Veterans Memorial Hall in Rockford: SUVCW

A successor organization to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) which was established in 1881.  Also, the Ladies Auxiliary was founded.

Both organizations are to carry on the mission of the GAR.

A local camp (different groups in the SUVCW are called camps) of the SUVCW was organized in Rockford and met at the Memorial Hall from 1903 to 1957.

They reorganized in 2005 as the Logan Camp No. 26 and still meets in the same Post Room where the original camp met.

To continue the legacy of the GAR to honor the memory of Civil War vets, the SUVCW cleans and replaces grave markers of Civil War veterans, and members conduct ceremonies to commemorate the history of the war.

They meet the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War-- Part 2: Camps

Continuing with Illinois camps:

E. F. Dutton Camp 49, Sycamore

Colonel John C. Bryner Camp 67, Peoria

Colonel Friedrich K. Hecker Camp 443, Belleville

U.S. Grant Camp 1863, Schaumburg

Old Glory Camp 6165, Chicago

Hard to believe there are so few camps in Illinois.  At one time there were eight Sons of Confederate Veterans camps in Illinois.  

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

This all started when I posted about the Sycamore Camp of Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) working on the DeKalb County Civil War Memorial in Sycamore.

There are eleven SUVCW camps in Illinois according to the department website:

**  General George A. Custer Camp 1, Wilmette

**  General Philip H. Sheridan Camp 2, Aurora

**  General John A. McClernand Camp 4,Springfield

**  Captain Frank Reed Camp 24, Tuscola

**  John A. Logan Camp 26, Rockford

**  Private Henry M. Hardenbergh Camp 39, Tinley Park

--Old Secesh

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Since I mentioned the Sons of Union Veterans in the last post, here is some more information about them.

From Wikipedia.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUV) grew out of the largest organization of Union veterans established after the war, The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  Much the same as the Sons of Confederate Veterans grew out of the United Confederate Veterans organization.

It would be necessary to find the next generations to carry on the group's good name as they died out.  This is why the American Legion has its Sons of the American Legion.

The SUV was established in 1881 and was founded by Major Augustus P. Davis for the preservation of the principles of the GAR.  Local groups are organized into camps which then are grouped into departments

Membership on 2022 was 6,574 with headquarters in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Commander-in-Chief in 2022 was Peter J. Hritso.

--Old Secesh

DeKalb County (Illinois) Civil War Monument-- Part 2

Toward the base of the monument, a pair of soldiers stand watch, each with a rifle in his hands.

Three sides of the marble monument bear the names of major battles and campaigns of the Civil War that DeKalb men fought in, including Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill and Antietam (even though Antietam was misspelled).  The side that faces Illinois Highway 64, Main Street, is engraved with an excerpt from President Abraham Lincoln's address at Gettysburg.

More than 6,000 people were in attendance for the monument's dedication in 1896 which included an address by local commanders and a parade of veterans.

The pair of patina-green statues at the base of it were once thought to be bronze, but were found to be copper during a 2008 restoration project.  They've also been the subject of routine vandalism, as their weapons have been stolen and replaced several times.

Sycamore's local Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War chapter raised $10,000 to repair them in 2015 before the memorial was rededicated for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's end.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin'-- Part 7: A New SUV Camp Named for Francis E. Warren

The article that started this thread was in the March 28, 2019, Sheridan, Wyoming newspaper.  Right away, there was a  Civil War connection, because Sheridan, Wyoming is named for Civil War general Phil Sheridan.

The article was about the formation of a new Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War camp in that city. The camp was named for Francis E. Warren and will serve not only Wyoming, but other states around it.  It is always good to see a new history group being formed, especially the Civil War. There had also been an earlier SUV camp in Wyoming named for Warren, but it had folded at some point in the past.

Now, if I can just find some information on Francis E. Warren as I had never heard of him before.   Come on Wikipedia.  Have something.

And, Wikipedia did.  Actually they had a lot on this man.  Turns out, he had a lot to do with the early history of Wyoming, especially in the area of politics.  I imagine if you are knowledgeable about Wyoming's early history, you would know something about this man.

FRANCIS E. WARREN

(June 20,1844 to November 24, 1929)

Francis E. Warren was born in Massachusetts and enlisted in the 49th Massachusetts at the age of 19 during the war and rose to the rank of corporal.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin' Thru History: Great Wyoming and Howling Wilderness-- Part 1

When I do these blogs, I lately have been doing a lot of "RoadTripping Thru History" where I start with one story and see how far and in what direction I can take it.  This is one such story, that started with an article from a Sheridan, Wyoming, newspaper with a new Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War camp.

Well, this particular story, or thread as some internet sites refer to it, really grew and grew.  Of course, it was grounded in the Civil War, which is why I am going to be writing about it in this particular blog.  I did cover it before, back on March 29, 2019 in this blog.

Before I was finished with my Roadtrip, this story had extended to my Cooter's History Thing and Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blogs and went to 2018.  It was massive to say the least.

I am going to write this story in this blog from beginning to end this time.

--Old Secesh

The Widow's Secret-- Part 9: Honors

But, all that secrecy was over by the time Helen Jackson died back in December,

The town of Marshfield, Missouri made her the grand marshal for the Fourth of July parade in 2018.  She was riding in a Chevrolet and told the driver, "Slow down, these people want to see me."

A stone slab with her name on it was placed on the town's Missouri Walk of Fame near the town square.  The school superintendent in Niangua gave Jackson, who never completed her education -- an honorary high school diploma for the Class of 1937.Her pastor set up a Facebook page "Helen Jackson, Last Civil War Widow."  

She received fan mail from all over the world.  A member of the Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War sent her a card each Christmas.

In 2019, Jackson sat down with a local historian for a lengthy oral history.  At the time she related:  "I didn't want them  all to think that I was a young woman who had married an old man to take advantage of him.... Mr. Bolin really cared for me.  He wanted me to have a future and he was so kind."

--Old Secesh

The Widow's Secret-- Part 7: Lived Along Route 66 in Marshfield

Of course. Helen Jackson lived her whole life with heavy emotional baggage from her short marriage to James Bolin.  What would people think of her when  and if they found out about that staggering age difference?

In Marshfield, Missouri, she was employed at a wood-working factory and later as a substitute cook in local schools.  She lived alone in a farmhouse along Route 66 and became an active member of the Elkland (Mo.) Independent Methodist Church.

For 81 years, she kept her secret.

Then, her pastor, Nicholas Inman found out about her former marriage and he set out to find out if she was indeed the last Civil War widow.

Stories of "last" Civil War widows come around every so often.  The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War confirmed Jackson as the "last" publicly documented widow.  But, who knows if there are still any other widows out there harboring secrets of their own?

--Old Secesh

Nebraska in the Civil War-- Part 4: "Galvanized Yankees" and SUV, CWRT, SUVCW, MOLLUS and DUVCW

Later in the war, some of the soldiers serving at Fort Kearny were "Galvanized Yankees," former Confederate soldiers who had changed their allegiance to the Union.

By the end of the war, more than a third of men of military age in Nebraska Territory has served in the Union military (3,157).

In addition to the 1st Nebraska, the territory raised three other full regiments of cavalry as well as several battalions of militia.  Thirty-five Nebraskans were killed in action during the war, while another 204 died of other causes, mostly disease.

***************************************

THE CIVIL WAR TODAY IN NEBRASKA

Today, several groups exist in Nebraska that trace their ancestry to postbellum veterans organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS).  There is also at least one Civil War Round Table.  Four camps of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) are also listed.

--Old Secesh

Calvin Crane, Last Confederate Real Son, Dies-- Part 3: Remaining Confederate Real Daughters and Union Real Sons

Mr. Crane was born on a farm near the White Oak  Mountain community of Pittsylvania County, barely two months before the United States entered World War I.  His family moved to Danville soon after his father's death so his mother could work in the Dan River Mills.  The Crane family financial situation was so desperate, Calvin had to leave school after the sixth grade.

He remembered, "I had a terrible time growing up."

He joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) in 1993 and attended meetings for over twenty years.  The SCV's national headquarters in Columbia, Tennessee confirmed that Crane was the last living son of a Confederate veteran.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy confirms that there are still five Real Daughters living, none of them in Virginia.David Demmy, executive director of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, says that  their organization knows about two living Real Sons and four living Real Daughters.

--Old Secesh

Wyoming Gets New Sons of Union Veterans Camp-- Part 2

Membership in the SUVCW is restricted to men  who have direct or collateral ancestors who served in the Union military, in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Revenue Cutter Service.

The new camp's name is the same as a former camp in Sheridan that was formed in 1890.  Both camps are names after Francis Emroy Warren (1844-1929) who served  in the infantry of the Union Army as a noncommissioned officer in the  49th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers.

At the age of 19, he received a Medal of Honor for battlefield gallantry demonstrated at the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana.  Later he was commissioned as a captain in the Militia of Massachusetts.  After the war, he served as the last territorial and first governor of Wyoming and was the last Civil War veteran as a member of the U.S. Senate.

He is also the namesake of  Francis Emroy Warren  Air Force Base in Cheyenne.

The new camp commander is Karl Falken.

Always good to see a new Civil War organization on the scene.  I myself am a member of the Camp Douglas Sons of Confederate Veterans here in Illinois.

Congratulations Camp Warren in Wyoming.  --Old Secesh

Wyoming Gets New Sons of Union Veterans Camp-- Part 1

From the March 28, 2019, Sheridan (Wyoming) Press  "Camp of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) Chartered."

There hasn't been a camp in Wyoming for a long time, but there is one now.

The charter was signed by Commander in Chief Donald W. Shaw in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and was approved by the Commander of the Department of Colorado and Wyoming William Buvinger on November 18, 2018.

The charter was presented and officers sworn in at the  Fort Caspar Museum on February 23, 2019.

The SUVCW is a fraternal male heritage organization dedicated to preserving  the history and legacy  of veterans who served in the Union military.  Organized in 1881 and  chartered by Congress in 1954, the SUVCW is the legal heir and successor of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) formed in 1866,

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Meeting Tuesday: Panel Discussion August 14

This Tuesday, August 14, the McHenry County Civil War Round Table will have its monthly meeting at the Woodstock Public Library in Woodstock, Illinois.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. and goes to 9.  This month's topic is a Panel Discussion.  Not quite sure what that is, but imagine  you bring something up and folks will talk about it.  I'm thinking about what we think about the attacks on the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy.

I know the members of the Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War that I have talked to do not agree with these attacks.  It will be interesting to see what a Civil War Round Table thinks.

Anyway, a group of the people attending will be gathering for dinner at 5:30 at Three Brothers Restaurant on Illinois Highway 47.  All welcome there as well.

SCV and UDC:  Hate Groups or Historical Groups.  --Old Secesh

Sackets Harbor in the Civil War-- Part 2: Sons of Union Veterans

Sackets Harbor became a major recruiting site where thousands of men entered federal service.

Visitors also learned about the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and their efforts to perpetuate the memory of Civil War veterans.

Tours of the Commandants House will be offered as well as what the Navy Yard looked like in 1861.

The Navy Shipyard operated until 1874 and built   the USRC (U.S. revenue cutter) Active in 1843.

--Old Secesh

Civil War-Themed Events in Springfield This April-- Part 1: Ghosts and Death

With such a tie to Abraham Lincoln, it is not surprising that Springfield, Illinois, would have a lot of related events during the year.

Here are the ones listed in the Springfield 2016 Visitors Guide:

LINCOLN'S GHOSTWALK: LEGENDS & LORE--  (From  March 8-Nov. 1)  Downtown Springfield.

This 90-minute, 10-block walking tour uses Lincoln sites as the backdrop for the strange and bizarre history surrounding Lincoln's life and death.  Admission

LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL HALF MARATHON--  Old State Capitol.  (April 2)  Run where Lincoln walked past Springfield's major Lincoln sites, including his home and tomb.  Admission

SUVCW DEATH DAY PROGRAM--  (April 9)  Lincoln Tomb  A ceremony commemorating the 151st anniversary of President Lincoln's death.  The ceremony starts with a military parade, followed by several speeches, the laying of wreaths and culminates with taps.  Free

SUVCW--  Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

More.

Civil War Bell Rings for GAR's 150th Anniversary

From the April 7, 2016, Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle "Civil War-era bell to ring on Saturday."

It was first rung before the Civil War at the Webster Baptist Church.  It will again be rung 15 times Saturday for the 150th anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).  It is a part of the Bells Across New York event.

The commemoration will be conducted   by the local chapters of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Daughters of Union Veterans.

The bell was installed in 1857 when the church was built.  When Lee surrendered at Appomattox in 1865 it was rung so hard that it cracked and that crack is still there.

A Real Piece of History.  --Old Secesh

150th Anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic to be Celebrated in New York

From the April 5, 2016, Albany (NY) Times-Union "Oakwood bell ceremony marks 150th anniversary of the GAR."

The Vanderheyden Memorial Bell at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York, will be part of a statewide celebration Bells Across New York this Saturday.  It will be honoring the 150th anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).

The commemoration will be put on by the Friends of Oakwood Cemetery and the Col. George L. Willard Camp, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).  The Vanderheyden Bell will be rung for one minute at noon.

Members of the 125th New York Volunteer Infantry re-enactment group will present the flag, ring the bell and fire a musket.

The GAR was formed by Union veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutter Service to maintain communication and give veterans a political voice.  It was formed on April 6, 1866, on the principles of "Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty."

The legal heir to it isSUVCW.

North Carolina's Civil War Story Project Gets Under Way

From the Dec. 15, 2015, Mountain XPress (Asheville, N.C.) "North Carolina History Center launches statewide Civil War story project, seeks oral histories" by Max Hunt.

The North Carolina Civil War History Center plans to collect 100 family Civil War stories from each of the state's 100 counties.  It is one of the largest public history projects ever attempted in North Carolina.  Every family has handed-down stories and this will be an attempt to collect them in the project, entitles "Our State, Our Stories" before they are lost.

The center has now employed "Story Specialists" to assist and plans on canvasing local SCV, UDC and SUVCW groups.

They will be using three  methods of collecting the stories:

1.  Online submission
2.  Oral histories recorded by the "story specialists"
3.  Printed forms

The History Center will cost $85 million when completed and is in Fayetteville, right next to the ruins of the Fayetteville Arsenal which was destroyed by Sherman in March 1865.

--Old Secesh

Medal of Honor Winners Honored in Milwaukee-- Part 1

From the May 7, 2014, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Two Medal of Honor recipients from Civil War honored at Wood Cemetery" by Meg Jones.

A ceremony was held at the cemetery by the local chapter of the Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War and ladies auxiliary.

Lewis Rounds  was buried at the cemetery as was Michael McCormick who was probably buried at Calvary Cemetery.

Rounds' Medal of Honor citation just reads "Capture of Flag."

--Old Secesh