I have submitted two requests for pension files and have had the same excellent service for both. I have submitted online and in-person requests directly to NARA in the past and Gopher is night and day better. The submission process is a breeze. As a user I am kept informed of the progress via an online account and the results are available in days. The quality of the scans is top-notch (better than I would do myself, in-person). This service is DEFINITELY worth the price. If I still lived in the DC area, [...]

Bob Velke of Gopher Records has offered me invaluable assistance in gaining access to the records I need for my research on a Civil War subject. He is experienced and very helpful, digitizing large amounts of archival material efficiently. He offers this service at an affordable rate, is prompt in fulfilling orders, and has developed a good system of delivering the results to the customer that is quick and comfortable. I especially like the fact that he was in touch with me during the day of conducting my work at the National Archives, asking questions as they came up, [...]

I ordered from Gopher Records about a month ago to search for my husband's Great-great grandfather's Civil War Records. I was so pleased with what I found. Their service was very quick and reasonably priced! I was also so happy about how easy it was to communicate with them back and forth. I will be using Gopher Records from now on!

Bob and his team are extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Every transaction I have with Gopher Records has been a pleasure. They are extremely quick to fulfill orders, and the quality of the work is unmatched. Scans are excellent quality and easy to download, and great care is taken to ensure that the digital copy is complete and comprehensive. I work as an archivist, and have recommended Gopher Records to researchers, friends and colleagues numerous times. They are providing a wonderful service, and are a vastly better alternative to NARA's own dysfunctional and costly fulfillment services.

Gopher was fast, accurate and complete! I had my records in DAYS! The personal communication through email was also fantastic! If you need records from the NARA, Gopher can't be beat!

My records were easy to order and ready to download in no time at all. Very pleased with the price and speed. Will continue to use Gopher Records as I have many more ancestors that fought in the civil war and would love to have all of their records!

I've been researching and documenting two ancestors' stories for several years now. I avoided getting records from NARA because the official process is tedious. With my research process ending and my writing process starting, I knew I needed more. There were numerous blanks that needed filled in for my ancestors, as well as a handful of close friends and cousins who served alongside them. Thankfully, I recently discovered Gopher Records, and was amazed at their speed, quality, and communication. The documents I got were a gold mine. Pensions revealed uncomfortable details of how the group suffered after the war. Service [...]

I can’t say enough good things about Bob and Gopher Records! Bob went above and beyond to help me locate several Civil War service and pension records for me. He was very responsive and even provided some valuable feedback in helping to narrow down the right record that I’d been searching for! I will definitely be using Gopher Records again in the future!

This is the second time I've used Gopher Records, and they do excellent work very quickly. Their fees are very reasonable too. Highly recommended.

I requested a copy of a Civil War pension file using this site's online order form. It was very easy and intuitive, and the turnaround time for the requested copy was extremely quick. The images were nice and clear, and the price very reasonable considering the comparative wait time and price for NARA services. I would highly recommend this site to others looking for copies of pension files.