Letha Carter (maiden name: Jackson) was born into slavery in Bowling Green, Missouri. Her owner was Julius Jackson, who purchased her when she was 8 or 9 years old. She married Mathew Carter on June 14, 1866, in Louisiana, Missouri, and they had four children together, including: Mathew H., born July 28, 1867; and William E., born July 16, 1872. After the war, Letha and Julius joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in Louisiana and adopted the surname Walker. Her hsuband died in Louisiana on March 12, 1887, and she applied for a widow's pension soon afterward. The government initially rejected her claim because her pension agent was under investigation for fraud. Officials eventually granted her a pension, and by the 1920s, she was receiving $30 per month. She moved to Kansas City, Kansas, after her husband's death, and she worked as a cook at the All Saints Hospital. She died on December 16, 1921.