This came from one of my Civil War lists this evening. Wasn't there some question on this list a year or so back about whether there could be a Civil War widow still living? Thought you all might find this interesting! > Last Recognized Civil War Widow Dies > > (EXCERPT) By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Writer > > BLAINE, Tenn. - Gertrude Janeway, the last widow of a Union veteran > from the Civil War, has died in the three-room log cabin where she > lived most of her life. She was 93. > > Bedridden for years, she died Friday, more than six decades after the > passing of the man she called the love of her life, John Janeway, who > married her when he was 81 and she was barely 18. > > "She was a special person," said the Rev. Leonard Goins, who > officiated at her funeral Sunday. > > "Gertie, as she was called, had a vision beyond that (cabin) that kept > her going. She never had any wavering or doubt in her salvation. She > was strong in that," he said. > > She was to be buried Monday near her husband's slender military > tombstone at tiny New Corinth Church cemetery. > > An honorary member of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil > War, Mrs. Janeway was the last recognized Union widow. She received a > $70 check each month from the Veterans Administration. > > Still alive is Confederate widow Alberta Martin, 95, of Elba, Ala. > > Mrs. Janeway, who lived her whole life in Blaine, about 30 miles north > of Knoxville, was born 44 years after the Civil War ended. > > In a 1998 interview, she said her husband rarely spoke about the war. > > "He says the nighest he ever got to gettin' killed was when they shot > a hole through his hat brim," she said, but he never told her where > that happened. > > Her husband was a 19-year-old Grainger County farm boy who ran away to > enlist in 1864 after being encouraged by a group of Union horse > soldiers that he met on his way to a Blount County grist mill. > > He sent his horse home and signed up under the surname January because > "he was afraid his people would come and claim h... > > U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing > copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report > cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it > in full today, 19 Jan 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE > the following lines into your web browser.) The > subject/content of this report is not necessarily the > viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided > for your information and discussion. > > http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story& > u=/ap/20030119/ap_on_re_us/civil_war_widow_1 > -- Cherie Atkinson Clark <A HREF="mailto:chersfmly@aol.com">mailto:chersfmly@aol.com</A> <A HREF="http://members.aol.com/chersfmly/">http://members.aol.com/chersfmly/</A> Looking for ATKINSON in Ohio Co WV and Washington Co PA, FIFE in Allegheny and Washington Co PA, KIMMINS (or KIMMONS) in Ohio and Marshall Co WV and Washington Co PA, SKILES in Washington Co PA, TOLBERT in Carroll Co VA and Raleigh and Fayette Co WV, WEBB in Carroll Co VA, McDAID in Washington Co PA and Marshall Co WV, WOLFE in Greene Co and Washington Co PA, FARIS in Ohio Co WV and Delaware Co OH, McCONNELL in Allegheny Co PA, MORROW in Allegheny Co PA, SUPLER in Washington Co and Greene Co PA, and way too many associated families to list! **There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.** (Hodding Carter)