At 97, last known Civil War widow is living link to history

Associated Press ^ | 4/12/03 | PHILLIP RAWLS

[Frankster]

I have had the pleasure of meeting this dear lady, who is very happy and well-cared for. She is a living reminder that ours is still a relatively new country, and that our history is about real people. Both my mother's and my wife's families are all from Coffee County, where Mrs. Martin lives. My wife's great-great grandfather (and four of his brothers) and my great-grandfather were from the same town. They enlisted in the Army at the same time, in the same Company, and the same Regiment. All saw service in the same battles, sustained wounds, and, amazingly, all survived the War. NONE were slaveholders, just poor farmers who wanted to be left alone. DEO VINDICE.

[BradyLS]

How can you live to age 96 and be that healthy while eating Cheetos?

It's her snack. Not her staple! :-D But she was smart to remain acclimated to the hot summers. I only run the heat and AC in my place for guests.

[blam]

"ENTERPRISE, Ala. - America's last known Civil War widow never had a hoop skirt or a mansion like Tara."

Enterprise, Alabama is the only place in the world that has a monument to an insect, the boll weevil. The boll weevil forced farmers to switch from cotton to peanuts. Some got rich off peanut farming. Cotton farmers were starving.

[blam]

The Boll Weevil Monument

[Lancey Howard]

My father (now 75 and doing fine) was fortunate enough to have a Great-Grandfather (my Great-great Grandfather, obviously) who lived to be a lucid 99. When my father was a young man, my Great-great Grandfather told my Dad all about going into Phildelphia with HIS father to see Lincoln's funeral train pass through. (That event in Philly is a story in itself.)

Anyways, it still boggles my mind that I can talk to a man who conversed with a witness to Lincoln's funeral train. No big deal, I guess, but it still shakes my head a bit. I mean, that was over 138 years ago. Anyways, it's better than five degrees from Kevin Bacon, or whatever.

[EagleMamaMT]

Fantastic read! Thanks for posting this. I thought this lady was dead already. I had read a story about her about 10 years ago.

[varina davis]

I have had the pleasure of meeting this dear lady, who is very happy and well-cared for.

I had that pleasure, as well, and she was holding her flag at the time. I hope to see her again someday. Mrs. Martin is honored by many in the South.

[ccmay]

My great-great-grandfather was born in 1843. He went from Missouri to Utah in a covered wagon in the first great Mormon migration of 1847. My mom never knew him, but at the age of 74, he married a young widow and fathered a daughter who is still living. I met her at a family reunion. These living links to the past are fascinating.

-ccm

[zeugma]

excellent post!. My wife will enjo it, and so will my mom. Looks lke I need to head to mapquest to locate Enterprise,Al.

[Arkinsaw]

I met her at Franklin, Tennessee on N.B. Forrest's birthday. She was feisty.

[stainlessbanner]

Living history. Awesome!

[Jaysun]

My uncle is 96, he eats lots of sweets, and has dessert every day after his noon meal. More amazingly, he still has all of his own teeth. This will make you shudder, he was driving until last year, and so was my aunt, his 95 year old wife.

That's neat. I have a family full of those that never seem to die. I still have two Great-Grandmothers alive. My uncle Wilbur in Iowa still works on his farm, he's 95 years old. His father worked on that same farm until he died at 95 (from an infection in his broken hip that resulted from his falling off of a tractor). It amazing to talk with these people. I visit Aunt Maude on a weekly basis. She lives at home alone, dies her hair red, wears a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap, and drinks warm beer that she keeps in her pantry.

[Jaysun]

Ah, I've been there. Thanks for the picture.

[Jaysun]

Anyways, it still boggles my mind that I can talk to a man who conversed with a witness to Lincoln's funeral train. No big deal, I guess, but it still shakes my head a bit. I mean, that was over 138 years ago. Anyways, it's better than five degrees from Kevin Bacon, or whatever.

I feel the same way that you do. Look at this lady's son. He's probably been called a liar for his whole life. Who would believe that a man is still alive who had a Dad that fought in the Civil War? Good God!

[AuH2ORepublican]

She married her husband's grandson? So her son's nephew was also his stepfather? Sounds like Bill Wyman's family.

[11th_VA]

How can you live to age 96 and be that healthy while eating Cheetos?

It's a Southern thing, you wouldn't understand ...

[abbi_normal_2]

Well, good genes help. My grandma was born in 1859 had my Dad at 41 in 1900. My Dad smoked since he was 10 and ate whatever he wanted all his life and had me at age 50. He lived to be 98.

[BykrBayb]

Wish I had your genes. I come from a long line of health conscious people (not exactly health nuts) who tend to die in their 60s.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I was at a family event this past month. Conversation drifted to a pair of sisters that each lived past 100, I think one lived to 105 and one lived to 107. Apparently the one that lived to 107 was asked why she lived 2 years longer than her sister.

Her reply?

"She smoked".

[Rev DMV]

History is all around us. Had a very old lady who babysat my brother,sister and myself who used to tell us about comming to California in a covered wagon.

Related to Lincoln, I've not seen the actual episode, but there was a what's my line in the 50's where someone who witnesed Lincolns assasination appeared.