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Sons of Union Veterans of
P. O. 24969 San José, CA

Progenitor of the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Founded in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) consisted of Union Veterans of the Civil War, joined together at first for camaraderie, and later for political power. By 1890 their membership had risen to nearly 410,000 veterans.

Membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Revenue Cutter Service who had served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865.

The community level of the organization was called a "Post" and each was numbered consecutively within each Department (generally a particular state). Most Posts also had a name and the rules for naming Posts included the requirement that the honored person be deceased and that no two Posts within the same Department could have the same name. The National organization was run by the elected "Commandery-in-Chief."

The GAR founded soldiers' homes, and was active in relief work and pension legislation. Five members were elected President of the United States and, for a time, it was impossible to be nominated on the Republican ticket without the endorsement of the GAR voting block.

In 1868, Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan issued General Order No. 11 calling for all Departments and Posts to set aside the 30th of May as a day for remembering the sacrifices of fallen comrades, thereby beginning the celebration of Memorial Day.

The final meeting of the Grand Army of the Republic was held in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1949 and the last member, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 at the age of 109 years.

The GAR's Department of California and Nevada was organized on February 21, 1868. Eventually there were nearly 200 individual posts throughout the Department. While the last National Encampment was held in 1949, the Department of California and Nevada continued to hold their annual Department Encampments into the 1950s.

The last member of the Department, William Allen Magee of Company M, 12th Ohio Cavalry, died in Long Beach, California on January 23, 1953 at the age of 106 years.

Following is a list of GAR Posts within the area covered by the Phil Sheridan Camp No. 4, SUVCW. Not all of these Posts would have existed simultaneously:

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The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a 501(c)(4) organization and is approved by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as an organization to which tax deductible gifts can be made pursuant to Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.

San Francisco County

King Starr Post No. 1

of

San Francisco

Lincoln Post No. 1 [also No. 2]

of

San Francisco

Sedgwick Post No. 1

of

San Francisco

George H. Thomas Post No. 2

of

San Francisco

Adm. Dahlgren Post No. 5

of

San Francisco

Presidio Post No. 11

of

San Francisco Presidio

James A. Garfield Post No. 34

of

San Francisco

Col. Cass Post No. 46

of

San Francisco

Gen. Meade Post No. 48

of

San Francisco

Liberty Post No. 133

of

San Francisco

George Sykes Post No. 159

of

San Francisco Presidio

Santa Clara County

Phil Sheridan Post No. 7

of

San José

San José Post No. 8

of

San José

Anderson Post No. 12

of

San José

John A. Dix Post No. 42

of

San José

E. O. C. Ord Post No. 82

of

Los Gatos

McKinley Post No. 187

of

Palo Alto

H. W. Slocum Post No. 189

of

Mountain View

Col. A. G. Bennett Post No. 196

of

San José

San Mateo County

Gen. George S. Evans Post No. 72

of

Redwood City


Phil Sheridan Post No. 7 of San José
Grand Army of the Republic
Department of California

This Post of the Grand Army of the Republic was organized August 10, 1878, with the undermentioned Charter Members:

W. F. Ellis, A. M. Henkel, H. T. Welch, John White, Charles Smith, John S. Gessell, D. N. Haskell, J. B. Wright, L. L. Nattinger, D. M. Rodibaugh, F. H. Angell.

The original officers were: W. F. Ellis, Post Commander; L. L. Nattinger, Senior Vice-Commander; Charles Smith, Junior Vice-Commander; D. N. Haskell, Surgeon; Henry T. Welch, Chaplain; D. M. Rodibaugh, Quarter-Master; A. M. Henkell, Adjutant; F. H. Angell, Officer of the Day; John White, Officer of the Guard. The Headquarters are at Druid's Hall, where the post meets every Wednesday evening; the muster-roll now numbers seventy-four, while the officers for the current term are: A. G. Bennett, P. C.; L. L. Nattinger, S. V. C.; Daniel McGinley, J. V. C.; A. McMahon, Surg.; D. M. Rodibaugh, Chap.; L. Finigan, Q. M.; H. S. Foote, Adj.; L. W. Denan, Officer of the Day; M. Costello, Officer of the Guard.

From History of Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco. Alley, Bowen & Co., 1881, pp 498-499.


 

Copyright © 2001-2009 — Phil Sheridan Camp 4, Dept. of CA & Pacific, SUVCW
Created 8 Apr 2001; Revised 30 Sep 2009

Webmaster: Tad D. Campbell, PDC

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