Submitted by sturnus-vulgaris t3_yvi5jd in todayilearned
Comments
RevengencerAlf t1_iwf8m0c wrote
If true (and I have no reason to think it's not other than my generally cynical skepticism) this is a shockingly wholesome story given the headline premise.
kozmonyet t1_iweh3s3 wrote
If you want to get into some catty shit, look into civil war pension applications from Mormon wives from plural marriages. After they had to break up, the wives tended to all apply for the benefit when only a single one was eligible--so they'd submit some really bitchy stuff to try and keep the other ex wives from winning the prize.
I've seen a bunch of letters to the pension office from my own ancestors as well as some from another "plural marriage" family and talk about "mean girls" in real life...
SassySerenade t1_iwencn4 wrote
That’s genuinely fascinating. Any literature about the era?
kozmonyet t1_iweo4h0 wrote
Came up doing genealogy research--US government has pension application documents you can get copies of by request.
Worthlessstupid t1_iwey8d7 wrote
No Man Knows my History covers the origins of polygamy in the early LDS church.
SassySerenade t1_iwf2l69 wrote
Thanks!
ConversationNew7107 t1_iwgit7u wrote
Gold diggers have existed since the very beginning. Not surprising in the least.
HPmoni t1_iwhljef wrote
Polygamy was literally illegal. I assume they were trying to call the other "wives" whores or mistresses.
The first wife is the wife.
Pretty sure not many Mormon civil war veterans. Most were in Utah territory.
BerzerkerJr82 t1_iweio4a wrote
The title sounds like her husband died in the civil war, but she married a civil war veteran (76 years her senior)
gener4 t1_iwegu73 wrote
Since your source is broken the math for this to work has to be pretty fucked.
The war ended in 1865 and let’s say the guy was only 15 at the end of the war thus born in 1850. If he married a 25 year old at the age of 70 in 1920, SHE would still have been 100 at her death.
Jaded_Prompt_15 t1_iwehfsn wrote
> The war ended in 1865 and let’s say the guy was only 15 at the end of the war thus born in 1850. If he married a 25 year old at the age of 70 in 1920, SHE would still have been 100 at her death.
She was like 17 and his caretaker while he was on his deathbed.
They got married in name only right before he died because there wouldn't have been any work for her.
I don't even think there was a priest, but he wrote something in the family bible saying they were married and back then that was good enough.
So she got a widow's pension until the day she died.
TheDrMonocle t1_iwelb5t wrote
>So she got a widow's pension until the day she died.
I may be wrong, but isnt it only $25? Also OP copied the article, apparently she never took the pension.
Jaded_Prompt_15 t1_iwell13 wrote
It was a substantial amount around the Great Depression...
Which I'm pretty sure was around when they married.
But I'm going off memory, this just gets reposted constantly
[deleted] t1_iwelox5 wrote
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[deleted] t1_iwgmfzc wrote
My grandmother claims to be a war widow even though her WW2 vet husband died of tongue cancer in 2001 and she didn't even meet him until the 1950s.
RevengencerAlf t1_iwf8t7l wrote
What I've read is that she never claimed the pension and she didn't openly acknowledge it until very late in her life for fear of people jumping to the rather obvious (but in this case incorrect) conclusion.
heisdeadjim_au t1_iweh1jt wrote
It's my understanding that this happened fairly often. Young woman marries Civil War Veterans many decades their senior.
Aurelian_Lure t1_iwehcab wrote
Saw this on YouTube a few days ago. She married a 90+ year old when she was a teenager.
Edit:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War_widows_who_survived_into_the_21st_century
j4ckalop3 t1_iwehj3g wrote
Yikes.
SaborW t1_iwf0o3u wrote
It's really not that yikes-y. We are talking the Great Depression era after all, and she was basically voluntold by her father to help care for the old dying man, in return since he had no money to pay her, they could get married and she could claim his benefits from being in the civil war. During that time, that amount of money could be everything to someone. They kept the marriage a secret, didn't live together, and to my knowledge she never even bothered taking advantage of the benefits after he died
There are still 12 states in the US where there is NO minimum age for marriage, and most states are okay with 17 and under. All requiring parental consent obviously. Now that's pretty yikes
misfitx t1_iwehonb wrote
It wasn't uncommon, she would inherit his veterans benefits.
JuzoItami t1_iwek7ej wrote
Which was a huge thing in the middle of the Great Depression, not just for her but for her parents and siblings as well.
