A novel I read 30 years ago titled Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All came to mind this week. Turns out that story wasn't truly the last word among Civil War families.

Several news sources this week carried the obituary of 90-year-old Irene Triplett, who was (supposedly) the last person to receive an American Civil War pension. Her father, Pvt. Mose Triplett, fought for both sides in the war. Much later, when he was nearly 84 years old, he fathered Irene during a second marriage with a much-younger women. You can read one version of Irene's sad life here.

Irene outlived another Civil War pension recipient named Fred Upham, who died in December 2018 at the age of 97. Upham's father was 80 when he was born.

Another child of a Civil War veteran, Iris Jordan, was born when her father was 82. She died in 2017 at the age of 94.

Maudie Hopkins, who died in 2008, is believed to be the last surviving widow of a Civil War veteran.

So how long is a generation anyway? According to Wikipedia:

A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about thirty years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and begin to have children of their own."

Society routinely estimates 3-4 generations per century, but these Civil War examples tell us to beware of averages.