A little Camp History - WordPress.comNovember 2015 A little Camp History This is an early photo of...

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

John T. Crawford Camp #43

Sarah A. Crawford Auxiliary

Kittanning, Pennsylvania November 2015

A little Camp History

This is an early photo of the Camp and Auxiliary

at the dedication of the monument to the orphans

of Civil War who lived in the orphanage in

Dayton, Pa.in June of 2002.

It was 25 years ago that the Sarah A Crawford

Aux 43 was re chartered in June 1990. In 1988

the Auxiliary ladies started to sign and join with

John T Crawford Camp. The David Star camp in

Pittsburgh Pa was our home base. The John T

Crawford (who was with the 63rd Pa. Reg.)

Camp 43 joined with the David Star Camp after

15 men and 15 women were signed up. We

(women) had our membership by Sept 1989

but it took Pa. Department until June 1990 for

men and Aug 1990 for Pa. Department Auxiliary

to come and re-charter the Camp and the

Auxiliary.

While both the sons and Auxiliary were still with

David Star Camp, the members were working on

putting up a tombstone for Marie

Tepe (Viviendier - Woman soldier in the Civil

War) at St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery.

On September 25 1988 it was placed in Carrick

Pa. This is Marie's photo of her tombstone.

Marie during the Civil War and Marie later in

life in 1890's at a reunion of veterans.

Meeting 2nd Sunday every month, 2PM Covenant Center, N. Water Street Kittanning.

Web Site - http://www.suvcwcamp43.wordpress.com





In 1992 National Encampment was held in

Pittsburgh Pa by the David Star Camp.

In 1993 in Washington DC we marched in the

celebration of the anniversary of the Grand

Review Parade with all Departments and

Nationals.

Our Auxiliary and Camp have been

remembering both ladies and men in Blue and

teaching the life of that time period 1861 - 1865

the home life, showing them off to war the men

and drummer boys, and ladies in blue.

There are 2 of our men playing in a 105th

Wildcat Band on original instruments

and now our Auxiliary's past Sec. for 8 years

plays on her Boxwood Clarinet

There were 6 members of our Camp in the movie

Gettysburg, and 2 with Gods and Generals

We have gone to schools to tell about our local

history and about Camp Orr training Camp in

Kittanning Pa near the Allegheny River.

We women had teas with fashion shops of the

1860's apparel and made quilts and worked

together to have

Rest on Arms Memorial placed at the Clark

House in Indiana, Pa. for the county's soldiers.

One of our women have portrayed and dressed as

Sarah A Crawford and shared about her life. We

women have done fashion shows, were

Laundresses with the 78th Pa. Inf. and portrayed

the poor widow in black forever.

In 1992 Harry Waltenbaugh built his cannon and

Harry Jr built the mortar and both were fired at

Fort Armstrong Folk Festival. Both Camp and

Auxiliary were at Freeport Pa with National

Little League Baseball Teams (Union boys in

blue playing Rounders which was the beginning

of baseball.

We observed Memorial Day by going to

the cemetery for fallen soldiers, the men fired

their weapons and playing taps in memory of

those Boys in Blue who had died in battle and

followed by the ritual ceremony of the

organization.

On Veterans Day we marched in the Parade in

Indiana, Pa. to remember all the living soldiers.

The drum and fife high school musicians

accompanied us in the parades.

Both organizations have individuals who

received 25 year pins this year to wear on the

badges. We have lost many sisters in death and

have a memorial to them on our web site.

We placed flowers on grave stones at grave

rededications for soldiers whose graves from

the Civil War 1861 - 1865 and dedicated

monuments in Kittanning Park, Camp Orr, the

training camp for the 78th Pa. Infantry and 103rd

Pa. Regiment, Dayton Orphanage in our local

area. See photo above with Auxiliary and Camp.

This past August at the Fort Armstrong Folk

Festival the women (as part of the Ladies Aide

Society) portrayed the 1860's women in her

parlor in her home as it would have been in the





1860's making supplies and necessary items for

the soldiers to be shipped to the soldiers.

Fort Armstrong Folk

Festival

The Sarah A Crawford Auxiliary 43 were part of

the annual Fort Armstrong Folk Festival in the

Kittanning park beside the Camps tent.

