Garden relic...long ago find

[General Butler]

Many of you remember that long ago a pile of gravestones were found in western mass where these had been made.
Typos, wrong unit ect were some of the reasons why these were rejected.
I was able to obtain a couple when I lived up there.
Unique?
As I recall this veteran was to have a stone listing another unit.

 

[mofederal]

The feds can be anal about misspellings and such, but they should be. I don't know what happened to the old stone when my mother replaced my Great Grandfather's stone. I would have taken it. His stone was the original dating back to his 1935 death. They are discarded when replaced. At least the stones weren't just thrown to the side of a field, which is what happens down here when farmers get tired of going around old family cemeteries. They just remove the stones, and go back to farming. I have seen that happen quite a bit. The fine is rather steep when they get caught doing it. Which is what happens as long as the descendants are still in the area. I have seen it happen a lot in a county south of me.

 

[John Hartwell]

Albert Newton had enlisted in Co. B, 21st Mass in August, 1861. He was transferred by Special Order, to Co. I, 36th Mass. in January 1864 (at which time both rgts were in Tennessee), and served through the end of the war. When the rgts. were consolidated, on July 6, 1865, he was again transferred to the 56th Mass. He was in that regiment just 6 days when he was mustered out on July 12th. The stone was doubtless replaced by one showing his "real" regiment ... whichever of the others he chose.

 

[General Butler]

Albert Newton had enlisted in Co. B, 21st Mass in August, 1861. He was transferred by Special Order, to Co. I, 36th Mass. in January 1864 (at which time both rgts were in Tennessee), and served through the end of the war. When the rgts. were consolidated, on July 6, 1865, he was again transferred to the 56th Mass. He was in that regiment just 6 days when he was mustered out on July 12th. The stone was doubtless replaced by one showing his "real" regiment ... whichever of the others he chose.

Not sure how it ever became his stone with just 6 days of service but I understand why it was done when the family saw it.

 

[John Hartwell]

Somebody probably just looked at the regiment he was mustered out of, and that's what was ordered.

 

[General Butler]

Somebody probably just looked at the regiment he was mustered out of, and that's what was ordered.

It's a good piece to have, I think at.least.

 

[John Winn]

Just for your info, your stone was manufactured between 1879 and 1918.

 

[Gary Morgan]

For what it's worth, I had a friend in Vermont who inherited a cemetery - her family owned it; she got to mow it. Her garden walk was face-down gravestones that had been broken and replaced. I felt kind of guilty walking on it after she turned one over to show me one day.

 

[General Butler]

Just for your info, your stone was manufactured between 1879 and 1918.

That is really interesting. Thanks

 

[mofederal]

A friend of mine had several, including the original stone of the last man killed in the Civil War at Appomattox. A New Yorker if I recall correctly.

 

[Seduzal]

Thanks for sharing this awesome article. Enjoyed reading it.