Harold George  appeared in full Civil War uniform to present a video show and display of Civil War artifacts for the Summit County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society on Saturday, June 17, 2006.

George’s program was on "Men of the 9th Ohio: Civil War and Genealogical History of the 9th Ohio Light Artillery."

George spent eight years doing research on the men of Ninth Ohio Independent Battery of Light Artillery.His research took him to 78 cities in 14 states and more than 100 cemeteries. He was able to locate the graves of 192 of the 240 original members of the battery and was responsible for obtaining grave markers for thirteen men of the battery who had been buried without a headstone.

His slide show and counter exhibits showed ribbons given to those attending reunions of the Civil War unit. There were photos of officers, tombstones and reenactments in which the battery participated including the movie "Gettysburg" starring Martin Sheen. He discussed interesting sidelights on the filming.

Autographed copies of his two books on "Men of the 9th Ohio" and "Civil War Monuments in Ohio" were on sale at reduced prices.

George gave tips on locating civil war veterans’ grave sites and distributed

a "free" copy of his pamphlet on "How to Locate a Gravesite" to everyone present.

There were 30 members at the meeting. President Gerry Huhn introduced the nominating committee which will select nominees for 2007 officers. Huhn also presented a gift to Harry Liggett for service on the web site and electronic newsletter.

George’s tips on how to locate a Civil War veteran’s gravesite

This is a quick reference guide, designed to assist you in finding the location of veterans' gravesites.

Ohio Death Certificates
Before 1867 not required; however, it may be recorded in a family bible.

1867: Ohio makes it a law requiring that death certificates be issued and records maintained in the local Probate Court.

1908: State of Ohio begins issuing death certificates and maintaining records in Columbus,

Ohio Historical Society
In Columbus,  Ohio, at the Ohio Historical Society, a card file on microfilm is available It lists in alphabetical order the veterans who are buried in Ohio. It provides their branch of service,  unit assigned to, period of service and name of cemetery where the veteran is buried. The listing is based on a Boy Scout project from the early 1950s which involved a walk thru of Ohio cemeteries and the recording of data provided on the headstone (or in the cemetery records).  The listing is incomplete, but a good starting point if you are looking for an Ohio veteran.

Newspaper Obituaries
These are a source you can use, but newspaper obituaries did not become popular until th 1900s. Prior to that, only a few of the more prominent deaths were shown.

County Maps
These are a good source you can use to help you locate cemeteries. Most cemeteries are shown, but not all. Only a few rural or inactive cemeteries are shown, and no cemeteries that are on private property (i.e. farms).

Headstones
Some contain inscriptions that are weathered illegible. Also, some veterans have no headstone at all.

Local History Books
These are headstone inscription books that were published for some cemeteries.  They were written by “local historians” who walked thru their county cemeteries and recorded the data from the headstones. Of course, if there was no headstone, then it will not appear in the book.  These headstone inscriptions are available in the county library.

Census Records
Every then years, starting with the year 1790, the Federal Government has taken the U.S. census. The census is available on microfilm at the following locations (just to name a few)

•  Western Reserve Historical Society
• Ohio Historical Society
• Regional Public Libraries

Special Census - 1890
In 1890, a special census was performed after the regular census was performed, in an effort to identify those veterans of the civil war who were still alive in 1890. If a veteran was identified during this special census, the following was recorded;

•  Period of service; Unit; Rank; any injuries of wounds received during their service period.