Irene Triplett (January 9, 1930 – May 31, 2020) was the last recipient of an American Civil War pension. Her father fought for both the Confederacy and later the Union in the war.
Irene Triplett | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1930 Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States |
| Died | May 31, 2020 (aged 90) Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States |
| Known for | Last recipient of an American Civil War pension |
Biography
editTriplett was born in 1930 to Mose Triplett, age 83, and Elida Hall, age 34.[1][2] She was one of five children, of whom only she and her brother survived childhood.[3] Her father, who had fought for both the Confederacy and the Union during the Civil War, was aged 78 when he married her mother; their union was Mose Triplett's second marriage.
Irene Triplett grew up on her father's farm in Wilkes County, North Carolina.[1] According to Triplett, she suffered a difficult childhood and was regularly beaten by both her parents and schoolteachers.[4] Classmates teased her about her father whom they denounced as a "traitor".[4]
Triplett was mentally disabled. Her education ended at the sixth grade and, in 1943, she moved with her mother and brother to a poorhouse, where she remained until 1960. She later lived in private nursing homes until her death.[1]
According to acquaintances, she was a regular user of chewing tobacco and was a fan of gospel music.[4]
Triplett died on May 31, 2020, following complications from surgery.[5][6]
Pension
editTriplett's father died in 1938 at the age of 92, after which she collected his Civil War pension of $73.13 per month from the Department of Veterans Affairs;[1] her cognitive impairments qualified her to inherit the pension as a helpless child of a veteran.[7] The total amount of benefits she received was about $73,000, or $344,000 when adjusted for inflation.[8]
Widespread public awareness of Triplett's status occurred in 2013 as the result of a Daily Mail story about her.[4]
After the 2018 death of Fred Upham, the son of William H. Upham, she became the last surviving eligible child of a Civil War veteran.[9]
See also
edit- Helen Viola Jackson, the last living wife of a Civil War veteran, who died on December 16, 2020.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Phillips, Michael M. (May 9, 2014). "Veterans' Benefits Live On Long After Bullets Stop". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Mills, Curt (August 8, 2016). "U.S. Still Paying a Civil War Pension". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Pengelly, Michael (June 7, 2020). "Irene Triplett, last person to collect an American civil war pension, dies at 90". the Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Shapira, Ian (June 5, 2020). "She was the last American to collect a Civil War pension — $73.13 a month. She just died". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Macias, Amanda (June 3, 2020). "North Carolina woman who was the last person to receive a Civil War-era pension dies at age 90, WSJ says". CNBC. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Irene Triplett Obituary". Miller Funeral Service. North Wilkesboro, NC. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Phillips, Michael M. (June 2, 2020). "Last Person to Receive Civil War-Era Pension Dies". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Bean, Tim (March 21, 2020). "The Last Person Still Collecting a Civil War Pension". OrangeBean Indiana. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Karen. "Irene Triplett: The Last Surviving Civil War Pension Recipient". History Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2020.