Gertrude Janeway
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Janeway was the last known widow of a Union
Civil War
veteran. She married John Janeway, an officer in the 14th Illinois
cavalry, in 1927 when she was 18 and he 81. They lived together in a log cabin in Blaine, Tennessee
until John Janeway's death in 1937 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2677095.stm. Gertrude continued to live in the cabin for nearly 70 years after her husband's death. She received a $70 pension check for veterans' benefits from the government every two months until her death in 2003.
From the April 9th, 2011 The Economist:
"WHEN GERTRUDE JANEWAY died in 2003, she was still getting a monthly cheque for $70 from the Veterans Administration—for a military pension earned by her late husband, John, on the Union side of the American civil war that ended in 1865. The pair had married in 1927, when he was 81 and she was 18. The amount may have been modest but the entitlement spanned three centuries, illustrating just how long pension commitments can last."
http://www.economist.com/node/18502013?story_id=18502013&CFID=168408657&CFTOKEN=85722840
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran. She married John Janeway, an officer in the 14th Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
cavalry, in 1927 when she was 18 and he 81. They lived together in a log cabin in Blaine, Tennessee
Blaine, Tennessee
Blaine is a town in Grainger County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,856 at the 2010 census, an increase of 271 individuals since the 2000 census.-Geography:...
until John Janeway's death in 1937 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2677095.stm. Gertrude continued to live in the cabin for nearly 70 years after her husband's death. She received a $70 pension check for veterans' benefits from the government every two months until her death in 2003.
See also
- Maudie HopkinsMaudie HopkinsMaudie Hopkins was an American woman believed to be the last publicly-known surviving widow of a Civil War veteran....
- last known Confederate war widow, died August 2008 - Alberta MartinAlberta MartinAlberta Martin was once believed to be the last living widow of a Confederate soldier. This has been contradicted by Maudie Hopkins, but Mrs...
- one of last known Confederate war widows, died 2004
From the April 9th, 2011 The Economist:
"WHEN GERTRUDE JANEWAY died in 2003, she was still getting a monthly cheque for $70 from the Veterans Administration—for a military pension earned by her late husband, John, on the Union side of the American civil war that ended in 1865. The pair had married in 1927, when he was 81 and she was 18. The amount may have been modest but the entitlement spanned three centuries, illustrating just how long pension commitments can last."
http://www.economist.com/node/18502013?story_id=18502013&CFID=168408657&CFTOKEN=85722840