The Confederacy gets the last laugh: Final Civil War widow passes on (good reads!)

I know what you're thinking: "Jesus Christ! This person must've been 140+ years old!" Well, in her case (as was the case with the last Union widow who died last year), she married her hubby when he was 81 (she was a poor 21 year old widow, the Union widow was 18).

still, these marriages made them both eligible for monthly Veterans benefits!



Alberta Martinhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-31-war-widow_x.htm (obit)
Last Civil War Widow
details of her authentic 1860's funeral (this past Sunday) here.

also



Gertrude Janeway, final Union widow (died '03).
Just after her wedding:


Finally, (they actually were the final 3 known widows)


Daisy Anderson, the final African-American Civil War widow (an escaped slave who joined the Union army). She died in '98.



BONUS

Here is a facinating transcript from an NPR piece interviewing both Alberta Martin and Daisy Anderson (the two became friends at the end of their lives)
Daisy Anderson and Alberta Martin discuss their lives

That's some amazing history right there Bobak! I really appreciate it. It's really amazing to see how long these people are around and I'm proud of them. There was a WWI pilot from Australia who died in the fall of 2003 and he was around 117 years old.

I saw this on the news. She even had a Confederate flag over her coffin.

interesting thread, yea and the lakers lost. lolz

Gross?

LIVINGWONDER said:

I saw this on the news. She even had a Confederate flag over her coffin.

Click to expand...

Yup:


It must've been an amazing sight. To see all of those who live and breath Civil War reenactment get a chance to really go all out.

I'm having a brainfart right now, and don't actually own the series:

Was Alberta Martin interviewed on Ken Burns' Civil War documentary?
Or for that matter, were any of these three?
I swear that at least Martin was, but maybe someone can help me out here.

Wow... A marriage at that age to someone so old. It was a marriage of convenience no doubt. These days that kind of thing only happens in sports, when older decrepit players join teams just to win championships. Though, the difference is that I'm sure these women got the money they needed and the men got the young hot babes they always dreamed of. With the sports, it's not always a happy ending.

Ironically, the final Union veteran to die was named

Albert Woolson, he died in 1956 at the ripe old age of 109 and is buried in Duluth, MN. He was a military musician who's own father was killed in the war.
NY Times obit from 1956 (very interesting, it goes into detail)

Was I reading this right? Did she marry her late husband's grandson?


And only two months after her husband died?

Okay, I'm on a roll:


The final three Confederate veterans all outlived Albert Woolson, the final Union veteran: the last two died in 1959. However, all three have been accused by researchers of being "fakers" who were born just before the war. There's a short description of the controversy HERE. The final confirmed vet is Albert Woolson, the Union vet.

Still, the three do they look tought-as-nails, don't they?

William Townsend (105, allegedly), John Salling (104, allegedly), and William Bush (105, allegedly)


If the claims of these three are false, the oldest Confederate vet (confirmed) was Pleasant Crump, who died before Woolson in 1951.

The final Spanish-American War vet was Jones Morgan, a true-blue Buffalo Soldier who died in 1993.

(he fought for recognitition, only getting vet benefits two weeks before he died at age 110). Still, if by some chance it wasn't Mr. Morgan, it would be former drummer boy Nathen E. Cook who died in 1992.

There are still a few thousand WWI vets around.

THIS IS HOW I WANT TO BE BURIED.

But, alas, I'm donating my body to science.

ROFL! THose three are badass as hell. I would NOT mess with those old geezers - no way! They look like they should be the diabolical bad guys in some kind of kids cartoon or maybe some comedy. They're just TOO mean looking to be for real! LOL

Makes a southerner proud to see that...may she rest in peace.

God bless the south.

Later

shir0