On my mind

Even though it has passed, Memorial Day remains very much on my mind.

As has become our custom Diane and I attended the Monday morning ceremony at Shiffler Cemetery. Although it is essentially a scaled back repeat of the Bryan Memorial Day Ceremony earlier that morning, I find it significant that the Shiffler tradition continues.

Shiffler was the site of Williams County's very first Memorial Day observance, just after the Civil War. At the time it was a brand new holiday, called Decoration Day then, and was established to honor those who gave their lives during the War of the Rebellion.

That war claimed more American lives than any other conflict – and actually, until the years after World War II it claimed more American lives than all other U.S. wars combined. And when that first Pulaski Decoration Day observation took place the loss remained very painful, a still healing emotional wound shared by many who lost loved ones to that deadly conflict.

The older part of Shiffler Cemetery is dotted with the iron or brass stars bearing American flags designating veterans of the Civil War. Through my research over the years I’ve learned the stories behind many of those veterans. At least one stone is a memorial marker, to young Pulaski soldier Darius Baird. He was shot in the abdomen carrying the 38th Ohio regimental flag in the Battle of Jonesboro on Sept. 1, 1864, and died the following day. His body lies in the Marietta, Georgia, National Cemetery.

Nearby is the grave of young Andrew Newman, a fellow 38th Ohio member who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Mission Ridge in November 1863. He died of his wounds just days later. After he heard the news, Andrew's grieving father, Henry Newman, traveled south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to retrieve his son's body and bring it back to Williams County for a proper burial.

Just a little ways to the north lies the marker for one of four Frisbie brothers to die in the conflict. His body, too, was brought home, after his death by disease in 1862, and at the time his funeral was reported to have been the largest ever to take place in Williams County.

Many of the former residents of our home, located less than a half mile south of Shiffler, are buried in that cemetery. We visited many of them. One family plot in the older section, that of the Miller family, contains the graves of the patriarch and matriarch of the family, Henry and Margaret Miller, who both perished due to disease in the fall of 1863.

Two of the Millers’ sons who perished in the Civil War also are buried there. These war casualties have newer stones. The young men are identified on their stones as members of the 55th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. From my own research I have concluded that this is an unfortunate misidentification. Although there are 55th members of the same name, I believe these Miller boys actually served in the 111th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a distinctly Northwest Ohio unit.

Many members of the Ames family, other residents of our home, also are buried in Shiffler. We stopped by the grave of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Ames, who purchased our home from the Miller family in 1869 and built on an addition that year – the "new" portion of the house.

We also visited the grave of one of their sons who grew up in the house but later moved to a farm he owned nearby, Alvah Ames. His weathered marble marker also bears the inscription of his young daughter, Anna Belle. For reasons I won't get into here we became interested in Anna Belle's life. It turned out that, from reading her obituary, we concluded she died of a horrible case of bone cancer.

She was only six when she died. We noted that the anniversary of her death in 1881 is approaching on June 4, and we have talked about placing flowers on her grave on that day to remember her. Sadly, that following September Anna Belle's mother and Alvah's wife Jennie died. Jennie was only 34 years old, and even after all these years we could feel the emotional pain Alvah must have experienced by their passing.

Alvah's grave is marked with a Civil War star, and a newer veteran marker signifying his service as a member of the 195th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a late war unit.

As we stood at the grave there was a stiff breeze causing Alvah's flag to flutter. As I surveyed the cemetery I became aware of the sea of those waving flags, leading me to pause and appreciate the sheer number of young men and women who were willing to serve their country. And I thought, what a fitting tribute.

Don Allison is an author, historian and retired editor of The Bryan Times. He can be reached at www.fadedbanner.com.

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