Two Civil War Pensions Still Being Paid Monthly

According to an article in US NEWS titled "U.S. Government Still Pays Two Civil War Pensions", by Lauren Fox, the following post is written.

Although the Civil War ended on 09 April 1865, records from Department of Veteran's Affairs show that the children of two Civil War Veterans, as of September, are receiving pensions from their father's service.

Affairs Spokesman Phil Budahn reports the Veteran's Administration last checked on these recipients in September 2011. At that time both were alive, but in poor health, giving one pause to believe the pensions won't last much longer.

As to why these two began receiving these pensions, one can only speculate. Perhaps physical incapacity kept them from ever becoming employable, thus enabling them to receive the pension their life entirety.

The last Civil War veteran, Albert Woolson,

...died in 1956 at 109 years of age. [Woolson had been a Union drummer boy at the age of 17.]

The last widow receiving a pension was Gertrude "Gertie" Grubb Janeway,

who died in 2003, at the age of 93. [Gertie was only 18 when she married 81 year old John Janeway. She became a widow at the age of 28.

The two individuals who are the children of Civil War veterans, and still receive their pensions, have asked for annonymity.

It is with awe that this country continues to pay pensions, on a war that ended almost 147 years ago!

God bless them!