In Search of Civil War Veterans: Chiles Cemetery

It's a new year! Time for new adventures. I have been invited to give a lecture for the Local History Lecture Series at the East Central College here in Union. My topic is the Grand Army of the Republic in Franklin County, Missouri. In preparation for my lecture, I've been scouring newspaper articles and history books, which led me to an article about the first Decoration Day, or Memorial Day as we know it today, held in Union in 1888. This article listed the graves of Civil War veterans they visited and decorated. I was drawn to the group of names at the bottom of the article: Colored Soldiers. I was so happy to see they included a few of the local colored soldiers who fought bravely in the Civil War. (See the Article Below)

Post 344 observed Memorial Day - 3

Article from May 31, 1888 Union Record (Union, Missouri) Gar, Franklin county history

In honor of Black History Month, I decided today to take a trip to the cemetery where those colored soldiers were buried to pay my respects. This cemetery has been in use since the town was founded in the 1820s. The cemetery has been called by a few different names over the past years. In the newspaper, it was called "Old Cemetery". Locally, it was known as First (or Old) Union Cemetery, since it was the first cemetery. Then in 1848, the cemetery was transferred from Dr. Elijah McClean to John G. Chiles. It was sometime after that when it became known as Chiles Cemetery. There is now a sign at the entrance to the cemetery that says "Chiles Cemetery", but most locals still know it as Old Union Cemetery.

Chile's Cemetery 17 Feb 1955, Thu Franklin County Tribune (Union, Missouri) Newspapers.com

The cemetery is divided into two sections: the colored section, which is still in use today, and the white section, which supposedly hasn't been used since around the 1870s when John Buck purchased land to be used as Odd Fellows Cemetery, which is now known as the current Union Cemetery.

Chiles Cemetery
Image from Google Maps

I had never been to this cemetery before so I brought the President of the Franklin County Historical Society, Lynn Wagner with me. To my surprise, when we arrived I barely saw any headstones. When I looked up information on Find a Grave for this cemetery, it claimed they had almost 200 burials. Lynn and I saw maybe 20-25 headstones, and the majority of the older ones were completely unreadable. I was so disappointed. If I had more time, I would research the interments at this cemetery. That will have to wait. 

I also talked with Kara, another Franklin County Historical Society member. She grew up in the area and was familiar with the cemetery. She said the part closer to the road was the colored cemetery, and the area further back was the white Cemetery. She also told me there were probably more headstones in the wooded area behind the cemetery, which doesn't surprise me. As Lynn and I looked around, some headstones were right on the tree line and we had speculated the same thing. Another local historian, Frank Jenny, also provided information about the transfer of the cemetery from Dr. McClean to Mr. Chiles.

As you can tell my pursuit of these graves was unsuccessful. I plan to contact the Franklin County Cemetery Association for information regarding some headstones damaged by a tree trimming incident. For now, I will move on to the next cemetery on my list: Union Cemetery also known as Odd Fellows Cemetery on Washington. 

Below are some of the photos Lynn and I took at Chiles Cemetery. The links to the Find a Grave Cemetery Listings are also provided. 

Can you identify any names?

Photo by Lynn Wagner

Find a Grave Links

Even though some cemeteries are technically the same, there are separate cemetery pages under different names with other memorials.  

First Union Cemetery

Chiles Cemetery

Franklin County Poor Farm Cemetery

Dad's Vietnam Collection on Display at the History Fair

Photo Credit: Jen Rickards

October is Family History Month, and it's been a busy month. On October 6, the Franklin County Historical Society held its Annual History Fair at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Union, Missouri. I've had the privilege of having a booth set up for a few years now, but this year's fair was very special.

