Appreciating history is one thing. Working passionately to preserve it should receive high praise.
When two Civil War buffs found each other, they moved mountains and monuments.
It’s all about men such as John Hussey who served with the 1st Minnesota Mounted Rangers and 11th Minnesota Infantry Co. C. In 1863 he contracted typhoid and alkaline fever from drinking bad water on an expedition from Fort Ridgely in Minnesota.
Julie Busch / The Herald
Karyn Zielasko Westre and Jim Shipman joined forces in an effort to find and put faces to Civil War veterans buried at Evergreen Cemetery and Funeral Home in Everett. Westre, a Civil War historian, said the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery in Snohomish is now complete with more than 150 veterans identified and honored.
A ceremony marking the 140th anniversary of the end of the war is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at the GAR Cemetery at 8601 Riverview Road in Snohomish. At noon you can view a living history of a Civil War encampment followed by a staged skirmish at 1 p.m. between those decked out in blue and gray.
Those who visit the GAR event will see posters on most every grave, noting biographical information about the soldier. Next year at the annual program, the predominately Union cemetery will also show biographies of three Confederate soldier grave sites.
An interest in her family genealogy led Westre to her Civil War hobby. She has ancestors buried at Evergreen. She an Shipman spent two years unraveling the mystery of one solider at Evergreen named T.W. Smith.
They searched and searched and could find no pension records or information about him. Finally, they found a John W. Smith, while researching archives in Seattle. The J on the tombstone looked like a T. Both said they were delighted to discover the history of the man in the grave.
Westre said she wants to know each veteran as a person, not a gravestone.
There is a new Civil War exhibit in the front window at the Snohomish County Museum at 1913 Hewitt Ave. in Everett. It displays guns, uniforms and veteran’s books and journals. Eric Taylor, museum director, said the museum’s collection includes historic photos of Semer B. Tift, who died at the age of 102 in 1945 and was believed to be the last living Civil War veteran in Snohomish County.
To get the feel of the Civil War down to your bones, visit Evergreen Funeral Home and Cemetery at 4504 Broadway in Everett. You’ve probably noticed the north corner of the cemetery and its green lich-gate entrance, as you leave Broadway and head south on I-5. (A lich gate is a covered gate, where pallbearers rest the coffin and await the arrival of the minister.)
Shipman, a former manager at Evergreen, organized the campaign to restore the John Buford Post of the GAR section, where 15 of about 200 Civil War veterans are buried. While walking through the cemetery, he noticed the decay and became interested in restoring the plot.
“I fell in love with the history of this cemetery,” Shipman said. “So many of the famous and interesting people of Everett and Snohomish County are buried there.”
The pair said for $14.75, they can request pension records to glean biographical information about Civil War veterans. To become a sponsor in the Adopt-A-Vet program, send a check for $14.75, made out to the NARA (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration), and mail it to Evergreen Cemetery, 4504 Broadway, Everett, WA 98203.
For the physical restoration, Shipman said the Veterans Administration will provide headstones. There are new concrete runners in the Evergreen Civil War section and remaining original headstones have been reset.
Shipman, a great grandson of three Union soldiers, is also researching Civil War soldiers at Marysville Cemetery and is active in the Marysville Historical Society.
We should remember all of our veterans from all wars, Shipman said, and pay respect for their devotion to our country.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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