REGISTRATION OF SOLDIERS' GRAVES IS NOW COMPLETE

There are 648 Recorded Graves of Soldier Dead in Mills County Cemeteries. Final Report Gives War Record

Glenwood Opinion Tribune
September 28, 1939

It was in 1868 that General Logan, national commander of the G.A.R., issued his famous order "Number Eleven," calling for the observance of May 80 as Memorial Day, a day set aside down in the memory of those men who had died in defense of the union.  In its continued observance throughout the years, the civilian population has come to include a tribute to the soldiers of all wars, who sleep with the cemeteries in this land, or at the depths of the sea or in foreign lands.  The observance of Memorial Day was carried forward by the G.A.R. until 1920, when the responsibility of its perpetuation was handed to the men of the American Legion, who had served in the late World war.

The legion found records of soldier dead inadequate and started a program of graves registration, which was carried on for 15 years through volunteer work, but there was not a great deal accomplished.  In 1929 legislation secured in Iowa, created division of graves registration, as a part of the work of the adjutant general's office.  This work, carried on under this new office, was directed by W.F. Hathaway.

In 1935, Mills County American Legion secured funds from the soldiers' relief commission and employed E.R. Birdsall of Emerson, C.B. Day of Glenwood, and H.C. Slater of Malvern, for a few months and quite a little was accomplished.  Later a WPA project, sponsored by the American Legion was approved and became known as "The Iowa War Records Survey."  In January, 1938, H.C. Slater was certified for this work in Mills County.  The project was completed on Thursday of last week, September 21.

It is interesting to note what this project has accomplished.  The grave registration of soldier dead in this county, when this project was started-------soldier dead within the county.  All of these graves have been properly marked and there were seven markers erroneously placed on the graves of non-soldiers or deserters, which have been removed.

There are 38 graves of soldier dead within the county, which were previously unknown, unmarked, and therefore, undecorated on each Memorial Day, which have been added to the list, since this project was started in January of 1938.

Data and complete history, including dates and place of birth, death, cause of death, names of relatives, military history, location of graves, lot, cemetery and its location, and other interesting facts of soldier's life after war, found and recorded, is 94 percent complete.

Triplicate copies of each separate registration has been typed, one copy sent to the Historical building, Des Moines, one to county court house or library, and one to each legion post for those cemeteries in their vicinity.

This information was secured from old newspaper files, court house records, old histories and atlases, and some private interviews with relatives and old-timers.

These records have been bound and are a matter of public information.  The final report can now be seen on display in the office of the Glenwood Opinion Tribune and later, either at the court house or library.  Mr. Slater, who expresses his appreciation for the cooperation given him, by those who have made available records, and furnished such other information as was necessary, states that parties having additional information on the few in-completed cases in the report, have only to supply him with this and he will yet see that it is incorporated into the reports.