VA History in Focus: Widows Pensions

From the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War, over 100,000 women collected a widows pension from the federal government. This is the topic of the latest episode of VA History in Focus. The video delves into the laws that regulated the granting of these pensions and the bureaucratic hoops women had to jump through to claim one. It also goes behind the scenes at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., to examine the pension application of Rebecca Cameron, one of the first women to receive a widow’s pension during the Civil War. Her husband, Col. James Cameron, died at the Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. The millions of records in the Archives’ collection of pension files hold great value to genealogists and historians, opening a window into the lives and experiences of ordinary people.
This episode is based on Object 16 in the History of VA in 100 Objects virtual exhibit: department.va....
To learn more about this object or other entries in the exhibit, visit the 100 Objects page on the VA History website: department.va....