Southern Claims Commission Case Files

Barred claims are claims that were not submitted to the SCC by the deadline (March 3, 1873) and so were not considered. They are indicated in M87 by the word “Barred.”

Case files documenting these claims are found in Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, and have been reproduced as Microfiche Publication M1407, Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871–1880, fiches 4273–4829. The case files are arranged alphabetically by the claimant's surname.

The case files are also available online through Ancestry.com (database title: “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880”) and Fold3.com (database title: “Southern Claims – Barred and Disallowed”).

Disallowed claims are claims that the U.S. House of Representatives denied, usually on the recommendation of the SCC. They are indicated in M87 as "Disallowed" or “Dismissed."

Case files documenting these claims are found in Record Group 233, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, and have been reproduced as Microfiche Publication M1407, Barred and Disallowed Case Files of the Southern Claims Commission, 1871–1880, fiches 5–4272. The case files are arranged by report number and thereunder by office number.

The case files are also available online through Ancestry.com (database title: “U.S., Southern Claims Commission, Disallowed and Barred Claims, 1871–1880”) and Fold3.com (database title: “Southern Claims – Barred and Disallowed”).

Many Southern Unionists were dissatisfied with the claims process and with the SCC's decision in their cases. Their frustration eventually led Congress to pass the Bowman Act of 1883 and the Tucker Act of 1887. Under these acts, Congress could reconsider any of the claims previously handled by the SCC and transfer them to the U.S. Court of Claims for further review and recommendation.

The result is that some case files for disallowed and barred SCC claims are part of Record Group 123, Records of the U.S. Court of Claims, and Record Group 205, Records of the Court of Claims Section (Justice). They are indicated in M87 as “C. of C.”

These case files can be found in two different series:

• "Congressional Jurisdiction Case Files, 1884–1943" (Entry PI-58 22 in Record Group 123; National Archives Identifier 2734730)
• "Congressional Jurisdiction Case Files, 1884–1944" (Entry PI-47 45 in Record Group 205; National Archives Identifier 3432865)

Both of these series are arranged by the U.S. Court of Claims case file number. Researchers should consult Microfilm Publication M2007, U.S. Court of Claims Docket Cards for Congressional Case Files, 1884–1937, to identify the case file number.

Please note that there can be numerous gaps in these series of records.

Allowed claims are claims that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve, usually on the SCC's recommendation, and for which the claimant received payment, in whole or in part, from the U.S. Treasury Department. They are indicated in M87 by the amount of money approved for payment.

These case files are found in the series, “Settled Case Files for Claims Approved by the Southern Claims Commission, 1871–1880” (Entry A1-732; National Archives Identifier 566157), which is part of Record Group 217, Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury. The case files are arranged alphabetically by state, thereunder by county, and thereunder by name of claimant. 

Allowed claim files are available online through Fold3.com (database title: “Southern Claims”).

Ancestry.com also features allowed claim files for Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, and Virginia (database title: “U.S., Southern Claims Commission Allowed Claims, 1871–1880”). These claim files were originally reproduced as microfilm:

• Alabama – Microfilm Publication M2062
• Georgia – Microfilm Publication M1658
• Virginia – Microfilm Publication M2094
• West Virginia – Microfilm Publication M1762