The function of this department is to assist veterans and their widows to pursue claims with the state and federal government and to establish rights to such claims (Ala. Code, 31-5-7 [1975]). The bulk of these files were created whenever a Confederate widow was assisted in receiving a pension under Public Law 85-425, passed in 1958. When a widow of a Confederate veteran contracted one of the department's local offices, a file would be opened in the name of the veteran. A copy of every document or letter placed in that file was sent to the state headquarters office for information purposes. Information in the files includes veterans' names, limited information regarding military service with the Confederate forces and data relating to the request for widow's pension benefits as administered by the Veterans Administration. The practice of sending duplicates to headquarters was discontinued around 1974 and these records are no longer created.
