This year’s Memorial Day brought an unusual milestone: the last widow of a Civil War veteran died.
Alberta Martin, then 21, married 81-year-old William Jasper Martin in 1927. They had a son, who, if I read the article correctly, is still alive. After the veteran died, Ms. Martin married her late husband’s grandson. Which would make her son her second husband’s step-uncle. Or something.
If this all wasn’t strange enough, according to the article didn’t receive Confederate widow’s benefits until 1996. Not sure why it took so long. One would think that the funding for such a program would have ended a long time ago.