Cemetery Star

[NH Civil War Gal]

I just found this at an antiques dealer here in NH. It has stacked rifles in one point, an anchor in another, and initials F,L,C on the other points. It is resting on top of a pair of googles with blue glass in them. Can anyone tell me what branch of the service this star represents and Union or CSA? I feel bad that this came from a grave, no matter how long ago.

 

[John Winn]

I believe that's likely a marker provided by the Women's Relief Corps whose motto was "Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty." They were a women's auxilliary of the G.A.R. Haven't seen one exactly like that before though. Nice find.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I'll try to go back tomorrow and see how much it is. We were in a rush towards the end and had to get home and I'd have to get the case unlocked. It's only a mile away from me anyhow.

 

[Iowa Miss]

In Iowa and many other states, it is against the law to remove grave markers. Sons of Union Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans and various VFW or American Legion Posts have worked diligently to educate scrap dealers, antique shops and flea market vendors about this law.

Iowa Code: Sec. 19-36. - Veteran's grave markers.
A person commits a simple misdemeanor when the person takes possession or control of a veteran's grave marker which was provided pursuant to Iowa Code Section 35B.16, with the intention to deprive the owner of the marker, regardless of the value of the marker. The person shall also be liable for reimbursement in an amount equal to three times the cost of the marker to be paid to the county commission of veteran affairs or other person who furnished the marker.

Some people have purchased markers and worked with a local cemetery or veteran's group to place them on a soldier's grave that does not have one.

 

[War Horse]

I'll try to go back tomorrow and see how much it is. We were in a rush towards the end and had to get home and I'd have to get the case unlocked. It's only a mile away from me anyhow.

I'd buy it

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

In Iowa and many other states, it is against the law to remove grave markers. Sons of Union Veterans, Sons of Confederate Veterans and various VFW or American Legion Posts have worked diligently to educate scrap dealers, antique shops and flea market vendors about this law.

Iowa Code: Sec. 19-36. - Veteran's grave markers.
A person commits a simple misdemeanor when the person takes possession or control of a veteran's grave marker which was provided pursuant to Iowa Code Section 35B.16, with the intention to deprive the owner of the marker, regardless of the value of the marker. The person shall also be liable for reimbursement in an amount equal to three times the cost of the marker to be paid to the county commission of veteran affairs or other person who furnished the marker.

Some people have purchased markers and worked with a local cemetery or veteran's group to place them on a soldier's grave that does not have one.

Thank you for posting this. I'm not surprised and am glad there are laws about this.

I never knew there was even a woman's G.A.R. auxilliary group and I have no idea how I would even find a grave of a woman who belonged to the auxilliary group.

 

[John Winn]

Thank you for posting this. I'm not surprised and am glad there are laws about this.

I never knew there was even a woman's G.A.R. auxilliary group and I have no idea how I would even find a grave of a woman who belonged to the auxilliary group.

I don't think that star was put on the grave of a member of the WRC but, rather, was put on the grave of a veteran by the WRC. So, if you are up for it you need only to find a Union veteran's grave and place the marker there. Or you could put it on the mantle as a personal remembrance to all who served. If you buy it at least it will be rescued and wont have been lost forever or melted down.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I don't think that star was put on the grave of a member of the WRC but, rather, was put on the grave of a veteran by the WRC. So, if you are up for it you need only to find a Union veteran's grave and place the marker there. Or you could put it on the mantle as a personal remembrance to all who served. If you buy it at least it will be rescued and wont have been lost forever or melted down.

Great ideas. I live across the street from a historic cemetery dating back to the mid-1700s. There are about 15 Union veterans buried there. I put flowers on their graves (and would do the same for a lost Confederate soldier up here in the North) in the spring. I think every Union grave has a GAR emblem on them, but we do have one unidentified Union soldier. His grave doesn't say unknown it only says "Civil War Soldier." No name and the Department of Public Works, who maintains the records, doesn't have a name for him either.

If the price isn't too outrageous, I'll buy the star tomorrow and bring it "home."

 

[1867crete]

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[mofederal]

I used to see the markers a lot in antique stores. I always thought it was illegal to remove them from a cemetery. Some people just don't care what they do, and will steal anything to sell. I should have bought them and returned them to a cemetery. I rarely saw GAR markers, always UCV markers.

 

[ikesdad]

Yeah, buy it and put it on a grave. Bad juju if you don't.

