Sarah M Hussey's Pension Application

In 1902, Sarah M Hussey applied for a Widows Indigent Pension based on the service of her husband, John B Hussey, in the Civil War. Union soldiers were covered under the federal pension system while each former Confederate state had to create and fund its own pension system. Georgia was one of the first confederate states to create a pension system and served as a model for other state systems.

Sarah was required to resubmit her application, although in a shortened form, each year to receive her pension. The amount the pension system paid Sarah is not known but a law passed in 1912 increased the rate to a maximum of $30 per month. The pension payment was not mailed directly to the applicant but rather were distributed by an agent in each county.

"John Salling, possibly the last Confederate veteran (there is some dispute) died in 1958 while the last known Confederate widow, Maudie Hopkins, died in 2008. There may be one or two others still living who do not wish to be identified. If the numbers seem not to be that important, in the state of Georgia alone in 1952 there were still 401 widows receiving aid at a cost of $361,000."
Gorman, Kathleen L, "Civil War Pensions:, Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech, https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/civil-war-pensions.html