Passing Of The Last Civil War Widow - 2020
Helen Viola Jackson married Civil War veteran James Bolin in 1936. Jackson was 17 when they wed, while James was 93 years old.
Their marriage, according to Jackson, was based on convenience and "respect," noting her husband "really cared for me [and] wanted me to have a future." The two were living in Missouri at the time, with Jackson struggling to survive during the Great Depression. Bolin, who'd fought for the Union during the Civil War, wanted to help and promised to leave Jackson his pension when he passed.
Because Jackson was concerned she looked like an opportunist, she never applied to receive Bolin's pension after his passing in 1939. She never remarried either, and only spoke about her relationship with Bolin in 2017.
At the age of 101, Jackson - the last widow of a Civil War veteran - passed in December 2020.
