While turning the pages of my grandmother's scrapbook chronicling the year 1961, I found a 100-year-old anniversary story of the original Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Charter for the Red Creek area, which included the name of my paternal great-great-grandfather and others from the Town of Victory. Upon the 145th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, I wanted to share this history with you.
The Charter reads:
“Grand Army of the Republic, to all unto these present, come greetings. Know ye, that reposing full trust and confidence in the fidelity and patriotism of comrades and by virtue of the power and authority in me vested, constitute them and their associates and successors a Post of the Grand Army of the Republic to be known as D.H. Becker Post No. 251, Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. And I authorize and empower them to perform all acts necessary to conduct said organization in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Grand Army of the Republic. Dated at the headquarters of the Department of New York of the Grand Army of the Republic at Albany, New York on the thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-seven and of our Independence the One Hundred and Twenty-first.” James S. Graham, Department Commander and P.J. O'Connor, (rank illegible).
Appearing on the Charter are the names of 32 men: D.H. Becker, M.H. Waldron, Eugene D. Allen, O.J. Frost, Asel Fuller, Charles W. Blanchard, E.B. Tindar, William B. Sayers, David Hunter, A. G. Chapman, Elias Mitchell, Frank Mosher, Edwin Spurr, Clark Grant, D.D. Peterson, Harry Heagerty, John D. Smith, Moses Parsons, Jerome Chapman, Edwin Samos, Nathan Connors, Charles H. Dates (my great-great grandfather), John Quimby, Chester Cortwright, George D. Barber, M.E. Douglas, Luther Green, William H. Milliman, Eugene Fitch, Elisha Ellis, William T. Clark, and E.T. Milliman. Most of these men were in Company F, 160th New York Volunteer Infantry inducted through Wayne County. Charles H. Dates is buried in the Bath National Cemetery which is immaculately kept and like a mini Arlington National Cemetery. I have another paternal great-great grandfather, John J. Bowen, who mustered in through Ogdensburg in Company K, 60th New York Volunteer Infantry. He is buried in the Porter Hill Cemetery near Hermon (St. Lawrence County). Many more from Victory were in Company C of the 111th New York Volunteer Infantry.
After working on genealogy for years and finding ancestors who served in the Civil War, my interest came to include that era of history also.
I have been fortunate to attend many programs about the Civil War by John Lamphere of Weedsport, to participate on “Civil War trips” in past years with groups escorted by Bill Jacobs of Auburn, and to have had a grandmother, the late Rose Dates Coleman Finck, who preserved not only all our family history, but also history of the Red Creek-Victory area.
Beverly Sayles grew up in the town of Victory and writes about its history
“Grand Army of the Republic, to all unto these present, come greetings. Know ye, that reposing full trust and confidence in the fidelity and patriotism of comrades and by virtue of the power and authority in me vested, constitute them and their associates and successors a Post of the Grand Army of the Republic to be known as D.H. Becker Post No. 251, Department of the Grand Army of the Republic. And I authorize and empower them to perform all acts necessary to conduct said organization in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Grand Army of the Republic. Dated at the headquarters of the Department of New York of the Grand Army of the Republic at Albany, New York on the thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-seven and of our Independence the One Hundred and Twenty-first.” James S. Graham, Department Commander and P.J. O'Connor, (rank illegible).
Appearing on the Charter are the names of 32 men: D.H. Becker, M.H. Waldron, Eugene D. Allen, O.J. Frost, Asel Fuller, Charles W. Blanchard, E.B. Tindar, William B. Sayers, David Hunter, A. G. Chapman, Elias Mitchell, Frank Mosher, Edwin Spurr, Clark Grant, D.D. Peterson, Harry Heagerty, John D. Smith, Moses Parsons, Jerome Chapman, Edwin Samos, Nathan Connors, Charles H. Dates (my great-great grandfather), John Quimby, Chester Cortwright, George D. Barber, M.E. Douglas, Luther Green, William H. Milliman, Eugene Fitch, Elisha Ellis, William T. Clark, and E.T. Milliman. Most of these men were in Company F, 160th New York Volunteer Infantry inducted through Wayne County. Charles H. Dates is buried in the Bath National Cemetery which is immaculately kept and like a mini Arlington National Cemetery. I have another paternal great-great grandfather, John J. Bowen, who mustered in through Ogdensburg in Company K, 60th New York Volunteer Infantry. He is buried in the Porter Hill Cemetery near Hermon (St. Lawrence County). Many more from Victory were in Company C of the 111th New York Volunteer Infantry.
After working on genealogy for years and finding ancestors who served in the Civil War, my interest came to include that era of history also.
I have been fortunate to attend many programs about the Civil War by John Lamphere of Weedsport, to participate on “Civil War trips” in past years with groups escorted by Bill Jacobs of Auburn, and to have had a grandmother, the late Rose Dates Coleman Finck, who preserved not only all our family history, but also history of the Red Creek-Victory area.
Beverly Sayles grew up in the town of Victory and writes about its history
The Citizens' Say
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