July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Ceremony set for Civil War KIA (2/23/05)
Soldier is reportedly buried at Jay Co. Retirement Center
By By Mike Snyder-
A ceremony to honor a Jay County soldier who was the last casualty of the Civil War will be held in May at his grave site at the Jay County Retirement Center.
The story of John J. Williams, a Union soldier who was killed in Texas about a month after the official end of the war, has been known locally for years.
But it was discovered only relatively recently that he is buried in small cemetery plot in the middle of a pasture northwest of the main building at the retirement center, located on county road 200 North, northeast of Portland.
Michael McBride, a local Civil War historian/re-enactor and member of the board of The Museum of the Soldier, told Williams’ story to Jay County Commissioners Tuesday, and asked for permission to hold a ceremony to honor the fallen soldier.
That ceremony will be held Saturday, May 14, at 2 p.m. at the retirement center. An open house will follow at The Museum of the Soldier, located on East Arch Street in Portland.
The ceremony, which will include the dedication of a new military headstone at the currently unmarked site, will be held 140 years and one day following Williams’ death in south Texas on May 13, 1965.
The public is invited to the ceremony, and an open house/reception will be held at the museum after the ceremony.
It was McBride who did much of the investigative work that led to the discovery last year that Williams was buried locally — and not in Louisiana, as thought for years.
Williams is apparently buried at the retirement center, originally called the Jay County Infirmary, because it is located on land once sold by his parents, Mary and John J. Williams Sr., in February of 1864 for construction of the infirmary.
Jim Waechter, president of the board of directors for The Museum of the Soldier, says he’s excited about having a piece of local history.
“(It’s exciting) for the whole county because he’s nationally the last recognized KIA (killed-in-action) of the Civil War. That’s a dubious honor ... but from the standpoint of the community, it’s a real piece of history,” Waechter said this morning.
Williams enlisted March 28, 1864 in the 34th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Company B. His unit was in south Texas on May 13, 1865 near Padre Island, at a location called Palmetto Ranche, when he was hit in the head by a ball from a Confederate gun. It was 34 days after the surrender of Confederate troops at Appomattox Courthouse, Va.
Also Tuesday afternoon, Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Faron Parr and Gary Theurer gave permission for officials from the county’s court system — Jay Superior Court Judge Joel Roberts and county clerk Jane Ann Runyon — to purchase a new server and personal computers for the court system.
A quote from Computer Systems Inc. was approximately $27,500 for the server and related equipment, while new PCs for superior court offices would cost about $3,000.
Roberts, Runyon and Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison said that the server, which is more than 10 years old, is no longer large enough or fast enough to be effective.
Funding for the purchases must still be approved by the Jay County Council.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners:
•Heard a request from two employees of the county health department that the county consider amending its policy on reimbursement of meal expenses. The current policy states that meals are reimbursed only when an overnight stay out-of-town is involved and then sets a limit of $15 per day.
Jim Waechter, county health coordinator, said he is often required to attend single-day training sessions in Indianapolis and is not currently reimbursed for meal expenses.
Also discussing the issue was county health nurse Linda Smith, who said she was asked to attend by Dave Houck, environmentalist/administrator for the health department.
Parr and Theurer said they would refer the issue to the county personnel policy committee.
Miller, who was not in attendance during the morning session when Waechter and Smith spoke to Parr and Theurer, said he was opposed to changing the rules.[[In-content Ad]]
The story of John J. Williams, a Union soldier who was killed in Texas about a month after the official end of the war, has been known locally for years.
But it was discovered only relatively recently that he is buried in small cemetery plot in the middle of a pasture northwest of the main building at the retirement center, located on county road 200 North, northeast of Portland.
Michael McBride, a local Civil War historian/re-enactor and member of the board of The Museum of the Soldier, told Williams’ story to Jay County Commissioners Tuesday, and asked for permission to hold a ceremony to honor the fallen soldier.
That ceremony will be held Saturday, May 14, at 2 p.m. at the retirement center. An open house will follow at The Museum of the Soldier, located on East Arch Street in Portland.
The ceremony, which will include the dedication of a new military headstone at the currently unmarked site, will be held 140 years and one day following Williams’ death in south Texas on May 13, 1965.
The public is invited to the ceremony, and an open house/reception will be held at the museum after the ceremony.
It was McBride who did much of the investigative work that led to the discovery last year that Williams was buried locally — and not in Louisiana, as thought for years.
Williams is apparently buried at the retirement center, originally called the Jay County Infirmary, because it is located on land once sold by his parents, Mary and John J. Williams Sr., in February of 1864 for construction of the infirmary.
Jim Waechter, president of the board of directors for The Museum of the Soldier, says he’s excited about having a piece of local history.
“(It’s exciting) for the whole county because he’s nationally the last recognized KIA (killed-in-action) of the Civil War. That’s a dubious honor ... but from the standpoint of the community, it’s a real piece of history,” Waechter said this morning.
Williams enlisted March 28, 1864 in the 34th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Company B. His unit was in south Texas on May 13, 1865 near Padre Island, at a location called Palmetto Ranche, when he was hit in the head by a ball from a Confederate gun. It was 34 days after the surrender of Confederate troops at Appomattox Courthouse, Va.
Also Tuesday afternoon, Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Faron Parr and Gary Theurer gave permission for officials from the county’s court system — Jay Superior Court Judge Joel Roberts and county clerk Jane Ann Runyon — to purchase a new server and personal computers for the court system.
A quote from Computer Systems Inc. was approximately $27,500 for the server and related equipment, while new PCs for superior court offices would cost about $3,000.
Roberts, Runyon and Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison said that the server, which is more than 10 years old, is no longer large enough or fast enough to be effective.
Funding for the purchases must still be approved by the Jay County Council.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners:
•Heard a request from two employees of the county health department that the county consider amending its policy on reimbursement of meal expenses. The current policy states that meals are reimbursed only when an overnight stay out-of-town is involved and then sets a limit of $15 per day.
Jim Waechter, county health coordinator, said he is often required to attend single-day training sessions in Indianapolis and is not currently reimbursed for meal expenses.
Also discussing the issue was county health nurse Linda Smith, who said she was asked to attend by Dave Houck, environmentalist/administrator for the health department.
Parr and Theurer said they would refer the issue to the county personnel policy committee.
Miller, who was not in attendance during the morning session when Waechter and Smith spoke to Parr and Theurer, said he was opposed to changing the rules.[[In-content Ad]]
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