GAR Post names

[ClintI]

My 2x gr grandfather was a member of Trescott Post #10 in Salem, Ohio. Can anyone shed a light on the post name's origin? Thank you.

 

[rpkennedy]

My 2x gr grandfather was a member of Trescott Post #10 in Salem, Ohio. Can anyone shed a light on the post name's origin? Thank you.

Was it named after a fallen soldier from the area? My great x3 grandfather was a founding member of his GAR post and it was named after the first soldier in his regiment who died during the war.

Ryan

 

[Library Lady]

If Find-a-Grave is accurate, it could have been named for any (or all since no first name is given with the post name) of these 3 brothers.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51145179/samuel_c-trescott

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14466565/isaac_lane-trescott

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28630403/david_steere-trescott

 

[Taylin]

As a rule, GAR posts could only be named after someone if they were deceased. I suspect that, perhaps, this one is named for a lad named Samuel Trescott (1842 - 1864) who died in Andersonville Prison. He was a member of Company C, 2nd Ohio Cavalry.

As I was writing this @Library Lady beat me to the find a grave link.

The post was originally formed in 1866 as Trescott Post #10 - One of the very post post in the GAR. They disbanded and/or reorganized by May 1869 as Trescott Post #84

Almost certain that it is named for Samuel Trescott - unless some other Trescotts in the county or area died before the post was formed in 1866

 

[major bill]

My local GAR was Wa-Nu-No. For John Wa-Bu-No a local member of Company K, 1st Mich. Sharpshooters. Only known GAR named for a Native American.

 

[Taylin]

Here you go.

This is taken from an 1890 speech given by Joshua Twing Brooks in Salem, Ohio. The event for the speech was put on by the Trescott Post.

After some jokes to lighten up the crowd, the newspaper reported the following;

"After this jocular preface he said that the occasion called to his mind one with whom he played in early boyhood on Green street, on High street, and in the fields about Salem now covered with houses. He little thought then what the fate of that companion would be.

A few years later he went at the call of our imperiled government and perished in its defense. That friend was Trescott. We see to-night that that cause is loved to-day as then, and that the men who went forth in its defense are honored, and that those who went and never returned are not forgotten.

He would that it were the order of things - he did not know but it was - that the spirit of his boyhood companion, Samuel Trescott, might hover us to-night and witness the admiration of the people, even those of a new generation honored and admired the patriotism of the young men who went at their country's call to battle for a cause so grand and so essential to the welfare of free institutions"

Joshua himself doesn't appear to have served in the war but I believe he invoked Samuel specifically because of the ties to Trescott Post.
SOURCE: Salem Daily News - Feb 24 1890 p. 4

 

[ClintI]

I was certain one or more people would come up with an answer.
Thank you all for your responses.

 

[General Casey]

As a rule, GAR posts could only be named after someone if they were deceased. I suspect that, perhaps, this one is named for a lad named Samuel Trescott (1842 - 1864) who died in Andersonville Prison. He was a member of Company C, 2nd Ohio Cavalry.

As I was writing this @Library Lady beat me to the find a grave link.

The post was originally formed in 1866 as Trescott Post #10 - One of the very post post in the GAR. They disbanded and/or reorganized by May 1869 as Trescott Post #84

Almost certain that it is named for Samuel Trescott - unless some other Trescotts in the county or area died before the post was formed in 1866

With regards to names, I wonder how lax the GAR was with them. Going through the list of the Massachusetts posts, there are a high number of posts named for individuals who did not die during the war, such as Ulysses S. Grant, Sheridan, Hooker, Custer, Butler, Kilpatrick, Hartsuff, Burnside, and even politicians like Stanton and Boutwell and Governor Andrew and even one named for Clara Barton. There's even a post named Gettysburg. There are a fair number of posts that have no name attached to them (such as "Post No. 147" of Norwood) or have their community listed.

 

[Taylin]

With regards to names, I wonder how lax the GAR was with them.

The people who the posts were named after did not need to die during the war, they only needed to be dead. The Spicely Post in Orleans, Indiana was originally named the Custer Post but when William T Spicely (Brev. Brig. Gen and Col of 24th IND) died the same year that the post was founded, they changed their name to honor him because they couldn't do it previously. I believe this rule stemmed from the GAR not wanting any particular person alive to be elevated or to have the appearance of being vain.

Names were typically related to the Civil War in some way but is not always the case, as a lot of the posts were simply named after the town / community they were in.

In addition, more than one post could have the same name or number so long as another post in the same department (state usually) did not share it at the time of said post being chartered.