At least a dozen veterans of the War of 1812 are buried in Lucas County, but the graves of only two --- Caleb Proctor in the Chariton Cemetery and Aaron M. Kendall at Greenville --- are marked with stones provided by the federal government. Other War of 1812 veterans buried in the Chariton Cemetery --- with civilian markers --- include Henry Younkin and Samuel Walthall.
The government got into the tombstone business after the Civil War when faced with the need to mark hundreds of thousands of graves in new national cemeteries. It soon became apparent that wood wouldn't do in the long run and the design for what still is known as the Civil War type --- upright, slightly curved top, white marble with a recessed panel where information is inscribed in raised lettering --- was adopted in 1873.
The use of this type of tombstone also was authorized to mark the previously unmarked graves of other veterans --- of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War and Indian campaigns. It wasn't thought necessary to inscribe "Civil War" on the stones that marked the graves of Union veterans, but abbreviations noting the conflict were added to the others.
The size of these stones was increased slightly during 1903 and, during 1906, a similar design with pointed top was authorized for Confederate veterans. The "Civil War" style also had been adopted for veterans of the Spanish American War.
After World War I, the "general" type of marker still in use today was adopted. Although similar, the recessed panel and raised lettering were eliminated, the amount of information about the deceased inscribed on the stones increased and symbols of faith were authorized for those who wished them.
+++
There's a footnote to Mr. Proctor's tombstone --- its placement bent rules in place at the time. These stones were intended to mark only previously unmarked graves, not to supplement tombstones already in place. But Caleb and his wife, Myra, already had a substantial marker when this one was erected and, although not visible here, his small white marble civilian headstone is immediately behind the military stone.
+++
Mr. Proctor was born Aug. 4, 1795, in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, according to his obituary, and served as a private in Capt. William Nye's company of Fairhaven infantry "in defence of our seacoast" during the summer of 1814 at New Bedford. He would have been 19 at the time. Both his obituary and official records show that late in life, when pensions were granted, he received one for disabilities incurred during that service.
By trade, Caleb was a mariner. According to his obituary, he "followed a sea-faring life twenty-five years, commanding a vessel most of the time." During his last years (1857-1884) in Chariton, he always was known as "Capt. Proctor."
On Aug. 24, 1834, when he was nearly 40, Caleb married Myra Sampson, 25, at Middleborough, Mass. They became the parents of four daughters, Eliza S., Susannah S., Abby K., and Myra S., before moving during 1849 to Berea, Ohio, now a western suburb of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County. They were charter members there of First Congregational Church. Daughter Myra died at Berea at age 4 on Aug. 31, 1849, and is buried in Adams Street Cemetery.
During 1857, Caleb and Myra along with Abby accompanied their daughter and son-in-law, Susannah and Isaac Kneeland, west to Chariton. Kneeland, a physician, dispatched in his quest for heirs two of the Proctor daughters who now would be considered shockingly young..
Isaac, age 32, married Eliza S. Proctor, then 15, on Oct. 12, 1851, in Cuyahoga County. She died at Berea on Aug. 17, 1852, of complications following the birth of a daughter, who survived. Almost immediately, Isaac married the second Proctor daughter, Susannah, also 15. She produced three surviving sons before dying in Chariton after giving birth to twin daughters during December of 1862.
A year later, on Oct. 7, 1863, Isaac married a 24-year-old widow, Eleanor M. (Brooks) Crawford, and by her had four additional children. After practicing medicine in Chariton for about 20 years, the Kneelands moved to Burr Oak, Kansas, where he died during 1886. Eleanor outlived him by 30 years, dying during 1917 in Oregon. The bodies of both Isaac and Eleanor were returned to Chariton for burial.
The Proctors' youngest surviving daughter, Abby Kingman Proctor, married Warren S. Dungan at Chariton on April 3, 1859. Dungan, an attorney, became one of Chariton's most prominent citizens, serving both in the state Legislature and as lieutenant governor.
Abby gave birth to seven children, but became critically ill when about 40 and died two years later, of "paralysis" and pneumonia, on Sept. 21, 1881.
Having outlived his children, Caleb Proctor died at Chariton on Jan. 22, 1884, age 89. He was, according to his obituary, "held in universal respect for the sterling integrity of his character, that he was a just and honest man is his highest and most eloquent eulogy."
Myra Proctor outlived her husband by several years before dying, also in Chariton, on Oct. 12, 1892, age 83.
No comments:
Post a Comment