Memorial Day 1894
 
Garden Grove Express
May 31, 1894
Garden Grove, Iowa

There was a very large attendance at the Memorial Service Sunday at 11 o'clock. Before the service began the regular seats were all occupied, as well as the extra chairs and benches brought in for the occasion. The service was opened with an anthem by the choir, Miss Mattie MCKIBBEN presiding at the organ. The scripture lesson was read by Rev. GIBSON, and after a hymn by the congregation and choir, Rev. BEER offered a very eloquent and appropriate prayer.

Mrs. Anna WOODBURY then favored the congregation with an excellent solo, "Cover Them Over with Flowers" after which Rev. BENNETT preached a very able, eloquent and appropriate sermon.

After the choir and congregation sang "God Bless our Native Land," the benediction was pronounced.

The church was appropriately decorated with flowers for the occasion.

The Ladies Relief Corps was present in a body, and the following old soldiers were in line:

Sam HEATON. J. V. MCGRATH.
Newton HEATH. Henry FISHER.
Nelson MANCHESTER. Sam WHEELER.
L. P. RICHARDS. John BROWN.
Capt. SMITH. S. H. LANG.
Maj. MIDGETT. John JORDAN.
T. J. SHEFFER. Mandrew HOLLAND.
Nat WARRINGTON. W. H. WEBSTER.
S. H. BRILEY. James PAXTON.
Sam ATEN. John HITCHCOCK.
M. R. CHERRY. J. J. EVANS.
C. D. WHEELAND. Webb SULLIVAN.
Sam SHELINE. Joe CULVER.

Following ladies of the Relief Corps:
Eura SULLIVAN. Eliza JORDAN.
Kate MACY. Nettie WHEELER.
Lois ROYAL. May BROWN.
Adaline STEARNS. Nancy WHEELAND.
Elizabeth ATEN. Lucinda ATEN.
Anna ZOOK. Alice CULVER.
Rachel CULVER. Mary MILLER.
Docia STILES. Hattie WEBSTER.
Louisa HOLLAND. Jane BRILEY.
Minnie SCHNEFFER. Emma MALLETTE.
Mercy SMITH. Sarah BUFFUM.
 
Garden Grove Express
Thursday, June 7, 1894
Garden Grove, Iowa

MEMORIAL DAY.

A LARGE CROWD GATHERS TO HONOR THE NATION'S DEAD.

HON. GEO. VAN HOUTEN THE ORATOR OF THE DAY.

Last Wednesday was an ideal day for a holiday. The air was pleasant and yet not too warm for comfort and the roads were perfect. The spring having been so favorable for farming operations the country people were well up with their work and they turned out in large numbers and with the townspeople, made one of the largest gatherings ever in Garden Grove.

Long before the hour of opening the exercises, the Opera House was packed with people, even the standing room being taken. A large part of the audience were from the country.

The exercises were opened by the reading of the proclamation by S. H. AMOS, after which the choir gave a piece of music.

Mrs. L. W. SULLIVAN read an appropriate and well written article entitled "Memorial Day."

The Post Chaplain, S. H. BRILEY, then offered the invocation, after which Post Commander, S. H. LANG, then read a short selection.

He was followed by Miss Libbie NORTHRUP, who read the beautiful poem "Cover Them Over."

T. J. SHEFFER next read the following DEATH ROLL.

Jacob HENNING, Private Co. A, 34th Ia. Inf. Died Nov. 25, 1862.
Henry ARNOLD, Private Co. A., 34th Ia. Inf. Died Mar. 10, 1863.
Davis MACY, Private Co. A., 34th Ia. Inf. Died July 22, 1863.
Clinton SLOAN, Private Co. A., 34th Ia. Inf. Died -----.
Lafayette BURNS, -------. Died Aug. 14, 1875.
Hiram HINE, Private Co. A., 34th Ia., Inf. Died Jan. 22, 1879.
Isaac HELMICK, Private Co. A, 34th Ia. Inf. Died Feb'y 20, 1878.
C. P. JOHNSON, Capt. Co. A, 17th Ia. Inf. Died Apr. 12, 1879.
J. WORDEN, Private, 34th Ia. Inf. Died Oct. 13, 1864.
Elon D. CLARK, Private Co. A., 51st Ill. Inf. Died Mar. 4, 1884.
Robt. MCKINNEY, Private Co. A., 179th N. Y. Inf. Died Jan. 27, 1879.
Dan'l HINE, Private Co. L., 3d Ia. Cav. Died Nov 18, 1884.
Jno. LAMPMAN, Private Co. D., 4th Ia. Inf. Died Feb'y 7, 1862.
Lawrence SHAW, -------. Died July 28, 1879.
Nathan DIX, Mexican soldier.
Thos. LILLARD, Veteran of 1812. Died Apr. 16, 1881.
D. C. ROSS, 1st Lieut. Co. B., 47th Ill. Inf. Died Mar. 18, 1889.
Hiram WHITMARSH, Private Co. F., 24th Wis. Died Jan. 4, 1890.
Jos. ZOOK, Private Co. G., 209th Penn. Inf. Died June 27, 1890.
C. W. KING, Quartermaster Sergeant Co. L., 3d Ia. Cav. Died Nov. 10, 1891.
Jno. CULP, Private Co. I, 13th Ill. Cav. Died Dec. 7, 1891.
Michael SULLIVAN, Private Co. K., 25th Ia. Inf. Died Oct. 27, 1892.
The participants all sustained their parts well and even had the program ended here the audience would have been well entertained. However, it was merely introductory and after its conclusion, the Commander introduced Hon. Geo. VAN HOUTEN, of Taylor Co., who spoke for about an hour. Mr. VAN HOUTEN had been here before, having delivered an address before the Farmers' Institute last spring, and the people expected a good address from him and they were not disappointed. His lecture was not the "oratorial effort" so commonly heard on such occasions, but was a plain, straightforward address, delivered in a perfectly smooth and easy manner. He was listened to with the closest attention throughout. His effort was indeed worthy of the occasion.

After another piece of music the procession was formed to go to the cemetery.

Here the crowd seemed larger even than in town and after a short address by Mr. C. D. WHEELAND and Mrs. C. D. MALETTE and prayer by the Chaplain, the impressive ceremony prescribed by the order was gone through with and the grave of each soldier decorated with flowers.

Everything was quiet and decorous. There was no pause nor jarring in carrying out the program and everyone went home feeling that the day had been appropriately observed.

As Mr. VAN HOUTEN observed the veterans are passing away at an ever-increasing rate year by year and the line of the veterans was not long. The list of those whose graves were decorated and those who decorated them would be nearly equal and the feeble steps of some who marched showed that the list of the dead would ere long be longer and that of the living shorter. It will not be many years before there will not be enough veterans left to form a procession, but the day will never be forgotten.
Copied by Stacey McDowell Dietiker, December 30, 2003
 
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