Tingley's American Legion was organized on August 5, 1920. Their Unit was No. 516 with 16 charter members.

John BOYD was named Post Commander; Robert G. HOGUE, Post Vice-Commander; Wm. S. BRECKENRIDGE, Post Adjutant; Clarence BISCHOFF, Post Finanace Officer. Other officers were: Ray GROUT, Master-at-arms; James RICHARDS, Historian; and Carl BALL, Chaplain of the Post.

Other charter members were: Allen AIKEN, Leon LUPHER, Robert McLACHLAN, Ralph MERCER, Earl ROUSH, Howard JOHNSTON, Roy SMITH, Clarence BRACE, and Carl ANDERSON.

It was decided to call the post "DEWEY" after Ed DEWEY, who was the first soldier from Tingley to give his life for his country in World War I. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed DEWEY [born January 6, 1894, Knowlton], and he died March 4, 1918.

NOTE: Edwin "Ed" DEWEY was with Company A of the 334th M.G. Battalion. He died of Spanish influenza at Camp Pike, Arkansas, and was interred at Tingley Cemetery.

The first meeting place of the Tingley American Legion was upstairs over the Tingley Bank on the south side of Main Street.

In February, 1946, the DEWEY Post had 60 members and was the successful bidder at $301 for the old depot building (from the defunct Burlington Railroad Line in Tingley) to be used as a Legion Hall. In April, the Tingley Legion Post had a carnival at the Community Hall to raise money to remodel the old depot into a new Legion Home. A stage show started the evening's enertainment. Net proceeds were over $800. This building was used as a Post meeting place until 1968 when it was sold to Allyn JARRED, and the proceeds were used to help remodel the Community Building.

  Tingley's DEWEY Post is not as active as it has been in the years past, but each year on Memorial Day the Legion men go to Eugene, Johnston, and Tingley Cemeteries to honor their dead comrades. A flag is placed on each veteran's grave in the Tingley Cemetery on Memorial Day. They are placed there by Don KINNE in the morning and removed in the evening by Harold GROUT.

Sergeant of the Color Guard is Clare JOHNSON. The flag bearers are Roger MORRISON and Bernard HULL. Color Guard Loren IBBOTSON, Lloyd WEEDA, Jack ENGLAND, and Donald GROUT, take aim and fire the Salute. A short Memorial Address is given at the cemetery before the Auxiliary members decorate the graves with memorial poppies. Keith LININGER is Post Commander at the present [1983] time.

Memorial Day Monday dawned cloudy and with occasional short showers, as if nature was uniting in mourning and weeping in honor of the nation's dead: but by 10 o'clock, the time for the parade to the north cemetery to start, the skies cleared. Plenty of conveyances (horse and buggies) were present to take all who cared to go to the cemetery, but the old soldier boys insisted on marching to the cemetery and back.

(Whenever possible, a martial band would be secured to lead the procession to the cemetery. If the horse-drawn hearse was not in use, the flowers were taken to the cemetery therein, thus adding impressiveness to the occasion. The children enjoyed walking in the procession to the cemetery. Whenever scouting came into existence in Tingley, the scouts led the old soldiers.)

The ritualistic services of the G.A.R. were given at the cemetery, the children decorated the graves, the parade formed and all marched back to the city hall where dismissed.

In the afternoon, the opera house was filled to hear the address by Col. David J. PALMER, who for 3/4 of an hour held the vast audience while he portrayed the stirring scenes of 1861-65 and also paid a high compliment to the mothers who sent their boys to the army in the days of 1861-65, and to the Spanish-American veterans. Then the old soldiers present - 17 in all - filed up on the stage so that the audience could see who they were. They were given 3 hearty cheers led by Rev. DULING. LINCOLN'S Gettysburg speech was read by C. C. BOSWORTH.

Tingley Vindicator, July 25, 1929

Tingley and vicinity paid homage to the last old soldier in our midst when David ZARR gave nearly 3 years of his young manhood in defense of his country and witnessed the memorable fight between the Merrimac and the Monitor in Chesapeake Bay, his reigment having been ordered to the support of the fortess there. He took part in many severe engagements, being wounded in battle near Charleston, South Carolina.

NOTE: David ZARR, son of Jacob and Betsey (MILLER) ZARR, was born April 14, 1843, Bedford, New York. He enlisted at the age 19 as a Private. He served with Company A of the 127th New York Infantry, mustered into service on September 9, 1862, and mustered out June 30, 1865, Charleston, South Carolina. He died on at the age of 86 years on July 20, 1929, and was interred at Tingley Cemetery. ~ U.S. Civil War Soldier Records &Profiles, ancestry.com

David ZARR and Martha E. KIRK were married in Warren County, Illinois, on December 7, 1871. Martha, the daughter of Edward and Mary Ann (STRUTHERS) KIRK, was born in Ohio on August 24, 1843, and died at the age of 61 years on May 27, 1905, with interment at Tingley Cemetery.

David and Martha were the parents of: Edward ZARR, born in Little York, Illinois; Charles H. ZARR, born April 4, 1876, Little York, Illinois, died 1945, Estherville, Iowa; Marie E. ZARR, born July 31, 1878, Warren County, Illinois; and David Leslie ZARR, born May 4, 1880, Warren County, Illinois, died November 8, 1962, Tingley, Iowa, interred Tingley Cemetery, married 1907 Bessie Fern LANE (1889-1967).

SOURCE: Tingley, Iowa Centennial: 1883 - 1983. Pp. 106-09. PSI, Inc. Belmond IA. 1983.
Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, September of 2011

Notes and transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2011