Annie West

Pension File: 1138727, 860034
P.O.: Cabery, Illinois
Service: regimental nurse with the 1st New York; nurse at Newport News and Ladies Home, NYC
Applied: 1892
Status: Accepted

One of the patterns I noticed going through the regimental nurses is that not one of them received a pension unless they managed to get a Special Act or if they also served at a non-regimental hospital.  That is the one reason Annie West ended up with a pension.  West was married to a William Hollins when war broke out.  Presumably he enlisted in the 1st New York, since that's where West began her service, but I haven't been able to find him on the roster (told you I'd find the exception to the husband rule).  West stayed with the regiment from January, 1862 until July, when she began working at the hospital in Newport News.  By the end of October, however, West had transferred to the 'Ladies Home' on Lexington Ave in New York City where she worked in the linen department until the end of the war.
My best guess is that William died in the service, probably just after Annie moved back to New York, because Annie married Andrew West on April 29, 1865.  Both drew pensions--Andrew for his service in the 91st Illinois, and Annie as guardian of her two children with William Hollins, Emma and George.  Once Emma and George hit 16 though, the pension dried up, so it must have come as a relief to Annie when the ANPA came out and she could apply.  Like I said, she was one of the lucky ones--her service at the Ladies Home in New York was well documented and she had affidavits to back it up.  The only blip on the radar was after her death in September, 1910 at the Illinois Eastern Hospital for the Insane.  The reverend who was in charge of her funeral arrangements wrote to the Bureau asking for reimbursement, but eventually decided to withdraw his claim when he realized the effort it would take to get the money.  So ends Annie West's pension file.
One more regimental nurse file tomorrow, and then maybe I'll treat you guys to a summary of the new chapter on Monday, just to spice things up a bit.  Sound good?
Also, if you have a nurse that you're particularly interested in, let me know and I'll see if I've got her file, and write up a summary for the blog.  Just a reminder though, I only have files from 1892 or before.  Let me know!