Son of Ex-Slave Who Fought in Union Army Dies at Age 97

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Boston.com-AP

By MARTHA WAGGONER

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Luke Martin Jr., the son of an ex-slave and Civil War Union soldier, has died — 179 years after his father was born.

Martin was 97 when he died Sunday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina, said his daughter, Fannie Martin-Williams. Her father, who suffered from congestive heart failure and other ailments, had been in declining health for several months, she said.

‘‘He had a long, full life,’’ Martin-Williams said of her father, with whom she lived in the house where he was born — a house his father built in the 1890s. ‘‘He enjoyed every minute of it.’’

Martin had little memory of his father, Luke Martin Sr., who died at age 84 in 1920 when the son was just a few years old, according to Martin-Williams. The elder Martin, who was born in 1836, was married twice, the second time to a much younger woman.

FULL story at link.'



Luke Martin Jr., the son of an ex-slave and Civil War Union soldier, died on Sunday, 179 years after his father was born. He was 97. (AP Photo/The New Bern Sun Journal, Bill Hand)
AP

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2015/01/27/son-slave-who-fought-union-army-dies-age/ZynKTxp0LiiuCuoLJmlqfM/story.html

[drray23]

1. this put things in perspective.

We are not that far removed from these times. Our society still has a long way to go before racism is extinguished if it ever happens.

[Ex Lurker]

4. IIRC, there are still a handful of surviving widows of Civil War veterans NT

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. I would think it would be too long ago for all the timings needed for that to happen

Last edited Wed Jan 28, 2015, 09:17 AM - Edit history (1)

That's the equivalent of this man's mother still being alive.

Say the veteran was born 1845, so he was 20 by the end of the war. Say he got married at 85, ie 1930. Say he got married to a 20 year old, so she was born in 1910, so she's now 105. Yes, it's theoretically possible, but I think the series (one of the youngest veterans gets married at 85, to a 20 year old, who then lives to 105) is going to be incredibly rare.

[Ron Obvious]

18. It was true until fairly recently.

Young teenage women marrying very old men for their pensions. I recall there were about a half dozen or so still alive (from both sides) into the 21st century.

Looks like the last one died in 2008.

[7962]

11. I dont think thats possible. nt

[happyslug]

24. At least three survived till 2004

and the last one KNOWN died in 2008. It is possible two other still exists, but they stay out of the limelight and being widows of Confederate Soldiers the evidence is sometime hard to find,

The last UNION widow, who also received a PENSION till she died, died in 2003. see my post below for her name and other details.

[happyslug]

22. All are now dead.

Last edited Fri Jan 30, 2015, 03:09 AM - Edit history (1)

The last Union Civil War WIDOW died in 2003:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Janeway

The last KNOWN Rebel Civil War Veteran's WIDOW died in 2008:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maudie_Hopkins

For decades Alberta Martin was presumed to be the last Confederate Widow, she died in 2004

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Martin

It is a little harder to determine Rebel veterans for records were poorly kept, thus the term "Known" is used. There MAY be two other "Widows". but their records are NOT in the public domain (They may be Widows of Veterans OR they may be widows of men who CLAIMED they served in the Confederate Army, when they did not, we do not know). Thus we are at best down to two, and those twos are only maybes.

[yurbud]

21. I'm 51 and my life overlaps the Jim Crow era, and former slaves were still alive in my lifetime.

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. At 65 I've been alive for over a quarter of our nation's existance.

That blew my mind first time I realized it.

[Renew Deal]

2. Sad to hear. Reminds me of this article.

WILKESBORO, N.C.—Each month, Irene Triplett collects $73.13 from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a pension payment for her father's military service—in the Civil War.

More than 3 million men fought and 530,000 men died in the conflict between North and South. Pvt. Mose Triplett joined the rebels, deserted on the road to Gettysburg, defected to the Union and married so late in life to a woman so young that their daughter Irene is today 84 years old—and the last child of any Civil War veteran still on the VA benefits rolls.
<snip>

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579493830954152394

[Orrex]

3. I asked about this back in 2007, as a matter of fact!

Link

What an amazing life!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. The male line.

