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Last recipient of an American Civil War pension From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States | January 9, 1930
Died | May 31, 2020 90) Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States | (aged
Known for | Last recipient of an American Civil War pension |
Triplett 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]
Triplett'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 child of a Civil War veteran.[9][dubious – discuss]
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