Last Union Widow
Posted on:: January 22nd, 2003
The last widow of a Union veteran of the Civil Ward died yesterday.
I did a full-fledged “Huh?” when I read that. I remember as a kid reading about the last people born into slavery dying – a sobering thought – but that was a long time ago. How could a Union widow be with us in the 21st century?
It turns out that Gertrude Janeway died at 93, 60 years after her husband died. She was 18 when she married him, and he was 81. He was 19 when he joined the Union army. She had been receiving a $70 pension check from the Veterans Administration every month.
There is still one Confederate widow alive. She’s 95.
I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET ALBERTAS AUTOGRAPH BEFORE SHE DIED.I BOUGHT 5 COPIES OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE AND SENT THE PAGE OF HER PIC AND ARTICLE ABOUT THE PENSION SHE WAS OWED .SHE SIGNED AND DATED EACH PAGE FOR ME AND SENT THEM BACK TO ME.WHAT AN HONOR TO OWN SUCH AN AUTOGRAPH.