The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-08-19
POSSIBILITIES OF PENSIONS.
The Daughter Of a Soldier OF 1868 May Be
a Pensioner I'm 2O10.
From the Chicago Times Herald.

From the Chicago Times Herald.
The death Of Miss Eliza Sanford
brings US once more to the pleasant
subject Of pensions and their possiblll-
ties. Miss Sanford was the daughter
Of revolutionary soldier, and by vir.
tue Of the fact had enjoyed pension
during the last five years, that is to
say from ll3 to IFS years after York
town
The father from whom she derived
title was Sergt william Sanford, OF
the New Jersey Volunteers lie was
born in 1852, and his services in the
army seem to have had an invigorating
effect upon his system. He lived to be
ninety years old and was blessed with
two wives and eighteen children.
Little Eliza was the offspring Of the
second wife and came to gladden. the
household in 1919 The Sergeant WAS
then sixty three.
We do not know whether this old
hero survived his second wife or not,
but an examination Of the pension
rolls proves that he would have been in
fashion If he had subsequently, married
woman no other than Eliza. Last
year the following widows of rev0lu-
tionary soldiers were on the list Mary
Snoad, aged eighty-two; Esther 5 Da-
mon. eighty-four; Nancy Jones, eighty
four Rebecca Mayo eighty-five Nancy
Weatherman, eighty-eight 1t will be
seen that Mary Snead was actually
younger than Eliza. and, so far as years
60 she might easily have been the
granddaughter Of the New Jersey Ser
geant when she was led 10 the altar by
Bowdoin Snead. Of the Virginia troops
Grabbed age and youth cannot dwell
together but apparently there is an
affinity between youth and heroic age
which pensions may be expected 10
stimulate.
The cases so far considered do not
exhaust the possibilities. Though
ninety is a ripe old age, Elijah Glenn
and Eleazor Smith are drawing pensions
or were a year ago, at the superior age
Of l0j. They are veterans Of the war
Of 1872. while they must have entered
as youngest drummer boys. If we sup
pose that the venerable Glenn had
daughter when he was siXtythrce and
that this daughter is 10 live till she is
eighty-four. she may be- receiving apen.
sion in 1913 or lbs years after the battle
Of New Orleans. But why linit the child
Of such a father to eighty-four: Let
her days be numbered like Elijah's
own and her pension will be paid
almost century and half after tho
termination Of the war.
So the daughter Of a soldier Of the |
civil war may be on the rolls in 2Ol0
and il must be remembered that the |
possibilities are now increased through |
two causes Scientists say that the race
is becoming longer lived. and the num-
Der Of pensions from our earlier wars
was as nothing by comparison with
those who trace their claims to the
great struggle between North and South
The total is now somewhere near
million.
OF this total about 233 900 are CLASH
fed as widows, &c, and some $50,
900 are getting pay as invalids. The
widows and the DC Of to-day may not |
be counted on to equal or break the old |
rec rds, but that $50 900 invalids should |
be able to furnish out Of their ranks
many Elijah Glenns and Eleaz)r Smiths
whose girl relicts will live on into the
twenty first century,