It was fortunate that Reka Behrens (born around 1870 in Adams County, Illinois) the daughter of Volke (Behrens) Sartorius married a Civil War veteran. That means her widow’s pension may contain some information about her date of birth and perhaps some testimony from one of her relatives about something related to her early life.

Or maybe not.

It’s not her veteran husband that I’m really interested in.  I realize there’s always the potential that something in his application will help me research Reka, but I’m not holding my breath.

What’s unfortunate about a woman being born in 1870 marrying a Civil War veteran is that she lived until 1960. This means her pension is not at the National Archives because her death is, somewhat recent.

Stay tuned.