We made a ladies parlor the way it was in early

1860's during the Civil War with a spinning

wheel, oak claw foot dining table, 2 ladies

sitting chairs, one and 1863 original and one a

reproduction, 2 original chairs, a spittoon that

would have been used if a man came to visit,

our rosters to celebrate our 25th anniversary as

an Auxiliary and many photos, our auxiliary

quilt, and a period carpet on the ground.

We had many new visitors come to talk with us

and a few relatives came to visit a stereograph.

We sipped tea in our china cups and

had a good time sharing what women did to help

the Boys in Blue during this time.

In attendance to help were Peg Krecota, Trinette

Frerotte, Judy Peat, Shelly Krecota, Samantha

Eckler who dressed and donned the persona of

Sarah A Crawford

and shared her story with the public. We had a

visitor, Mr Jerry Lenevit who is a seasoned wool

spinner who was interested in our original

spinner and gave

Samantha some advice on a few things that need

changed.

Sarah had the opportunity to be in the red brick

house across the street and visit it. This is the

home that we believe to be where Sarah lived

with her

sister, Amanda between the years of 1910 -

1912, according to records in the Kittanning

Courthouse.









The passing of a great

Living Historian –

James Getty “Lincoln”

James A. Getty, 83, of Gettysburg, died Sept. 26,

2015 in Gettysburg.

Getty was born on Jan. 17, 1932 in Fairbury, Ill.,

the son of the late James Andrew and Olive A.

Getty. Getty grew up in Colfax, Ill., and

graduated from Colfax's Octavia High School.

He received his Bachelors of Education Degree

(Music) and his Master of Music Degree from

Illinois Wesleyan University.

Jim met his wife Joanne at IWU, and they

married on Jan. 19, 1952 in Grandview, Ill.

Getty began his professional vocal music career

when he sang for two summers with the St.

Louis Municipal Opera chorus beginning in

1950, just before entering college.





He served in the U.S. Navy from 1952-1956,

serving in the Korean War as a radioman on the

minesweeper USS Swift 122.

Getty taught high school choral music in

Lincoln, Ill.; St. Charles, Ill.; Old Greenwich,

Conn.; Annandale, Va.; Sandusky, Ohio and

Naperville, Ill. At the collegiate level, Getty

taught choral music at Lincoln College, Lincoln,

Ill.; Bowling Green State University (Firelands

campus); and the University of Maine at Orono.

Getty directed numerous church choirs

throughout his career, including the choirs at

Zion Lutheran Church in Sandusky, Ohio; and

Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church in

Gettysburg.

Jim and Joanne toured Europe on three occasions

with high school choral music students. The

choirs were composed of a 40-voice nucleus

from Getty's high school choirs, along with

select students from high schools across the U.S.

The choirs performed in Germany, Austria,

Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy and

the Netherlands. Getty's final two tours abroad

were with the American Youth Symphony and

Chorus.

Getty was the general manager at the children's

theme park Fantasyland in Gettysburg for several

summers before he moved to Gettysburg, in

1977 to start a small theatre called A. Lincoln's

Place. There Getty performed his one-man show

in a business that he and his wife created.

For the past four decades, Getty's full-time

vocation was the study and portrayal of Abraham

Lincoln. Over the years, Jim touched countless

thousands of lives with his vast knowledge of

all-things Lincoln. Getty would often present his

programs over 500 times each year to visitors to

Gettysburg, and to students in schools. Jim later

developed a leadership presentation specifically

for corporate executives and government leaders,

where audiences were able to capture the lessons

of history and apply them in today's business

environments.

Perhaps the signature piece of Getty's

presentations was the "press conference," where

"the President" willingly opened the floor to

questions from the audience. Many newspaper

and magazine columnists have written about

Getty's Q & A sessions. One wrote, "The depth

of his (Getty's) knowledge was astounding. None

of our questions had stumped him the crowd had

not presented him with particularly easy issues."

Getty delivered the Gettysburg Address at the

National Cemetery in Gettysburg each year on

November 19th for several decades.

Getty presented his program at the Reagan

Presidential Library, and had spoken before the

Indiana and Pennsylvania State Legislatures.

Getty delivered his Lincoln performances for the

Delta Steamboat Company's Civil War paddle

wheel cruises from 1994-2006.

Getty's voice is that of President Lincoln at the

Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Getty received the Meritorious Service Award

from the Grand Army of the Republic Sons of

Union Veterans in 2014. That year, Jim also

received the prestigious Nelson Current Award

from the Lincoln Forum.

