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Since the army had no regulations concerning notification of next of kin or anything along those lines, a military file would never contain a word about a soldier's father or mother. A descriptive list -- often used to establish identity in case a soldier deserted -- contained age, place of birth, marital status, residence as well as physical description: height, hair color, eye color and complexion.
The only other reference to family seen in a Confederate service file can be found in case of a soldier's death. If married, the widow was entitled to any payments due the deceased soldier. Otherwise, a parent or guardian could make the claim. In either case, identity of the soldier and the claimant's kinship to him had to be established in county court. Those papers were included with the claim and forwarded to the Confederate War Department.
The War Department then sent a request for information from the soldier's company commander. This request was meant to verify the claim of service, establish the last payment received by the soldier, confirm his date of death and determine additional amounts due besides monthly pay. Once a clerk from the Second Auditor's Office reviewed and signed the claim, it could be paid by the Treasury Department. Claims were usually forwarded by an agent or attorney, and payments returned to that individual.
I have never seen a Confederate pension application made to any state that included a word about a soldier's parents. However, Alabama pension applications made by widows sometimes asked for specific information about HER father. I don't understand the reasoning behind this form, but it is sometimes part of a pension file. In addition, some applications include a list of living children and their addresses. Apparently the pension board wanted to know how much support for the veteran or his widow could be expected from the immediate family.
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