Tuesday, June 30, 2020

2020: The Last Civil War Pensioner

He was a Civil War soldier.

This is engraved on the gravestone of Moses "Mose" Triplett (1846-1938) in the Triplett-Hall Cemetery in Elkville, North Carolina.

Moses fought on both sides.

He is in the news lately because his daughter died May 31, 2020. Irene Triplett was the last person collecting a pension from the Civil War- 155 years after the War ended.

Moses died in 1938 when Irene was eight years old. See how a child of a Civil War soldier was still alive?

Death certificate for Mose Triplett, died 1938 in North Carolina.
(Ancestry.com)
There are probably more children among us, though they do not collect pensions. Irene qualified because she was considered a dependent "incapable of self-support by reason of physical or mental defect."



In the 1930 federal census, Irene was enumerated with her parents in Elk, Wilkes County, North Carolina. Irene was three months old. Her mother, Elida was 34. Mose was 83 years old.

Lydia Hall and Mose Triplett were married in 1924.






The 1890 Veterans Schedule lists Moses Triplett's service as the 3rd Regiment of Company F, North Carolina Mounted Infantry. They fought for the Union.



Moses originally served with a Confederate unit, the 26th. He deserted from a hospital in Danville, Virginia, on June 26, 1863- five days before this unit fought at the Battle of Gettysburg.




If anyone knows how many children of Civil War veterans are still out there, please comment below. There are still people alive today whose fathers served in the Civil War.