Roderick McCoy was KIA during the Civil War. His pension obtained first by his mother Agnes (Douglas) McCoy, then by his father Rhodam McCoy after Agnes's death. Gopher Records helped my client reclaim a history of these Free People of Color.

Gopher Records is exceptionally quick and much lower cost than ordering from NARA. I'm very pleased with the quality of the records. I've recommended Gopher Records to friends and I plan to order more records. I'm so glad I found Gopher Records!

I am very pleased with the information that I received from Gopher Records!

I requested records for a War of 1812 soldier and others for a Civil War soldier from Gopher Records. I received the records within a couple of weeks, at a very reasonable cost. In my view, Gopher Records is deserving of a 5-star review because of their customer service. Not just "Here are the records we could find", but emails along the way relating complications to their search, asking clarifying questions, and what they did to attempt to locate hoped-for records thatcouldn't be found. Highly recommended! I will use them again.

I thought this Civil War military service record would not tell me anything I hadn’t already learned about my ancestor. However, included at the end, was a handwritten letter from his Colonel, respectfully asking the General to remit the harsh court martial sentence that had been given. The Colonel said he knew the soldier to be “a good man” and a “number 1 soldier.” The General honored the request, recognizing the Colonel needed every man. What an unexpected treasure, for many reasons! Documents were beautifully copied, and delivered to me within days—and at an affordable price. Thank you!

I had heard that Gopher Records was the way to go for obtaining records but had waited because I was not yet ready to invest in the records. Finally, I decided to place an order and was shocked at the level of personal service that is given, and on top of that, the turn around was so much faster than I anticipated (in my case, less than a week!). And I gained information from the files that I never would have had otherwise. Highly recommend!!

Many thanks to Bob Velke and Gopher Records. In the very early 2000s, I ordered a copy of a GG grandfather's Civil War pension file from the National Archives. It contained 25 pages. The photocopies were poor quality and difficult to read. Fast forward to February 2025 when I placed an order for the digital files with Gopher. In less than 2 weeks, I received the ENTIRE file consisting of 316 pages of clearly legible text! From the file, I finally have a physical description of my GG grandfather, for whom I have no photos, and some interesting character assessments [...]

I am very pleased with the Pension Records I have received. The convenience of being able to order from home is very nice. The time it takes to receive the files has been very quick. i am very happy with the information contained in the records. Once actually gets the feeling that you know the people named in them. It gives a very realistic picture of the times these people lived through. The illnesses and ailments the soldiers suffered without modern diagnoses and equipment and medication could be horrendous. One learns who these people [...]

I have ordered records from the National Archive directly, and I won’t do that again. Gopher Records was able to get me the same info, less cost, and much faster than using the National Archive service. You don’t pay until the records are secured, which is nice. I have also always gotten records ahead of the promised timeframe. The best way to go!

I was thrilled by the speed, thoroughness, and thoughtful communication in response to my request for a copy of an ancestor’s Mexican War pension file. Wonderful service and high quality result—plus super fast!