U.S. Government Still Pays Two Civil War Pensions

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It would be interesting to find out just how much they were getting. I do have my Civil War ancestors pension papers and he had received only 8 dollars. Alot back then but not very much now.

Joyce of CO 9:17PM February 16, 2012

I'm confused. I think I know why the people being paid pensions want to be anonymous. I work with Civil War pensions as a genealogist. As far as I have read, back in the 1870s, children of veterans lost their pension at the age of 16. I think the US government should look into this as fraud.

Sara of WI 11:17AM February 16, 2012

K of AL, men can father children well beyond 40yrs old. My own GGGrandFather had kids from a second marriage in his 60's so I think your assumption of numbers not adding up is not valid :-)

GBS 6:04AM February 15, 2012

Yea but they didnot start paying pensions to Confederate Soldiers until the 1930s, so there weren't many left by then; The Southern States of the Confederate State of America paid pensions starting in 1865 out of State funds, no Federal money was spent.
Also brings home the point that it was not that long ago that all my kin was killed by yankee invaders, who stomped and trashed my ancestral lands and occupied my state. And they want me to worship Lincoln and his new The United States! (was before 1865 These United States, if you can't leave you are not free!)
The only thing that kept the Washington and NE Elite from tyranny has been the Solid South.
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JosephineSouthern of FL 1:16AM February 15, 2012

How old are these children suppose to be?? A war that ended abt 146 yrs ago. Soldiers that would have been anywhere from 14 to 40 yrs old. So, if the youngest around 14 had children 20 aft the war, that would still be 126 yrs ago! Something doesn't add up!!

K of AL 12:20AM February 15, 2012

Wow.... I think about it.... All these things did not happen long ago...Fascinating!

kimosabe34 of FL 11:26PM February 14, 2012

There are several surviving children of Civil War veterans, they just aren't collecting pension. In my tent of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War we have one such "real daughter."

catpurrson of WA 9:48PM February 14, 2012

I like how you capitalized "Union soldiers" and not "confederate soldiers" Way to show your bias.
And @ Fran...there were actually a lot of marriages like that back then, the men went through several wives and married young ones in order to produce many children. The women were also known to lie about their ages frequently, if they actually knew what year they were born in, since records were not always kept and if your parents weren't around to ask, sometimes you just had to guess.

ND of FL 8:44PM February 14, 2012

The Confederate forces that surrendered in late April and May 1865 would have been surprised to hear of the "fact" that the War ended on April 9, 1865.

Jeffry Burden of VA 8:42PM February 12, 2012