I teased my display on Instagram for about a month before the fair to drum up interest. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Auntie Jen (@auntiejen82)

Since my dad passed away back in 2021, I've been working hard going through his stuff to preserve it before Mom sold their house. I knew about some of my dad's Vietnam collection from when I was a kid. He allowed me to display a few items from his service in the military at a school event. But going through Dad's stuff led me to find more than I expected. When my Uncles cleaned out one of my dad's sheds in the backyard, they uncovered a box of Vietnam stuff including tools, pouches, clothing, and more. The box was falling apart from the rain that leaked into the shed through the years. I was excited to go through the items, but sad at the same time cause I wished Dad was still here so we could go through it together. Since he wasn't, I was left to go through it all alone. And when I did, I got a little surprise.

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Watch me get a surprise from a little friend

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It was so nice of him to drop by. Unfortunately, he left behind a mess that I had to clean up. And he destroyed a few items. But now it's all protected and safe. But that wasn't the last of the items that Dad had kept. Sometime later, My Dad's brother, Uncle Marty, contacted me and told me he found some of Dad's uniforms in his shed. WHAT?! So he brought that over for me to put with Dad's collection. But we still weren't done. Just this past year, my cousin had been cleaning out the lake house told me she found Dad's foot locker! Holy cow!! She asked if I still wanted it and you can guess my answer. OF COURSE! This would be the perfect way for me to display Dad's collection for the history fair. Now, having all this together, it was time to figure out how to display and label the items. Thanks to my wonderful hubby, he was able to get some plexiglass from work for me to lay over the top of the footlocker to keep items from being touched, taken, or damaged. Also, thanks to the Historical Society for lending me one of their mannequins for my dad's uniform. In the end, the display looked amazing.

Photo Credit: Jen Rickards

I wished Dad could have been here to see my display. But as I told my Aunt Patty, if Dad had been here, I wouldn't have had this opportunity to display his collection. Dad kept his collection to himself, and wouldn't even talk about Vietnam except on rare occasions. And on those occasions, I was able to record his voice. I put together a slide-show video to share.

I am so blessed I was able to put his collection on display for others to see. My favorite part of the day was when a young boy, about 12 maybe, came to the history fair specifically to see this display. He was really into the memorabilia from the period and was even dressed in a replica uniform. I pulled items out so he could hold them and touch them. He even wanted his picture taken with the display. Dad would have been so happy to see this.

Something that surprised me, although it shouldn't have, was how many people were surprised to see a Vietnam display. It's no shock to anyone how controversial the Vietnam Conflict was and still is to this day. The war was not supported by the American people and soldiers were treated like scum. When they came home, they were not given a Welcome Home celebration like other wars in the past. They were insulted, ridiculed, rejected, and more. So when you see a Vietnam veteran, thank them for their service and tell them, "Welcome Home."

With more recognition being given to the soldiers who fought in Vietnam, I hope we will start seeing more displays and more veterans who are willing to share their stories. Don't forget, that March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Franklin County History Fair. And to everyone who stopped by to see my display. I wish Dad could have been there. 

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Watch my Facebook Reel from the History Fair

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Sources:

https://vva.org/

http://vietnamgear.com/

https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2545524/nation-observes-vietnam-war-veterans-day/

Applying for a Social Security Number with no Birth Certificate?

     I know you are looking at this title and thinking, "How does someone not have a birth certificate or access to one these days?" And you would be right to think that. But back in 1884/1885 when my 2nd Great-Grandma, Oma Mae Dennis was born, they didn't issue certificates like today. You were lucky to have any proof of when you were born. So if you don't have a birth certificate, how do you apply for a Social Security Number to receive benefits? That was the question I asked myself and my trusted Genealogy Facebook group GAA (Genealogy Addicts Anonymous). With everyone's help and my own research, we came up with some answers. Let's get into it.

