TREASURER:

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota. Treasurer's Office. Civil War Allotment Rolls and Related Correspondence. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: none

Processing Information:

Processed by: Mary Bakeman, 2015-2016

Catalog ID number: 001705129

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During the Civil War soldiers were permitted to divide their pay into what they received and what they wanted to send home to their families. Once their military unit was mustered in, a standard allotment roll was established for those who wanted to send money home. It specified the amount to be withheld, the name of the payee, payee address, and authorizing signature. This roll was sent to the state treasurer, who would receive the funds from the federal paymaster and disburse them according to the signed instructions on the allotment roll. On payday (which did not necessarily happen monthly), a new allotment roll was completed, again authorizing a specific payment. That roll, with the withheld money, was sent to the federal paymaster, who in turn, directed it to the state treasurer for disbursement as authorized. The number of steps in the handling of the funds added to the time between payment of the men in the field and the payment of the family member and/or business back home. With no automated banking systems in place, soldiers who were not with their units on a payday because of illness or assignment, transcription errors in names, changes in amounts, and lost and/or stolen letters contributed to late payments. In addition, some families returned east to await the end of the war with relatives, resulting in address changes and money not sent to the most current address. Information recorded in the allotment rolls: name, rank, pay per month, amount to be reserved, assignee(s), address, signature, and remarks.

Arranged in order by Minnesota military unit, there under in chronological order.

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Includes letters exchanged between the state allotment agent (Charles Scheffer, state treasurer) and a soldier, family member or agent about a specific soldier's allotment. Queries included when the allotments were to be made, where the money was, changes in amounts or addresses for recipients, and other specific issues for that particular soldier. When the money was disbursed, a receipt was requested, and many of them are included. The receipts usually have the actual signature of the soldier. Others (called 'orders') provide direction to buy bonds or to pay the held funds to a different payee. (In effect, soldiers could use the funds sent back to Minnesota to pay their creditors, similar to having a checking account.) Some of these letters are written in a language other than English, and may have a translation attached.

Arranged in order by Minnesota military unit name, there under in chronological order.

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Includes pay authorizations and instructions regarding soldiers' allotments between the state treasurer (state allotment agent) and Minnesota military units, federal paymasters and banks, and supplemental allotment rolls.

Arranged in order by Minnesota military unit name, there under in chronological order. There are no records for the 9th Minnesota Regiment.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Military pensions -- Minnesota.

Places:

Minnesota -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Registers.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

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