Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Search for Civil War Veterans in Los Angeles Is On!

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Now - since I have made the decision to write about veterans in the West, I suppose it would be a good idea to find some to write about. First step...cemeteries. I thought I would go after a couple of hard ones first. I found a few at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in, you guessed it, Hollywood (resting place of Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino and lots of other super famous people). There is at least one more at the Westwood Village Memorial Park (resting place of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Merv Griffin...really - the list goes on and on). I have got their names, states, and units in order - next step...search the archives and see if they turn up anywhere.

Perhaps the more obvious spot - slated for a trip next week - is the National Cemetery in West Los Angeles. This is on the grounds of the Old Soldiers' Home - aka the Sawtelle Veterans' Home, established in 1887. This cemetery is the resting place of many more Civil War (Union) veterans and a Civil War monument to boot. No kidding. I had lived in LA for decades before I knew there was a Civil War monument here.

Stick around - I'll keep you posted and if you have any leads...I am all ears - especially when it comes to former Confederates. I am certain that some made it here, but few have turned up so far.

Peace,

Keith

6 comments:

  1. My great grandfather Dudley Waldo Hoisington is buryed at the L.A. Natl. Cemetery, 950 South Sepulveda Blvd. He is in section 90 Row L site 28. He was with the 129th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Company A. He moved from Ohio to California around 1914.

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    1. Gary,
      Dudley was my g-grandfather too. Who was your g-grandmother (he was married twice)?
      Christina Marsden

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  2. Gary if you have any of his correspondence I would owe you big time. And I will heading out there this week or next. I will certainly stop by and pay my respects.

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  3. There have been several members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy as well as members of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War researching Union and Confederate veterans gravesites in California. If you are mainly interested in Sawtelle then I am probobly the most knowledgible. If Los Angeles County wide then Margaret Alley, who has written a book utilising the UDCs records statewide would be most helpful. Very few Confederates are buried at Sawtelle as they would have to have served in the US Army at some time i.e. Mexican War, Indian Wars or galvanized during Civil War. At present we know of a couple the latter who served in Confederate army until captured and then upon being promised to not have to fight against the South to get out of prison joined the Union Army to fight Indians!

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  4. My Great Grandfather served in the Civil War and after being injured and out of the hospital he attended college and became a minister with the M.E. Church and minstered across the United States, eventually ended up at Sawtelle where he became Chaplain and was buried there in 1934 at the age of 91.

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  5. Thanks Ray - do you by any chance have papers associated with his ministry or any of your Great Grandfather's correspondence? I would love to have a crack at them if they are still around. What was his name? I can also do some searches on my end to see if anything comes up.
    Keith

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