Yes, 1812 records have the same kind of information that Civil War pension files have, they just aren't usually as voluminous or as detailed. 1812 widows had to prove their date and place of marriage, give info on any previous marriage, prove they had not remarried, etc... You don't see lists of children in those files as often as with the Civil War.
Even if the 1812 soldier/widow was not pensioned (and most of them were not), most will at least have a bounty land application file. Bounty land was a benefit that could be used or sold, so most of them applied and got it. If the soldier was dead by the time the more generous bounty land acts were passed in 1850 and 1855, the widow or even the heirs could apply for it, as long as they could prove the veteran's service and their relationship to him.
You can put in your soldier's name at the BLM website which is:
www.glorecords.blm.govClick on land patents. Change the state to say "any state", then put in your soldier's name and uncheck the box that says "patentees" so that the only thing checked is "warrantees". Search and when the list of names comes up, click on the image of the patent certificate for each one. That will tell you if it was a military warrant because it will give the regiment and the war, and the bounty land act that he filed under.
Yes, I have access to those files at NARA, but NARA doesn't let me copy them for free.
peg@reevesweb.com