ButtholeQuiver t1_iwehpcr wrote
She was 17 and married a 93 year old according to this:
https://nypost.com/2021/01/06/helen-viola-jackson-last-known-civil-war-widow-dead-at-101/
DL_22 t1_iwflfob wrote
If you want something a little juicier than this good deed, John Tyler was President 1841-1845 and he has a grandson still living. He just turned 94.
ST616 t1_iwg3ssb wrote
In 2004 it was thought that the last widow of a US Civil War veteran had died, then they found another one. When she died in 2008, it was thought that she was the last one. Then they found yet another one and she died in 2020. It's not impossible that there are still living widows who haven't been publicly identified.
The marriage took place in 1936. The last known veteran didn't die until 20 years later. In many states it was (and still is) legal for 13 year old girls to marry as long as they have parental permission.
It's possible (albeit unlikely) that there is a widow who won't celebrate her 100th birthday for another decade or two.
sturnus-vulgaris OP t1_iwefd5m wrote
American Civil War, but I didn't want to alter the title.
panzer22222 t1_iwegrp1 wrote
Oh, thought it was the English civil war...
SandysBurner t1_iwf7zbi wrote
That would be more impressive, certainly.
karkonthemighty t1_iwfvzgf wrote
It's wild to think in the 1930s there were still Civil War veterans around. Considering how far back the Civil War 'feels', that's when my grandparents were alive.
ST616 t1_iwg3niv wrote
The last confirmed veteran of that war lived until 1956.
[deleted] t1_iweg20w wrote
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NetDork t1_iwew219 wrote
What blows my mind is that the last US civil way veterans died when my parents were alive.
Yanoku t1_iweh4vi wrote
Where does that put Betty White?
KolechkaMikhailov t1_iwf2xzr wrote
I’m sure the future widows of the next one are alive right now.
moonlightpeas t1_iwfj3he wrote
Hopefully she wasnt there when josie rode in and shot the last red leg
uwpxwpal t1_ix6nc6w wrote
If the marriage wasn't consummated, was it really a marriage?
MoonlessPrairie t1_iwemh2i wrote
Love is love
LinearFluid t1_iwf2j9g wrote
I counted 5 TIL of this same topic before this one. Another few posts in different subs.
This should go the way of the widow.
sturnus-vulgaris OP t1_iwfati2 wrote
Do you mean this comment?
I wrote that and then wondered when the last widow died (because that was a child of a veteran). So I kept reading. I learned something-- so here we are.
The sub is "Today I learned." I learned something, so I posted it.
Friendly_Log_1924 t1_iwg41as wrote
"ewww".This should be the title.
Alternative_Sort_404 t1_iwevypv wrote
And we care why? Esp after reading the ‘explanation’ too… ? Clickbait
sturnus-vulgaris OP t1_iwehp3o wrote
Since the link seems to be broken for some, here is the important part:
>People Magazine recently reported the last known surviving Civil War widow veteran died December 16, 2020 at 101 in Marshfield, Missouri. Helen Viola Jackson, at age 17, married 93-year-old widower James Bolin. He fought for the Union Army in Missouri during the Civil War which ended in 1865.
>Amazing as that sounds, Mrs. Jackson shared a logical reason why a 17-year-old would marry a man 76 years her senior.
>According to People Magazine, she was one of ten children growing up during the depression and money was scarce. She met Mr. Bolin at her family church. Her father realized James Bolin needed care, so he volunteered his daughter to assist Mr. Bolin with household chores.
>Eventually, James suggested that they marry. His rationale was that he had no money to pay for his much-needed care and if married, she could receive a military survivor’s pension after his death. So they quietly married at his home on September 4, 1936. Out of respect for Mr. Bolin, she kept her marriage secret from most people and continued to use her maiden name and live with her parents. After his death, she never claimed the pension in fear of her reputation and accusations of taking advantage of an elderly man.
>However, according to her minister, in the final three years of her life, Helen decided to embrace her place in history as the last Civil War widow. Well-wishers began sending her cards and letters. She was honored by several Civil War organizations. She was even bestowed a spot on the Marshfield, Missouri’s Walk of Fame in 2018 by the town’s Cherry Blossom Festival committee.
>Four Civil War Widows Lived During the 21st Century
>Four known Civil War widows lived to see the current millennium. Gertrude Janeway, Alberta Martin, Maudie Hopkins and Helen Viola Jackson. They were all born in the 1900s, all married between the ages of 17 and 21 to veterans between the ages of 81 and 93. These marriages occurred due to the possibility of receiving pensions as dependents of Civil War veterans. Some of these unions were in name only, while others lived together as married couples