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Was There Ever a G.A.R. Post in Elizabethville?
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on August 10, 2015
In researching the Stevens G.A.R. Post No. 520 of Harrisburg, the only “Colored” post for Civil War veterans in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, a news article was found in the Harrisburg Telegraph of 24 May 1919 which described posts no longer in existence in the “smaller” towns in the county. Surprisingly, Elizabethville was mentioned as once having a G.A.R. post but no longer having one. The article even told what happened to the post records as well as how the few remaining veterans of Elizabethville would be able to decorate the graves of their comrades on Memorial Day.
After telling of the “good fortune” of the few remaining veterans of Harrisburg who refused to give up their G.A.R. Posts, and had the means to keep them – despite declining numbers of member – the article then went into the misfortune of the posts in the smaller towns:
The Posts of the county, however, have not been so fortunate. In the smaller towns they passed out of existence for the most part some years ago, death having reduced the ranks until the remaining membership was not sufficient to pay expenses of upkeep. Halifax bowed to the inevitable some time ago. Elizabethville followed a little later, but in this town the rolls of the Post have been turned over to County Recorder James E. Lentz, who has promised the veterans surviving that each Memorial Day he will see that the graves they used to decorate shall be marked by flowers and a flag. In each year the survivors are taken the rounds of the cemeteries of that region in automobiles where services are held and the graves decorated. This year Captain E. J. Stackpole, Jr., of the Keystone Division, will be the Memorial Day speaker at Elizabethville upon invitation of Mr. Lentz.
Information is sought on this G.A.R. Post not previously known to exist at Elizabethville. When was it organized? Who were its members? When did it go out of existence? Comments can be added to this post or sent by e-mail.
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The news article was located through the on-line resource of the Library of Congress, Chronicling America.
My great grandfather, Elias Jones, Company I, 56th PA Infantry obituary invited members of the G.A.R. to the funeral. He lived in Pittston PA and in Wilkes-Barre, PA. How do I find out where he was a member?