History of Birth Certificates

    First, let's start with some history about Birth Certificates. Would you believe that the recording of births was not standardized until around the 1930s? Before then, it was up to the local counties and churches to keep their own records. And their records were only as good as the people providing the information. You see, most births occurred at home with a midwife (or doctor sometimes) present. Only if a child was baptized in the church would it be recorded. If, by chance, the doctor was present, he would record this information in his notes and give it to the county. Otherwise, it was still up to the family to report the birth to the county. 
    As you can see, there would be plenty of chances for a birth to not be recorded. The only other way to know a child had been born to the family was through Census records. The government began conducting censuses of the population in 1790, but the information was not very detailed until the 1850 census.  Even so, it wasn't until 1902 that Congress enacted a legislative bill for the Census Bureau to have a permanent office within the Department of the Interior. This is when the recording of Vital Statistics would start to become more standardized.

Accordingly, in 1902, when the U.S. Bureau of the Census was made a permanent agency of the federal government, the legislation authorized the director of the Bureau to obtain, annually, copies of records filed in the vital statistics offices of those states and cities having adequate death registration systems and to publish data from these records. A few years earlier, the Bureau had issued a recommended death reporting form (the first “U.S. Standard Certificate of Death”) and requested each independent registration area to adopt it as of January 1, 1900. Those areas that adopted the form and whose death registration was 90 percent com plete were to be included in a national death-registration area that had been established in 1880. In 1915 the national birth-registration area was established, and by 1933 all states were registering live births and deaths with acceptable event coverage and providing the required data to the Bureau for the production of national birth and death statistics. - National Library of Medicine 1

    Since many wouldn't have had birth certificates when the Social Security Administration went into effect, I knew there had to be some information provided to the public telling them what they needed to do. I came across an article published by Good Housekeeping in September 1942. Many soldiers were having trouble registering for the military in World War II because they didn't have proof of their birth in the United States. So Good Housekeeping wrote an article on the importance of having a Birth Certificate and how to get one. 

Good Housekeeping
September 1942
Page 32
Cornell University Library

No Birth Certificate: Now what?

    My 2nd Great-Grandma, Oma Mae Dennis was not issued a birth certificate in 1884/1885. So that was an issue. So I began to look at other options for proof of birth for her. 

Birth Registers - If you were lucky, your ancestors lived in or near a big city. This would give you more of a chance to find a register of births. For the city of St. Louis, Ancestry.com has birth registers going back to the 1850s. Below is a birth register for my Great-Grandpa Joseph Ilg. He was born in 1899 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Missouri, US, Birth Registers
St. Louis, Missouri
Ilg, John (Joseph)
Ancestry.com

Church Registers - Another option was locating the church the family attended. Odds are you will find a baptismal register if the church conducted baptisms. Below is a baptismal register for the same Great-Grandpa above, Joseph Ilg. The family attended St. Boniface Church in Carondelet, Missouri. This register was not on Ancestor nor was it with the church. The copies were held at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters. Not all registers will have a birth date listed, but this one register had a column for birth dates.

St. Boniface Church
Baptismal Register
St. Louis County Library Headquarters

Family Bibles - During my years of research, I learned that Bibles were considered a primary source of birth, marriage, and death information. The majority of the time this was the only record that proved when an ancestor was born. This was foreign to me as my family did not keep records that way. My mom and my grandma kept little date books. While going through boxes, I was fortunate to locate a datebook belonging to my 2nd Great-Grandma, Pauline Ilg. She kept records of all her children's births and deaths, plus marriage and immigration information. Below are images of a family bible from the Wheeler Family and Grandma Pauline Ilg's datebook.

Wheeler Family Bible
Births
Originals Held by Kyle Smith (Cousin)

Family Date Book
Ruth Wheeler Collection

Delayed Birth Certificate - I first learned Bibles could be used as a primary source when I located a Delayed Birth Certificate for my Great-Grandpa James B. Wheeler. When the registration of births started to become more standard and it was more necessary to show proof of birth, the Delayed Filing Registration came about. This was especially the case when the Social Security Administration began requiring proof of birth in the United States before they would issue a Social Security Number and offer benefits. Below is the Delayed Birth Certificate for Great-Grandpa James B. Wheeler. Notice the evidence supplied to prove his date and location of birth.

