Thousands of Union veterans of the Civil War settled in North Dakota after the war, some becoming the prominent leaders in their communities. Their military service entitled them to money from the federal government in the form of a pension that paid a monthly stipend if they were rendered “totally disabled” and unable to perform manual labor. But this benefit had evolved in the years following the war.
The Grand Forks Daily Herald ran a brief appeal for the name and address of “every honorably discharged soldier” as well as surviving widows, children, or dependent parent who were not receiving a pension, or as large a pension they were entitled to. It indicated that new laws and court rulings amended pension eligibility, even for claims that were previously rejected. The surviving dependents and heirs were urged to contact the author of the appeal via the Herald.
The first federal law regarding Civil War pensions was the pension act of Jul14, 1862, providing a minimum $8.00 per month for disabled Union veterans or their widows and orphans, or “dependent orphan sisters.” Federal law evolved in the decades following, increasing the pension amount, which equated to approximately 60 percent of the monthly pay the soldier had received while on duty. Eligibility was expanded in 1907 to including old age as a disability, providing many veterans financial support in their final years.
The pensions had been a hot-button political issue, with the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, leading the charge, exercising political influence to provide better pensions. With the passage of the pension act of 1890, expenditures for pensions doubled. It represented a change in how our nation looked after veterans and set the stage for later efforts by America’s veterans to advocate for the benefits. The last Civil War widow receiving a pension was Helen Viola Jackson, who died in December 2020, and the last child to receive one, Irene Triplett, died in May 2020.
Today, Civil War pension files are available from the National Archives and represent a wonderful resource for genealogical research and for historians studying those affected by our nation’s bloodiest war.
Dakota Datebook by Daniel Sauerwein
Sources:
- Grand Forks Daily Herald. Grand Forks, ND, September 27, 1892.
- Prechtel-Kluskens, Claire. “‘A Reasonable Degree of Promptitude.’” National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Accessed August 25, 2023. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/civilwarpension.html#:~:text=The%20act%20of%20July%2014,for%20the%20performance%20of%20%22any.
- Anatomy of a Union Civil War Pension File - National Archives. Accessed August 25, 2023. https://www.archives.gov/files/calendar/genealogy-fair/2010/handouts/anatomy-pension-file.pdf.
- Stilwell, Blake. “The Last Widow of a Civil War Soldier Just Died at 101.” Military.Com. Last modified January 6, 2021. Accessed August 25, 2023. https://www.military.com/military-life/last-widow-of-civil-war-soldier-just-died-101.html.
- “She Was the Last American to Collect a Civil War Pension - $73.13 a Month. She Just Died.” Boston.Com. The Boston Globe, June 5, 2020. Last modified June 5, 2020. Accessed August 25, 2023. https://www.boston.com/news/national-news-2/2020/06/05/civil-war-pension/.
