Comment by qingcharles

Also factor in there were civil war widows legitimately eligible for pensions from their dead soldier husbands until the last one died just a couple of years ago:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War_widows_who_...

Also can be via your father, this lady was collecting a civil war pension until 2020:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Triplett