Hi Dennis, I've been away for a while so don't know if you received a reply to your message or not so I thought I'd put my two cents worth in just in case you didn't :-) You asked: "Can anyone tell me if it is true that there exists an 1890 US veterans census index for SC but no census detail?" I believe that your library is in error...see below: South Carolina Censuses: Federal censuses were taken in South Carolina at ten-year intervals beginning in 1790. They are available on microfilm for 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920. The 1890 schedules were destroyed, except those for Civil War veterans and widows, which are at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the National Archives, and on microfilm at the LDS Family History Library. About the 1890 Veterans Census from NARA: Practically all of the schedules for the States Alabama through Kansas and approximately half of those for Kentucky appear to have been destroyed, possibly by fire, before the transfer of the remaining schedules to the National Archives in 1943. Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War. M123. 118 rolls An act of March 1, 1889, provided that the Superintendent of Census in taking the Eleventh Census should "cause to be taken on a special schedule of inquiry, according to such form as he may prescribe, the names, organizations, and length of service of those who had served in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States in the war of the rebellion, and who are survivors at the time of said inquiry, and the widows of soldiers, sailors, or marines." Each schedule calls for the following information: name of the veteran (or if he did not survive, the names of both the widow and her deceased husband); the veteran's rank, company, regiment or vessel, date of enlistment, date of discharge, and length of service in years, months, and days; post office and address of each person listed; disability incurred by the veteran; and remarks necessary to a complete statement of his term of service. See: http://www.archives.gov/index.html ------------------------------------------------ Also, you said: "If it is true that the Civil War Pension Index says that John P. Boyd's rank was Lt. then perhaps there is an additional file somewhere which NARA did not send to me." If you only sent for John P. Boyd's pension file then I would *assume* that you received all the information contained in that pension file....some contain alot of info, some don't. However, you might consider also sending for his Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR)....which *may* give you more information....and would answer the question you have concerning his rank. An explanation of an CMSR would be a bit too long to send to the list...but if you go to the following you will get a complete and accurate explanation : -) Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/civil-war/index.html#cmsr Every person that has served in the military has an CMSR. As with a pension record, a persons CMSR may contain alot of information....or very little. We have obtained CMSR's that are one pagers with little info....and we have them that contain 50 pages with tons of info.......but you never know until you obtain it. :-) Just one additional note in reference to the censuses.....I have personally not seen any *on-line* censuses that are complete so I would suggest that you may want to check them out personally at your library or thru the LDS Family History Library . Well, that's my two cents worth......hope the above is helpful to you :-) Kind Regards, Karen from Ohio, USA