Western Reserve Volunteer
Sergeant
- Joined
- May 12, 2018
To quote Cleveland Historical.org:
The Soldiers' Aid Society of Northern Ohio grew out of Cleveland's Ladies Aid Society's efforts to assist soldiers serving in the Civil War. The parent organization of the Soldiers' Aid Society was the U.S. Sanitary Commission, which was established by the federal government in June 1861 to provide aid and medical care for Union soldiers throughout the North... The Cleveland Branch of the Soldiers' Aid Society was located at 95 Bank (West 6th) Street...
Typically you only see one photograph connected with the Cleveland branch, but I have found after some quick searching that it was an entire photo shoot! There are actually a series of photographs of the Soldiers' Aide Society taken in sequence with one another that have some fascinating details and I thought I'd share them here.
Interesting things I've spotted thus far:
In the first image, and barely visible in the second image is a sign reading: "Employment for Disabled Soldiers, 95 Bank St.".
Some kind of container with something with a handle sticking out of it resting on top of the crate on the right in the third image and on the crate on the left in the first image. I wonder if it isn't a paint pot & paint brush for sign writing? It appears to be large tin cup sized but with a rather long straight handle.
In the third image, their appears to be a pose struck by a current and former solider over a barrel, with the latter missing a leg! There also appears to be a black guy peaking into shot on the far right, although perhaps he is just in shade, it's hard to tell. I believe the severe looking lady in the bonnet at the center of the third photograph is Rebecca Rouse, the society's founder. She's depicted as such on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, allegedly Schofield used these photographs as reference.
This building still exists today, I think at 1370 West 6th St. (not as the Cleveland Historical. org claims 1235 West 6th St, the Hat Factory Apartments, which aside from being completely the wrong type of building is the home of the modern Legal Aide Society, and so obviously a mistake). I intend to go there and do a photo shoot, probably sometime in the spring.
There's certainly a great display of variations of mens and women's civilian outfits in these pictures.
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