Irene Triplett

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(1930-01-09)January 9, 1930
Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States
DiedMay 31, 2020(2020-05-31) (aged 90)
Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States
Known forLast recipient of an American Civil War pension

Biography

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]

Pension

Since the death of her father in 1938 at the age of 92, Triplett collected $73.13 per month from the Department of Veterans Affairs.[1] She was eligible to inherit her father's pension due to cognitive impairments which she had, qualifying her as the 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]

See also
  • Helen Viola Jackson, the last living wife of a Civil War veteran, who died on December 16, 2020.

References
  1. Phillips, Michael M. (May 9, 2014). "Veterans' Benefits Live On Long After Bullets Stop". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. Mills, Curt (August 8, 2016). "U.S. Still Paying a Civil War Pension". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  3. Pengelly, Michael (June 7, 2020). "Irene Triplett, last person to collect an American civil war pension, dies at 90". the Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  4. Shapira, 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. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. 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. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  6. "Irene Triplett Obituary". Miller Funeral Service. North Wilkesboro, NC. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. Phillips, Michael M. (June 2, 2020). "Last Person to Receive Civil War-Era Pension Dies". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  8. Bean, Tim (March 21, 2020). "The Last Person Still Collecting a Civil War Pension". OrangeBean Indiana. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  9. Harris, Karen. "Irene Triplett: The Last Surviving Civil War Pension Recipient". History Daily. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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