, 1866; Anasis Adella born July 20, 1873; Willis Emory born Oct. 10, 1874; John Edmison born Aug. 10, 1877 In 1905 John Beaty of Newtonburgh, Pennsylvania is a witness to Austin Beaty’s signature. In 1907 Austin Beaty of Mahaffey county of Clearfield, Pennsylvania aged 62 states that he was born Oct. 19, 1844 at Indiana County, Pennsylvania. Rachel Beaty applies for a pension upon the death of her husband. She is 69 and living in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in April of 1912. She states that she married Austin Beaty in Horton, Pa, Indiana County on October 5, 1865. Belle and Sarah Davidson are witnesses to her signature. J. A. Balvin, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania states “he was well acquainted with the soldier and at his death on March 30 I was called to be the undertaker and he was buried on April 1, 1912 in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery.” Sabilla Parrish states “that she was well acquainted with the soldier, Austin Beaty, and his wife, Mrs. Rachel Beaty, whose maiden name was Rachel Young, from the time they were old enough to be married to each other in 1865, and she also knows that they lived together continuously and without divorce from the date of their marriage to the present time or date of his death March 30, 1912. I know the above by reason of having lived within one mile all my life, also Rachel Young lived with my mother before they were married and on the 5th day of October 1865 they started away together to get married and when they came home they went House Keeping at the same place he died. I was also at the soldiers Funeral and am sure it was the same man as above named, the marriage Certificate is not to be found, it was lost.” 1860 Clearfield, Bell Township, p731 Beatty, James 41 Christianna 41 Austin 15 Sarah 14 Huston 11 Foster 4 Henry Bigham 27 1870 Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Bell Township, page 20a,b Beaty, Robert 34 m, w, PA [In the household of Eugene Miller] Beaty, Alexander 42 m, w, PA Beaty, Julia 23 Beaty, Elizabeth 3 Beaty, George 3/12 Beaty, James O. 51 Beaty, Christian 51 Beaty, David 21 Beaty, Hester 14 Beaty, Austin 25 Beaty, Rachel 26 Beaty, Clark E. 4 Beaty, Mary J. 2 Laurel Baty, L252