Tennessee, US Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909
Birth Certificates, April 1878
James Benjamin Francis Wheeler
Ancestry.com

    Once I learned about Delayed Birth Certificates, I assumed that was what my 2nd Great-Grandma, Oma Mae Dennis, used to obtain a Social Security Number. This was the #1 suggestion from the members of the GAA Facebook group. I poured over all the Delayed Birth Certificates issued in Tennessee the year she was born with no luck. I even checked years before and after just in case the year was recorded wrong. There were some discrepancies about her birth that I won't get into right now, but unfortunately, this didn't clear them up.

No Delayed Birth Certificate: Strike two!

    So my question was, "How was she able to get a Social Security Number?" This is what I posted in the Facebook group. Among the people who commented were some past employees of the Social Security Administration. They provided excellent information regarding what they were allowed to accept as proof of birth.

Comment from member of GAA

    I also checked Newspapers.com for any articles about applying for Social Security Benefits. To my surprise, there were a few articles. They provided details on how to apply for benefits and what forms of identification they would accept.

The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune
(Chillicothe, Missouri)
9 Aug 1965, Mon · Page 7
Newspapers.com

The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune
(Chillicothe, Missouri)
9 Aug 1965, Mon · Page 7
Newspapers.com

So What Did She Use??

    I was hoping when I sent off to get her original application from the Social Security Administration, it would provide the forms of identification she used to get a Social Security Number and collect benefits but it did not. It makes me question what she actually used because the birth information listed on the application, the one SHE filled out, was wrong. Granted, the documents and sources I collected are a little sketchy. Her death certificate had a birth date of January 11, 1884. The original court records of her adoption (yes, she was adopted) state her birth date being January 11, 1885. Then the Social Security Application has her birth date as January 11, 1889. 

    According to the newspaper articles, Oma could have used her marriage records and/or divorce records to prove her age. That would be the only thing to my knowledge that should have had in her possession unless they got access to census records, which is also possible. So to be frank, I have no clue what she used, but whatever the case, she did get a Social Security number and collected benefits.

Do you have an interesting story about getting a Social Security number? I've surely read a few thanks to the GAA Facebook group. Share yours in the comments. Also if you have any questions about this topic, post them in the comments as well. I hope you learned something new after reading this. If you did, let me know. 

I'll end this post with a funny article I came across while researching this topic. Apparently, more women were not honest about their ages than I originally thought. So much so, that an article was published about it when it came to collecting social security. 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(St. Louis, Missouri)
26 Mar 1950, Sun · Page 1
Newspapers.com

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Sources:
1: National Research Council (US) Committee on National Statistics. Vital Statistics: Summary of a Workshop. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2009. B, The U.S. Vital Statistics System: A National Perspective. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219884/

2: United States Census Bureau, History: Census History Staff, Revised December 14, 2003 ("https://www.census.gov/history/www/reference/legislation/legislation_1902_-_1941.html": accessed 15 May 2024)

3: United States Census Bureau, Agency History ("https://www.census.gov/history/www/census_then_now/": accessed 15 May 2024)

4: US Birth Certificates, The History of Birth Certificates: US Birth Certificates Team ("https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/history-birth-certificates" accessed 15 May 2024

5: Brumberg HL, Dozor D, Golombek SG. History of the birth certificate: from inception to the future of electronic data. J Perinatol. 2012 Jun;32(6):407-11. doi: 10.1038/jp.2012.3. Epub 2012 Feb 2. PMID: 22301527.

6: John Waggoner. Key Moments in the History of Social Security, AARP, 11 Apr 2023 ("https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2020/social-security-history-timeline.html" accessed 15 May 2024)

7: Good Housekeeping. Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition and History. Hearst Corp, New York. Digital Copies held by Cornell University, Digital Collections, https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/hearth6417403