Wisconsin Laws of 1887, Chapter 304, required the establishment of a soldiers' relief commission in each county. The commission was charged with administering the soldier's relief fund in its county, and granting relief to those applying, within its discretion. An annual tax on property, levied by the county board of supervisors, financed the fund.
The commission was composed of three members appointed by the county judge. For the majority of its existence, the law stipulated that the appointees must be honorably discharged veterans who had performed military service for the United States in time of war. The commission's function was to determine which applicants received relief and the amount to be granted to each.
The 1887 law specified that the soldiers' relief fund in each county was to be used for the benefit of indigent Union soldiers, sailors, and marines who had served in the Civil War and the indigent wives, widows, and minor children of indigent or deceased veterans. In 1891, eligibility was extended to the parents of veterans who had died without leaving widows or children. A 1903 law opened eligibility to anyone who had served as a Union army nurse for 90 days during the Civil War and been a Wisconsin resident for one year. In 1911 the law was clarified to make the funds available to all indigent veterans who rendered military or naval service to the United States in time of war, their indigent wives, widows, and minor children, and the indigent parents of eligible veterans who had died without leaving widows or children.
The process of securing relief began at the local level. Eligible persons applied to a designated chairman of each local government unit (for example, in cities, the ward supervisor) who made an annual report to the county board of supervisors listing the names of applicants. The commission reviewed the list and determined which applicants received relief and the amount to be granted.
