As of April 1936 (Johnstown Democrat) the last five remaining living Civil War veterans of Johnstown were John Woy, H.H. Hoffman, Silas Plummer. John Messanger and Josiah Miller.
Bottom clipping is from 1953 (Johnstown Tribune)
The passing of such men as John Way, left, and Silas Plummer (last native Cambria County veteran who died in 1940) , right, marked the end of the Grand Army of the Republic in Johnstown. Mr. Woy was the last commander of Emory Fisher Post, GAR,and Mr. Plummer's death in 1940 erased the last name from the local ranks of Civil War Veterans. At its peak the post boosted an active membership of some 300.
But here is where things get a bit murky. Depending on what source material you use. I am using and sticking with old newspaper clippings I have in my collection. But according to the Pennsylvania Sons of Union Veterans - Plummer is listed as the last - which is right - technically - for a Cambria County native - but the last Civil War Veteran in Cambria County and who lived in Cambria County when he died was David C. Plowman - who was born in Blair County February 2,1847. He moved to Gallitzin in his later years to live with his son. Prior to this he lived in Allegheny County. Which is where he listed as the oldest - but he wasn't living there when he died in Gallitzin. He turned 96 years old on February 2, 1943. And he lived till he was 98 years old. Passing away on March 26, 1945. This clipping is from The Johnstown Tribune.
He was a member of 21st Cav. Reg., Co. F enlisting in Johnstown on January 1, 1864.
He says he was present at Appomattax Courthouse when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. He says he also shook hands with President Lincoln after the war. And he added he was even in Gettysburg and heard Lincoln give his famous Gettysburg Address. Here he is pictured below with his wife after the war.
On the occassion of his 97th birthday - February 1,1944.
He passed away on March 26, 1945 at the age of 98.
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They say that the last surviving Civil War Veteran in the United States was Albert Henry Woolson.
Henry Albert Woolson - 1850 to 1956.
Albert enlisted as a drummer boy in Company C, 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment on October 10, 1864, becoming the company's drummer. However, the company never saw action, and Albert Woolson was discharged on September 7, 1865.
Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the Union Army who served in the Civil War; he was also the last surviving Civil War veteran on either side whose status is undisputed. At least three men who outlived Woolson claimed to be Confederate veterans, but one has been debunked and the other two are unverified. The last surviving Union soldier to see combat was James Hard (1843–1953).
James Albert Hard (15 July 1843 – 12 March 1953) was the last verified living Union combat veteran of the American Civil War, and a candidate to be the oldest living man in the world when he died. Though he claimed to have been born in Victor, Ontario County, New York, USA in 1841, research in 2006 found that the 1850 Census indicated a birthdate of 15 July 1843.
He died in Rochester, New York, on 12 March 1953 at the claimed age of 111 years, 240 days. Census research indicates, however, that he was probably a year or two younger and may have inflated his age to gain service. He is recorded as having joined the Union army on 14 May 1861, aged '19.' The 1850, 1910 and 1920 censuses, however, indicate that he was born in 1843 and 1842.
Hard is reported to have fought as an infantryman in the 37th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the battles of First Bull Run, Antietam, and Chancellorsville, and to have met Abraham Lincoln at a White House reception.
Looking at the Confederate Side - that is a whole rabbit hole of information and misinformation. Which means I have kept this simple. Experts believe that Pleasant Crump (1847 - 1951) was the last surviving Rebel.
Pleasant Riggs Crump (December 23, 1847 – December 31, 1951) was an American soldier who was the last verifiable veteran who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Although he was survived by several other claimants in the 1950s, such as William Lundy, John B. Salling and Walter Williams, historical research has subsequently debunked these claims. Crump officially remains the last surviving veteran of the Confederate States Army.
LAST CIVIL WAR PENSION - 2020
FINAL CIVIL WAR PENSION - 2020
Final Pensioner: Although not a veteran, Irene Triplett (1930 - 2020) was the last person to receive a Civil War pension (from her father, a soldier who served in both armies).
Triplett grew up on her father's farm in North Carolina. According to Triplett, she suffered a difficult childhood and was regularly beaten by both her parents and schoolteachers.Classmates teased her about her father whom they denounced as a "traitor".
Her father, who had fought for both the Confederacy and the Union during the Civil War, was aged 78 when he married her 34 year old mother; their union was Mose Triplett's second marriage.
Triplett was mentally disabled. Her education ended at the sixth grade and, in 1943, she moved with her mother and brother to a poorhouse, where she remained until 1960. She later lived in private nursing homes until her death.
Triplett's father died in 1938 at the age of 92, after which she collected his Civil War pension of $73.13 per month from the Department of Veteran's Affairs, her cognitive impairments qualified her to inherit the pension as a helpless child of a veteran. The total amount of benefits she received was about $73,000, or $344,000 when adjusted for inflation.
Widespread public awareness of Triplett's status occurred in 2013 as the result of a Daily Mail story about her.
After the 2018 death of Fred Upham, the son of William H. Upham, she became the last surviving eligible child of a Civil War veteran.
At least four widows of veterans of the Civil War (fought 1861–1865) are known to have survived into the 21st century. All were born in the 20th century and married their husbands while the women were still young and the men were in advanced age. This practice was not uncommon at the time due to the possibility of receiving pensions as dependants of Civil War veterans; the pensions were known for their generosity. Some of these unions were in name only, while others lived together as married couples.