Because men can reproduce with fertile young females when the men are quite old, you can have extremely long lifespans of descendants as seen here. President John Tyler (President from 1841-1845) has two grandsons who are still alive.

Oscar Wilde, who died in 1900, has a grandson named Merlin Holland who is 69 years old, which means he was born in the first year of the baby boomers, 1946.

[Xithras]

19. Lack of birth control and abortion also used to play a role.

I have a great aunt who was born after my great grandfather decided to have a fling with his 19 year old secretary. He was married and in his late 70's at the time. While the pill was already available in the late 1960's, it still wasn't in widespread use...especially in rural Maine.

My great aunt is 47 (only a handful of years older than I am), and her father was born in 1890.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

20. Wow.

Good point. That wasn't a midlife crisis, that was way later!

I thought my dad was ancient because he was 45 when I was born. And he remembered horses and buggies in rural Ohio.
He was a kid during World War I.

[adieu]

6. Sounds kinda cool to have a son

That late in life. Kinda badass in a way.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

17. Having and raising are two different things.

[madokie]

9. My grand father was a Union Soldier

I'm 66. My dad was born in 1897

[appalachiablue]

10. Very interesting. What was his war service? Fmr. Va. Gov. Doug Wilder is the grandson of slaves.

10th US Pres. John Tyler was b. 1790 when George Washington was President. Tyler's father was a friend and room mate of Thos. Jefferson.

Pres. Tyler has two living grandsons from his second marriage in 1844 to Julia Gardiner of NY:
Lyon Gardiner Junior, b. 1924, age 90, and Harrison Ruffin Tyler b. 1928, age 87.
One of the grandsons of Pres. Tyler commented that Pres. Obama was a very eloquent man.

The 2 grandsons' father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler was b. 1853 before the Civil War. He was one of 15 children of Pres. John Tyler by two marriages. Like his father John, Lyon G. Gardiner had a late second marriage c. 1921.

[madokie]

12. I'm not sure I know what you're asking me

he joined the union army even though my great grandfather was a slave owner but by the time the war had started my great grandfather had already given his slaves freedom but most of them stayed on and for the most part took my great grandfathers name. As the story goes he was a gentle man well liked.
Grand dad got pneumonia and was discharged and was sent back home and after he got well he re-enlisted and stayed for the duration of the war. We have all the papers of where he enlisted the first time, was discharged due to illness and re enlisted and was then after the war discharged again. we keep them in a safe deposit box.

If I knew what to ask my brother he could probably tell me what you're asking so if you'll let me know I'll see if I can find out today when i see my older brother who pretty much takes care of everything, family wise. We kept our home place when our parents passed away and for some reason he is the one who makes sure the taxes get paid etc even though he is not the oldest member still alive. 9 out of 13 of us kids are still here, the oldest is a sister who just turned 84 and the youngest is my soon to be 63 year old little brother.

I read once that there was 109 families that still can trace a grand parent back to the civil war. I have no idea if that is correct or not all I know for sure is my families history.

[appalachiablue]

13. Thanks, this is fine. I just meant usual soldier things like age of enlistment, combat service.

[madokie]

14. I'll get back with you later

as I'm now interested in finding out for myself. He joined in the early days of the war and was discharged after the end is all I know now but I would like to know all there is to know though

Theres a chance our families may have crossed paths back then
How cool would that be?

[appalachiablue]

15. Sounds good. I worked at the Smithsonian, a Union Civil War Fort Museum around Washington and love

history. Two ancestor brothers served on the Union side from Va., were captured and imprisoned in Richmond's Libby Prison but survived. That's about all I know. Take care, no rush, I'm always here.

[flamingdem]

25. Check out ancestry.com - the free trial

was enough for me to make discoveries about my family.

What happens is you find others who have the family tree fleshed out so all of a sudden you know your relatives from the 1400s! Well in some cases.

There is access to a lot of records, probaby Civil war soldiers.

[wolfie001]

16. To overcome all of that hate and racism...

...and live such a full life! My hat is off to this gentleman! Kudos!