10 Disturbing History Facts They Don't Teach You In School
5. Civil War Pensions Were Being Paid Until June 2020
When you think back to the US Civil War, 1861-1865, it probably seems like an almost ancient time, far away from the lives of any of us. Therefore, it may shock you to know that the last remaining Civil War veterans died after WWII, with Albert Henry Woolson (a drummer boy) dying in 1956, at age 106. The last person who had a combat role died in 1953.
Civil War pensions, however, were not just paid to veterans, but also to immediate family. With the last widow dying in 2008, the only people still eligible for such pensions were the children of veterans.
Irene Triplett was one such person. She was the daughter of a man who had fought for both the Union and Confederate states, leaving him to be socially ostracised by both sides. Triplett received a Civil War Pension until 3 June 2020 (the last payment was made on 31 May), after succumbing to complications from a broken hip at age 90.
For those of you who have done the maths, this would mean she was born in 1930, so how old was her father at the time of her birth? He was in fact 83, and had married his second wife, who was 34 years old at the time, during the Great Depression. Marriages like this were common at the time, as the pension offered financial security. Irene’s father died in 1938, and her mother passed away in 1967, leaving all the pension to go to her.
By the time of Irene's death, this pension gave her $73.13 every month.