The assumed last living US Civil War widow, who had married a 93-year old Union veteran in 1936 at his request when she was just 17 so she could receive his war pension when he died, herself passed away at age 101 in mid-December. I won’t repeat all the details of the story, posted yesterday in the January 7, 2021, edition of The Oregonian. Please see the link below:
www.oregonlive.com/…
May Ms. Jackson rest in peace.
Given events at the US Capitol this week, and the ongoing crisis in our nation, the event struck me as worthy of further remark.
We should be reminded by such living testimony to American history of several things. First, that very real people lived, fought and died to preserve the United States of America during our Civil War. This woman was married to one of Lincoln’s soldiers and she passed away only three weeks ago. Second, Americans who suffered through the Great Depression, an era without a real social safety net, often had to find inventive ways to sustain themselves. This elderly veteran married a teenage girl who was helping him at the end of his life as a sign of gratitude, an act she and her family hid out of fear of gossip.
A poignant tale. Take what you will from it. But to me, it was a reminder that although we live in trying times, our ancestors found the strength to endure and overcome the challenges they faced.