Esther Sumner Damon
Esther Sumner Damon (August 1, 1814[1] – November 11, 1906) was cited as the last widow of the American Revolutionary War to receive a state pension.
Esther Sumner Damon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esther Sumner August 1, 1814 |
| Died | November 11, 1906 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Schoolteacher |
| Known for | The last American Revolutionary War widow to receive a state pension |
| Spouse(s) | Noah D. Damon |
Esther was born in Bridgewater, Vermont.[2] The family had eight or nine children.[1] Esther's father was killed by a falling tree when she was eight years old.[1][2] Esther attended school during the winter and worked during the summers to help support her family.[2] At the age of seventeen, Esther became a school teacher in Plymouth.[2]
Esther Sumner married Noah D. Damon (August 25, 1760 – July 2, 1853) on September 6, 1835, in Bridgewater, when she was 21 and he was 75.[2] The couple had met two weeks prior.[2]
Husbands War Service
Noah Damon | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Noah D. Damon |
| Born | August 25 1760 Benton, Grafton County, New Hampshire |
| Died | July 2 1853 (aged 92) Norfolk County, Massachusetts |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ | Continental Army |
| Years of service | 1775-1848 (retired) |
| Rank | Private |
Noah Damon enlisted in the Continental Army on April 19, 1775, where he served under the rank of Private with the Massachusetts Troops[2] He was intermittently enlisted over the next five years.[1] Noah applied for a war pension, as a resident of Plainfield, New Hampshire on November 13, 1848.[3]
Noah was penniless, though Esther may have thought he was a hardworking landowner.[1] Esther supported him for three years before financial necessity forced him to move in with his daughter in New Hampshire.[2]
Esther supported herself by sewing and nursing.[2] She also leased a farm near Reading.[1]
After Noah's death in 1853, Esther applied for and received his pension from October 1855. The pension was increased to $24 a month by the United States Congress on February 28, 1905.[4]
Towards the end of her life, Esther received additional financial support from the Daughters of the American Revolution.[2]
Esther died on November 11, 1906, aged 92, and was buried at Plymouth Notch Cemetery in Plymouth, Vermont. The gravestone was paid for by the Daughters of the American Revolution.[5]
References
- Bayles, J. C. (18 June 1905). "The Last of the Revolutionary Widows" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- Granite State Magazine. Granite State Publishing Company. 1907-01-01. p. 111.
- "Esther (Sumner) Damon Genealogy & Ancestry Articles | GenealogyBank Blog". 2015-09-05. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2016-11-30.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- States, United (1905-01-01). Statutes of the United States of America Passed at the ... Session of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- Congressional Edition. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1909-01-01.