Getty was a life member of Phi Mu Alpha Music

Fraternity, American Choral Directors

Association, Sons of Union Veterans, American

Legion Post #202 (Gettysburg), The Lincoln

Forum, Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania,

Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia,

Adams Country Historical Society, and a life-

and charter-member of A. Lincoln Presenters.

Jim was a member of the Gettysburg Travel





Council. He was a member of the Gettysburg

Presbyterian Church.

Getty is survived by his wife, Joanne; son,

Charles Andrew Getty (Amy) of Fremont, Ohio;

daughter, Margot Diane Good (Mark) of

Stoutsville, Ohio; daughter, Marla Suzanne

Getty of Powell, Ohio; and son, James David

Getty of Columbus, Ohio. Also surviving are

grandchildren, Michael Getty (Mary Beth),

Jimmie Getty (Holly), Robert Furgeson (step-

grandson), Jesse Poole, Kevin Poole (Ashley),

and Kathleen Lowe (James), as well as several

great-and great-great-grandchildren.

Getty was predeceased by his parents,

granddaughter, Joni Elizabeth Poole, and sister-

in-law Beverly Deterding.

Jim had a passion for Major League Baseball and

the Chicago Cubs. He enjoyed classical music,

his Navy buddies, college football, and a cold

bottle of Anchor Steam from San Francisco. And

oh my, how he loved the sweet smell of a new

car.

People who knew Jim Getty knew of his love for

his wife and his family. They knew of his love

for a great joke and storytelling. They knew

when he made a friend, he made a friend for life.

Here is the photo of the Aux and Camp at the

Slifer Mansion in Lewisburg with the 78th Pa.

men John Crawford Camp 43 and Auxiliary 43

at the Slifer Mansion in Lewisburg when Mr.

James Getty as President Lincoln was there in

the early 1990's. The Crawford men where the

honor guard for Mr. Lincoln where he dined and

had a speech for those in attendance. This photo

shows him on the porch of the mansion where

most are visible and Jason Krecota is behind

Mr. Lincoln (his drum can be seen behind Mr.

Lincoln's feet. The other auxiliary ladies and

camp men were there also. Bob Slifer was part of

the Camp 43 at that time and his ancestors

owned the Slifer home. It was an honorable day

for all.

Victorian Mansion pictured in Godey"s Lady"s

Book in 1862 Lewisburg Pa

Eli Slifer (1818 - 1888) became quite involved in

politics"Secretary of the Commonwealth

Pennsylvania in 1860"

Robert Slifer a member of John T Crawford

Camp #43 (SUVCW) Had is Family Reunion

June 26, 1993 James A Getty recreation of

Abraham Lincoln

The 78th Members of SUVCW from Kittanning

Pa were James A Getty Honor Guards

Program Designed by Betty L Cook (in blue

dress)





This photo below is from left to right Harry

Waltenbaugh, Jr., Clyde Thompson the bearded

gent of the 78th, Christopher, Jason and Darrin

Krecota, Mr. Getty, and Harry Waltenbaugh Sr.

This event was on June 26, 1993.

Some of the contingent that was present at the

funeral service for Jim Getty are pictured below.

Among these was Joe McShane from Camp 43

and his wife Cindy.

Alcola Park Event

The Sarah A Crawford Auxiliary 43 ladies took

part in the New Bethlehem historians debute of

their new book written about the soldiers from

northern Armstrong County and Clarion

Counties Civil War Solders who took part in the

Civil War. They gathered a lot of information

and photos about these brave Boys in Blue and

put together a very nice tribute to them.

Samantha Eckler, Trinette Frerotte, Peg Krecota

and Mindy Eckler all came and shared their

knowledge of what women's roles were during

this time at home and contributing towards the

battles along with the men. They showed what a





soldiers box from home would contain and how

it was shipped, including food. They showed the

clothing of the period and how women

maintained at home while the men were serving

their nation. Donned in patriotic flags and

colors, they had the fly decorated how it would

have been during the early 1860's. Samantha

donned the role of Sarah Crawford in dress also.

and told the public some things about hers and

Johns lives.

