Monroe County History Center, volunteers identify unmarked burial plots of area veterans
Local volunteers are working hard to ensure all veterans laid to rest at Rose Hill and White Oak cemeteries are honored this December on National Wreaths Across America Day. This year, the ceremony will be on Saturday, Dec. 17.
The goal is to place a live, balsam fir veteran’s wreath at the headstone of every service member buried there and ensure no one is forgotten.
Locally, volunteers will host various fundraisers to sponsor the 1,140 wreaths needed to honor veterans. Each wreath sponsorship costs $15. Many groups are participating in helping honor these veterans. Mote information can be found online at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/INROSE.
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It takes dedicated volunteers to coordinate this event. In partnering with the Monroe County History Center this year, more veterans have been identified. Unfortunately, not every veteran’s burial plot is marked and this is not something cemeteries keep track of. The number of veterans being honored has doubled over last year’s count.
For years, Scott Emery, a volunteer of the Monroe County History Center cemetery committee, has been part of honoring those who are laid to rest at local cemeteries. He and volunteer teams work to repair headstones and clean up the grounds. Recently, with persistence and commitment, Emery was able to secure a headstone for James H. Bowman. Bowman, a Civil War veteran, had not had a headstone since he died almost 100 years ago, so Emery applied for the stone to be supplied by the Veterans Administration. Bowman was a part of the 67th Indiana Infantry, which was organized at Madison, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on Aug. 20, 1862.
Emery now is working on honoring four other veterans. These veterans also did not have headstones, so he was moved to ensure they were honored. These veterans’ spouses are also buried nearby, but due to the VA rules, a gravestone could not be granted for the wives. Emery stated, “I felt it was important to also include the wives, because they may not have marched off to war, but they still had to deal with it.” A generous donor felt moved by the project and donated funds to ensure these veterans and their spouses have marked headstones. The headstones are being created by 3-D Stone.
Those being honored with a headstone are:
William B Arnold (and spouse, Matilda Arnold), 1838-1927, Co C IND 152nd Infantry
Charles Dunham (and spouse, Mary Burton Dunham), 1838–1926, 1st SC Colored Infantry, Co. E 33rd USCI (the United States Colored Infantry)
Daniel N Fender (and spouse, Rachel Jane Fender) 1847–1913, CO. B & C KANSAS 10th Infantry
Robert Moses Hafford (and spouse, Anna Hafford) 1844–1923, Co. I 1st U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery
Janice Wampler, president of American Legion Auxiliary Unit 18, stated that it has been invaluable to have knowledgeable and caring volunteers on this Wreaths Across America committee: "Not only are we learning about these veterans, but we are identifying all that served. It is important to honor those that served.”
If you are a Monroe County, resident and need assistance filing a VA disability claim or if you have questions about federal, state, or local veterans benefits, please reach out to my office: Steven Miller, Monroe County Veteran Service Officer. 812-349-2537 smiller@co.monroe.in.us
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Unmarked burial plots discovered ahead of Wreaths Across America Day
