Photo by Deb Gau A new headstone was recently placed at the grave of George S. Mead, the last Civil War veteran buried in Lyon County.

MARSHALL — The last Civil War veteran buried in Lyon County will be honored in a ceremony later this month at the Marshall Cemetery.

George S. Mead, who died in 1941 at the age of 98, is one of three area veterans whose graves will be visited by members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The ceremony is part of an ongoing project by the SUVCW to find and honor the last Union veteran buried in each of Minnesota’s 87 counties, said SUVCW member Vern Barker. This month, Camp 56 of the SUVCW will pay tribute to Civil War veterans buried in Yellow Medicine, Chippewa, Lincoln and Lyon counties.

“Among the purposes of our order is the perpetuation of the memory of the men who saved the Union and honoring all who have patriotically served our nation in any war,” Barker said.

Ceremonies will be held for George Mead, as well as Ole Simundson of rural Yellow Medicine County, Benjamin Happy of Chippewa County, and Frederick Stricker of Tyler on June 21 and 22.

“If possible, we would like to invite any descendants,” to the ceremony, said Paul Bridgland of the Marshall Cemetery Association.

There are 94 Union veterans buried at Marshall Cemetery, said Lyle Moseng of the Cemetery Association.

“We know Marshall had a very active GAR post back in the day,” Bridgland said. The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization for Union veterans.

However, George Mead originally wasn’t on the Cemetery Association’s list of Civil War veterans — he had been buried without a headstone, in his family’s plot. The SUVCW and the Cemetery Association worked together to request a headstone for Mead.

Plans for a ceremony honoring Mead took more than a year to come together. Barker said Bridgland of had asked the SUVCW about a possible ceremony in Marshall in 2024. Barker started researching Union veterans buried in Lyon County.

“During my research I had documented 169 Civil War vets buried in Lyon County. There are likely several more we have yet to discover,” Barker said. “All indications were that George S. Mead was the last to be buried in Lyon County, as he died in Nebraska on April 14, 1941 at age 98. Is it possible he may not have been the oldest when he died, but year-wise we believe he was the last.”

An obituary for Mead said he was born in Shenango County, Ohio, and later moved with his parents to Wisconsin. Mead later enlisted in the Union Army, and served in Company B of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry. Two of Mead’s brothers enlisted with him, but were killed in action, the obituary said.

After the Civil War, Mead and a younger brother homesteaded east of what is now Marshall, the obituary said. Mead was a charter member of the GAR post in Marshall, and returned for Memorial Day services every year, even after moving away from Marshall. At the time of his death, Mead was living at the home of his son Wesley Mead in Deuel County, Nebraska, the obituary said.

George Mead is buried in a family plot at the Marshall Cemetery, next to his wife Catherine and his son Wallace.

“When we found out he didn’t have a headstone, it was something we wanted to deal with,” Bridgland said. “It mattered to us.”

The SUVCW started the process to request one to be supplied by the Veterans Administration.

“If we were going to honor him, he needed a marker for sure. He certainly had earned it,” Barker said.

The headstone arrived in Marshall in February. It was installed in May.

“We set the stone up so it would be in place for Memorial Day,” Bridgland said.

Mead isn’t the only Union veteran who will be honored by the SUVCW this month. Barker said the organization will also recognize the last Union vets to be buried in Lincoln, Chippewa and Yellow Medicine counties.

Tyler resident Frederick Stricker was the last Union veteran buried in Lincoln County, Barker’s research found. Stricker died Sept. 24, 1933, at the age of 92. An obituary for Stricker said he was born in Germany, and came to the U.S. at age 16. He was 20 when he enlisted in the Union army, the obituary said.

Stricker served in G Company of the Illinois 20th Infantry.

Ole Simundson, who farmed in Sandnes Township, was the last Union veteran buried in Yellow Medicine County. He died Nov. 16, 1931, at the age of 86. Simundson was born in Norway, and came to the U.S. in 1863. In 1865, he enlisted and served in Company D of the Minnesota 1st Battalion Infantry.

Benjamin Henry Happy was the last Union veteran buried in Chippewa County. Happy died July 10, 1938, at the age of 91.

Happy served in L Company of the Indiana 1st Cavalry, as a blacksmith, Barker’s research said. He was also listed as a prisoner of war on July 4, 1863, in Helena, Arkansas.

An obituary, which gave Happy’s name as “Henry B. Happy,” said he died after traveling to Gettysburg, Penn., to attend ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Ceremonies for Union veterans in Hanley Falls, Montevideo, Ortonville, Tyler and Marshall are planned for June 21-22 at area cemeteries.

A ceremony for Ole Simundson will be held at 1 p.m. on June 21, at East Yellow Medicine Lutheran Cemetery in Hanley Falls. A ceremony for Benjamin Happy will be at 3 p.m. in Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Montevideo.

On June 22, a headstone dedication will be held for Union veteran Cromwell Bullock at 10 a.m. in Mound Cemetery in Ortonville. A ceremony for Frederick Stricker will be held at 1 p.m. in Hope Cemetery in Tyler. A ceremony for George S. Mead will be at 3 p.m. in Marshall Cemetery.