Sam McKissick and Richard and wife Ellen

Essenwein took part showing the weaponry of

the time and information about soldiers serving

from the Armstrong County area and answered

questions from the public. Below are photos

gathered from Saturday Sept 19 in the Red Bank

Park. The group of historians served us food

during the day and talked with the public about

their book. The historians gave the Auxiliary

and Camp a nice donation for our efforts that

day.

We enjoyed their company and glad to have

made some new friends. .





The Auxiliary

celebrates 25 years

Sarah A Crawford Auxiliary # 43 celebrated 25

years as an auxiliary at their last meeting. In the

photo are from left to right are Peg Krecota (with

25 years) Mindy Eckler, President, Trinette

Frerotte, VPresident,

Mary McKee, Judy Peat. Ellen Essenwein was

there but left before we took the picture. It is

good to serve the auxiliary with these ladies.

Ligonier Parade

October 10th

On Saturday, October 10th Trinette Frerotte,

Samantha Eckler, Peg Krecota, Mindy Eckler

and her husband Norm took

part in the annual Ligonier Day Parade with

100,000 in attendance. The crowds cheered

loudly and with great gusto

for the participants in the parade with marching

bands, drum and fife, bagpipers. antique cars and

tractors and fire engines with over 100

participating groups.

There was almost an electric feeling in the crisp

fall sunny shine day air! We visited a yarn shop

prior to the parade

and got our photos taken. Celebrating our 25th

year as an auxiliary and listed with the parade

participants in the magazine given

to the crowd, we were received warmly by the

onlookers and glad to have Norm walk with us.

Peg was dressed all in black mourning

Mr. James Getty, the Mr. Lincoln known well

over the past 40 years for his wonderful first

person Mr. Lincoln. We draped our banner in

memory of him as our CW brother from Camp

112 in Gettysburg. Samantha dressed as Sarah A

Crawford and shared Sarah's story to those who

asked. The Birden's CW drum and fife corps

walked behind us and marching to their music

was indeed a pleasure. Trinette was happy to

walk the parade route but by the end of the long

parade, we were all pretty much tuckered out and

welcomed a bench to sit on for a while. A good

time was had by all and a generous donation was

given to our auxiliary for our participation from

the parade committee!













Auxiliary Officers

The list of officers for the Auxiliary this year is

as follows:

Mindy Eckler, President,

Trinette Frerotte, Vice President

Shelly Krecota, Secretary/Treasurer

Trustees, Peg Krecota, Mary McKee

Counselor, Peg Krecota.

All were installed in Nov meeting and Shelly and

Peg to be installed at Dec. short meeting.

Veterans Day Parade

in Indiana

And on Nov 11th in Indiana Pa. our auxiliary

marched in the Veterans Day Parade with a good

crowd watching. Here a few photos pre parade.

Great grandpap John with Duncan (Shelly's

grandson) before he went into the wagon to ride

in. And Trinette and Peg before parade began. In

the parade were

Peg Krecota carrying the Auxiliary 43 flag,

Trinette and Mindy carrying the banner, Shelly

pulling the wagon with her grandson Duncan

riding in it, and Leah (Shelly's daugher) with

her son Landon walking in the parade under her

cape, Katie ( Chris Catalfamo's daugher) and

Mary McKee sitting watching the parade along

with John Krecota and Norm Eckler (Mindy's

husband)

watching the parade. No photos taken of group

while marching in the parade found yet.





The sisters of the Sarah A Crawford Aux 43

shared Veterans Day in Inidiana and Blairsville

Pa. by marching in the parade in downtown

Indiana and a windy high hill in Blairsville, Pa.

honoring nurse Mary Downey who is buried in

the SS Jude & Simon Cemetery along with her

husband Jacob who both served in the Civil War

as a nurse and a steward in a Catholic Hospital in

Chicago, Illinois.





An email from a passed on sister, Chris

Catalfamo to Mindy a few years ago asking if the

Auxiliary could do something to repair her

gravestone and have a ceremony to honor her as

a nurse in the Civil War. After a few years of

investigating Mary's history, a descendant of the

Downeys could not be located after much

research, but a ceremony was planned to honor

Mary and the sisters did such a service on Nov

11th afternoon. A ceremony was conducted by

the sisters and red white and blue flowers were

placed on her gravestone to represent the

auxiliary and a floral basket was placed on her

grave from the auxiliary. A GAR marker was

put by her gravestone with an American 50 star

flag. Words were shared by Shelly Krecota, an

RN nurse by profession about life and duties of a

Civil War nurse. Peg Krecota shared about Mare

Tepe who performed as a nurse also in her

viviendiere duties. Since we did not have a

descendant to ask permission to repair her

gravestone, we felt it was our duty to honor

Mary Downey for her service at this time..

