Irene Triplett
Irene Triplett | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1930 Wilkes County, North Carolina,United States |
| Died | May 31, 2020(aged 90) Wilkesboro, North Carolina,United States |
| Known for | Last recipient of anAmerican Civil Warpension |
Irene Triplett(January 9, 1930 – May 31, 2020) was the last recipient of anAmerican Civil Warpension. Her father fought for both theConfederacyand later theUnionin the war.
Biography
[edit]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 theConfederacyand theUnionduring 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 inWilkes 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 apoorhouse,where she remained until 1960. She later lived in privatenursing homesuntil her death.[1]
According to acquaintances, she was a regular user ofchewing tobaccoand was a fan ofgospel music.[4]
Triplett died on May 31, 2020, following complications from surgery.[5][6]
Pension
[edit]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 theDepartment 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 aDaily Mailstory about her.[4]
After the 2018 death of Fred Upham, the son ofWilliam H. Upham,she became the last surviving child of a Civil War veteran.[9][dubious–discuss]
See also
[edit]- Helen Viola Jackson,the last living wife of a Civil War veteran, who died on December 16, 2020.
References
[edit]- ^abcdPhillips, Michael M. (May 9, 2014)."Veterans' Benefits Live On Long After Bullets Stop".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedJune 4,2020.
- ^Mills, Curt (August 8, 2016)."U.S. Still Paying a Civil War Pension".U.S. News & World Report.RetrievedJune 4,2020.
- ^Pengelly, Michael (June 7, 2020)."Irene Triplett, last person to collect an American civil war pension, dies at 90".the Guardian.RetrievedApril 22,2021.
- ^abcdShapira, Ian (June 5, 2020)."She was the last American to collect a Civil War pension — $73.13 a month. She just died".The Boston Globe.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
- ^Macias, Amanda (June 3, 2020)."North Carolina woman who was the last person to receive a Civil War-era pension dies at age 90, WSJ says".CNBC.RetrievedJune 4,2020.
- ^"Irene Triplett Obituary".Miller Funeral Service.North Wilkesboro, NC.RetrievedJune 6,2020.
- ^Phillips, Michael M. (June 2, 2020)."Last Person to Receive Civil War-Era Pension Dies".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedJune 4,2020.
- ^Bean, Tim (March 21, 2020)."The Last Person Still Collecting a Civil War Pension".OrangeBean Indiana.RetrievedJune 4,2020.
- ^Harris, Karen."Irene Triplett: The Last Surviving Civil War Pension Recipient".History Daily.RetrievedJune 4,2020.