Daily AncestorMothers' pension
A mothers' pension was state aid paid to a poor mother, usually a widow, so she could raise her children at home instead of placing them in an institution.
Illinois passed the first state mothers' pension law in 1911, and by 1920 forty states had one. Reformers had found that most children in orphanages and foster care were not orphans but children of lone mothers who could not both earn a living and care for them. Payments were small and reached few families, and Black, Hispanic and American Indian mothers were often left out.
It was also called mothers' aid or a widows' pension, not to be confused with a military widow's pension. Title IV of the Social Security Act of 1935 made these programs federal.
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Daily Ancestor. "Mothers' pension." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/poor-relief/mothers-pension. Last checked 2026-10-03.