Perhaps with this information there might be

someone who knows of a family member and

hopefully it can give us a bigger picture of her

life and family. A brief article was written in the

Indiana Gazzette and you can read it in the

Indiana Gazette web page and the Blairsville

weekly on line newspaper. .Mary was born in

1833 and died Sept 12, 1912.

Here are photos from the Mary Downey

ceremony on Veterans Day by the Auxiliary

Leah and Duncan being very still during the

ceremony.

The photo above is from L to R: John Krecota,

Norm Eckler, Mary McKee, Shelly Krecota,

Trinette Frerotte, Mindy Eckler, Peg Krecota.

Photo taken by Leah Freeman, Shelly's

daughter.









Remembrance

Weekend at

Gettysburg

A couple of the Camp 43 members along with

other members of the SUVCW attended the

events at Gettysburg during the Remembrance

weekend. Among these were Joe Rupp, Joe

McShane, and Slim Bowser.

Question from the last

meeting

Do you know who was the “last surviving

soldier” of the Civil War from your county?

Sad news to report

We received the following message from Mindy

and Shelly recently:

It is with great sadness that our fellow sister,

Jane Jacoby, passed away on Monday,

November 23rd at the Communities at Indian

Haven.

After reading her obituary....this lady was a great

mentor and member of numerous organizations

and will be greatly missed. Her complete

obituary is in the Indiana Gazette.

Peg Krecota and Mindy Eckler went to the pay

their respects on Wednesday evening. After

speaking with the family, they are requesting in

lieu of flowers that our organization make a

donation in Jane's memory to the Indiana

Historical Society.

Sincerely,

Shelly Krecota





Flag Flying Days for

2015

The following list is the official United States

Flag flying days for the year 2014.

January 1 - New Years day

January 19 - Martin Luther King Day

February 12 - Lincoln's Birthday

February 22 - Washington's Birthday

May 8 - VE Day

May 10 - Mothers Day

May 17 - Armed Forces Day

May 25 - Memorial Day

June 14 - Flag Day

June 21 - Fathers Day

July 4 - Independence Day

September 2 - VJ Day

September 7 - Labor Day

September 11 - Patriot Day

October 12 - Columbus Day

November 3 - Election Day

November 11 - Veterans Day

November 26 - Thanksgiving Day

December 7 - Pearl Harbor Day

December 25 - Christmas Day

Information provided by Sue Bowser

Elected Camp Officers

Commander – Sam McKissick

Senior Vice Commander – Tim Nupp

Junior Vice Commander – Dan Klemens

Secretary – Richard Essenwein

Treasurer – Brian Barraclough

Camp Council – Michael O’Connell, Jason

Krecota, Joe McShane

Appointed Camp

Officers

Chaplain – Dan Klemens

Patriotic Instructor – Joe McShane

Guide –

Guard – Brian Barraclough

Color Bearer –

Graves Registration, Historian, Civil War

Memorials, Eagle Scout Coordinator –

Richard Essenwein

Signal Officer – Joe McShane

Auxiliary Officers

President – Mindy Eckler

Vice-President – Trinette Frerotte

Secretary/Treasurer – Shelly Krecota

Trustees – Linda McKissick

SUVCW website

Our new website is located on the internet at the

following address-

http://www.suvcwcamp43.wordpress.com

Please visit this site when you can.

The Sarah A Crawford website –

http://sarahacrawfordaux43.wordpress.com/

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War –

National Website -http://www.suvcw.org/

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War –

Pennsylvania Department Website -

http://pasuvcw.org/

http://sarahacrawfordaux43.wordpress.com/

http://www.suvcw.org/

http://pasuvcw.org/





Scheduled Meetings

Regular Monthly Meetings (2:00 PM):

January 11th

February 8th

March 8th

April 19th

May 17th

June 14th

July 12th

August 9th

Sept. 13th

October 11th

November 8th

December 13th

Date post:	26-Sep-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	2 times
Download:	0 times

A little Camp History - WordPress.comNovember 2015 A little Camp History This is an early photo of...

Documents