World War II Bonus Records Request

Happy Veterans Day!

In honor of Veterans Day the Minnesota Historical Society Gale Family Library is proud to offer 25% off our research services devoted to the records of veterans. This includes the following services:

World War I Military Questionnaires

World War I Bonus and Disallowed Bonus files

World War II Bonus records requests

Veterans’ Grave Registration requests

The discount will be automatically applied and will continue throughout the month of November.

For this service library staff will look for a World War II Bonus Record for a service member who was a Minnesota resident at time of enlistment. 

These records are often blurry, out of focus, and hard to read. Staff are unable to improve the legibility of the records.

Price: $10. Refunds are not available, even if records are not located.

Delivery: Digital. PDF format.

Turnaround: 60 business days.  

About this research service:
In 1949 the Minnesota legislature authorized bonus payments to Minnesota residents who served honorably in the U.S. armed forces for at least 30 consecutive days between December 7, 1941 and September 2, 1945, or to their beneficiaries. The initial deadline for bonus applications was December 31, 1950, but it was eventually extended to December 3, 1953. 

Bonus files may include information on the applicant's military service, residence, and proof of honorable discharge. Bonus records are typically two to four pages long. Beneficiary files, for family members applying for the bonus payment of a deceased service member, may include additional supporting documents.

More information on World War II records held by the Minnesota Historical Society can be found on the Military Service Records Research Guide.

Please see below for an example of what some of these records look like: