Maine sent more soldiers to the Civil War (per capita) than any other state. This increases the chance of you having a Civil War ancestor, which can make the conflict more meaningful in many ways.
I first truly became aware of the Civil War as a child, when Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” became my favorite book. Ken Burns’ amazing documentary of this tragic conflict brought the battles and history to the forefront for me. I later discovered that my great-great-grandfather Albert Pratt died from disease acquired during the war, and the war became a part of my personal history as well. This means that my great-grandmother Lucia probably never really knew her father. I cannot help but wonder if that explains some aspects of my grandfather’s character, and therefore my mother’s (and now, mine). Genealogy is certainly more than collecting names and dates!
Every veteran deserves a marker honoring his service. If there is no marker, or perhaps time or vandals have damaged it beyond recognition you may be able to get a marker for them from the Veterans Administration, at little or no cost to you. It does not matter if the veteran died in service or after the war, or on which side he served.
If there is a marker but it does not identify his service, you can petition the local camp of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) to provide a Grand Army of the Republic marker to be added to the existing stone. (Or you can purchase one yourself from a flag store.)
The veteran must have been honorably discharged (military records are available through NARA at the website www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/pre-w-w-1-records.html, and, although it sounds silly you will need to prove he is deceased. (Death record, obituary, cemetery records, widow’s pension application). You will need to obtain permission from the cemetery’s owner, in Maine that is usually the town in which the cemetery is located. Speak to whoever has the authority to receive and place the stone, and stay in touch throughout the process. This is an opportunity to ask the cost of placing the marker at the cemetery.
Then you will need VA form 40-1330, “Application for Standard Government Headstone or Marker for Installation in a Private Cemetery or a State Veterans’ Cemetery”, this form is available at www.cem.va.gov/hm_hm.asp. It will need to be signed by the cemetery’s authorized person, and the stone must be shipped to a business such as a mortuary or cemetery. You will need to choose a style of marker, and a preview of styles is available on the website. You can indicate a marker choice when you submit the form.
There is no certain timeframe to receive your marker, so it is best to make general plans for any sort of service or ceremony, and not set the date until after the marker has arrived and been placed. Do not forget to submit your ancestor for the SUVCW National Graves Registration Database, http://suvcw.org/graves/graves.htm.
Honoring your ancestor this way will take time and effort, but is no less than he/she, and future generations deserve.
Editor’s note: This regular column is sponsored by the Aroostook County Genealogical Society. The group meets the fourth Monday of the month except in July and December at the Cary Medical Center’s Chan Education Center, 163 Van Buren Road, Caribou, at 6:30 p.m. Guests and prospective members are always welcome. FMI contact Edwin “J” Bullard at 492-5501. Columnist Nina Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft, who has been doing genealogy for over 30 years, is a freelance genealogy researcher, speaker and teacher. Reader e-mails are welcome at ninabrawn@gmail.com.