 

[tbuckley]

Grave markers for veterans of all wars are available from the VA. A few years ago, I got a Confederate grave marker from the VA for a veteran.
About three years ago there were veteran grave markers stolen from several cemeteries here in eastern Ohio. They were stealing them and selling them as scrap brass. I don't know who was worse, the thieves or the scrap yards that bought them.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

The rest of the story: I went back this afternoon and found out the marker was $85.00. I had in my head no more than $50.00. The young fellow who unlocked the case I've dealt with before and is very pleasant, said he knew the dealer and she wouldn't come down but he wrote down her address and told me to go talk to her when I explained the whole story of the marker as I got from CWT. He also told me she likes to deal in military stuff. She's only about 20 miles from me so when the weather warms up a bit, I'll go up to her antique barn. During this, the group shop owner came over and wanted to know "what was going on." I repeated the whole thing and she said, "it's yours for $50.00, and the dealer can kill me if she's upset about it." I told her (and it's true) that I plan to repatriate this to the historic cemetery across from my house, if I can find a Union grave without a marker. Right now it is on my mantel.

The group shop owner writes an antique column every month, which I've read before and she took lots of notes and some pictures of the marker and is going to write a column about it. She said she has a few that come in but has never paid any attention to them before. Twice a year she does an outdoor show. Individuals can rent a space at it and she had one person come in with 3 markers on their posts but doesn't know (now) what war they were marking since she didn't pay attention to them OR how they got them.

I told her that some states have laws about reselling this type of thing and she was very receptive to the whole thing and that's when the idea of a column about markers came about. Both as an education and a warning because she doesn't want her shop to be reselling what it shouldn't.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

P.S. The back of the marker says "M D Jones & Co Boston, MA" so it must have been cast there. I'll go off and do some research and see what I can turn up.

 

[John Winn]

Good on ya for doing that. I just hope that if you put it on an unmarked grave that it stays there. The drug epidemic has resulted in almost any metal being a target. As far as the store having a legal problem I'd say unless it can be proved they sold stolen goods they're not on the hook but they are on shaky moral grounds, especially if they've sold a number of them as that just increases the chances that they were stolen and sold for the cash. Maybe the article mentioned will bring some awareness of the problem and discourage others from buying these things.

I mean, when you think about it how would such a thing come up for sale ? "Oh, we just decided to pull up great grandpa's marker because we needed the cash." Sure. Or "we were just out walking and found it laying out in the weeds." Again ... sure. The most likely thing is it was stolen. Lots of scrap metal places now require ID and won't take certain kinds of things so maybe selling to an antique dealer is safer and maybe even pays better than scrap. If I owned such a business I'd certainly not buy a grave marker. Just my thoughts.

You've done the right thing and are to be commended. I look forward to hearing what you might find out about the manufacturer.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Trying to do some research this afternoon - Ebay has an MD Jones & Co catalog for grave markers for $125.00! Yikes! And it is a very small catalog too. They were located on Washington Street in Boston and seemed to have mainly sold in the new and up-and-coming market of garden furniture, fountains, metal gardening accessories, and then a war came along.

Being a group shop, the clients rent a booth or shelf space from the owner. The owner doesn't buy them. But, yeah, the fact that the owner noticed some person bringing in 3 on stakes and half wondering about it. I mentioned to her, when she said that, that they were probably stolen. And since the outdoor thing is a one-off thing, she may never see that person again who had them.

I do have a concern about this one being stolen from the cemetery. Even though the ground is still frozen there isn't much snow left and I'm going to go down through the cemetery later this week and see who and what stakes are still there.

 

[Iowa Miss]

Civil War Gal-- thank you for purchasing the marker, seeking a grave that needs a marker and discussing
with the shop staff the significance of the marker.

 

[mofederal]

I am glad to hear you bought it, and you are going to place it in a cemetery. It is where it belongs and is needed.

 

[zburkett]

Grave markers for veterans of all wars are available from the VA. A few years ago, I got a Confederate grave marker from the VA for a veteran.
About three years ago there were veteran grave markers stolen from several cemeteries here in eastern Ohio. They were stealing them and selling them as scrap brass. I don't know who was worse, the thieves or the scrap yards that bought them.

Equally evil.

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

Ebay has an MD Jones & Co catalog for grave markers for $125.00! Yikes! And it is a very small catalog too.

In case it might help with your search, @NH Civil War Gal, I checked out this MD Jones & Co catalog on the Internet Archive, Catalog D of 1904, but found that it does not include the star. Good luck on your search, and bravo to you for all of your efforts in returning the star to its rightful purpose.