On 13 April 1885, the Indiana General Assembly passed “An Act to enroll the late soldiers, their widows and orphans, of late armies of the United States, residing in the State of Indiana.” Township assessors were to enroll anyone who served during the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, and the Indian wars. Individuals were to be included on the lists if they were:
- Officers of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, including regulars, volunteers, and militia
- Enlisted men in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, whether regularly mustered or not
- Gunboat masters, pilots, engineers, sailors, or others, not regularly mustered
- Persons serving in the militia
- Surgeons, physicians, or anyone who volunteered to assisted in the care of sick or wounded
- Chaplains
- Widows, whether remarried or not
- Children under 16 years of age
The names of deceased husbands and fathers were also included.
The first enrollment took place in 1886 and was to be taken every 4 years thereafter.
The enrollments were returned to the County Clerk. The clerks created duplicate rolls by townships and cities and arranged names in alphabetical order. One copy was kept in order to furnish information to ex-soldier reunions and pension claimants. The other copy was sent to the Indiana Adjutant General. The AG was to create a general list, arranged in alphabetical order by regiments and companies. A copy of this list was to be sent to the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington, D.C.
In 1889, the AG reported that he was unable to make a general list because many counties did not submit reports.
The law was repealed in 1895.
Enrollments collected by the Adjunct General were later transferred to the Indiana State Library and microfilmed by the Family History Library. Some counties that did not send copies to the Adjunct General may have retained their own records. For example, some Dearborn County enrollments were kept at the Dearborn County Courthouse and microfilmed by the Family History Library there.
Online indexes are available for:
The Indiana Genealogical Society also indexed all counties with an 1890 enrollment that was transferred to the Adjunct General.
Sources:
- Laws of the State of Indiana, Passed at the Fifty-Fourth Regular Session of the General Assembly. Indianapolis : Wm. B. Burford, 1885, p. 232-4.
- Laws of the State of Indiana Passed at the Fifty-Ninth Regular Session of the General Assembly. Indianapolis : Wm. B. Burford, 1895, p. 206-207.
- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Indiana for the Two Years Ending October 31, 1888. Indianapolis : Wm. B. Burford, 1889, p. 117-119.