Blue States

University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Center for Population Economics put online it's Union Army Study "The Union Army Data Set consists of 35,747 white males mustered into the Union Army during the Civil War, for whom military, socio-economic, and medical information from several sources throughout their lifetimes has been collected." The site features three datasets: Military, Pension, and Medical Records: The largest data set is the 'Military, Pension, and Medical Records' data set, which is derived from military-related documents housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. These include both war-time records and applications made by veterans for pension support. Surgeon's Certificates: "Associated with these pension applications are detailed physical examinations, completed by physicians, that certify the veterans' health and disability status. Information from these examinations is collected in the second major dataset, known as the 'Surgeons' Certificates' data set." Census Records: The 'Census Records' data set contains all information on the veterans that is available in the U.S. Federal Censuses of 1850, 1860, 1900, and 1910, though not all veterans could be linked successfully to the Census documents." Researchers have used this data "to analyze, among other things, trends in chronic diseases, life-cycle and intergenerational factors in the secular decline of mortality and morbidity, and changes in the pattern of retirement and aging."