Taps at the Oysterville Cemetery, 2014

Yesterday afternoon I spent re-reading Aunt Kate’s Diary. It seemed fitting, somehow.

The morning’s festivities to celebrate Memorial Day had been perfect. As Pat McKibbin said afterwards, “Only in Oysterville.” We had begun at the cemetery with words by and about our veterans followed by prayers and taps; then to the church for a program of poetry and patriotic music by the Bayside Singers; across the way to fire off the cannon in memory of our loved ones; and over to the schoolhouse for a fabulous breakfast cooked on the spot.

Aunt Kate (who was my great-grandfather’s third wife and not an ‘aunt’ at all) grew up in Monticello, Wisconsin. By 1863, she was 25 years old, a spinster still living at home. Her 20-year-old brother David was a member of the 13^th Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteers and was stationed at Janesville, a distance of 30 miles or two days by wagon.

Jan. 6 – Made preparations for sending some things to David as Uncle Julius and Cousin Lydia think of starting for Fort Henry next Thursday. Selected the best of our onions, baked a pie, a soft cake, and a jell cake, cookies, done up some dried apples (sweet & sour), grapes, raspberries, blackberries, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, sage & sassafras butter, a pillow & pair of socks, Paper & envelopes & a package of papers, and butter…

Feb. 18 – …letters from David. The Reg. were back to Ft. Henry again. He saw quite a number at Donelsen in the 22^nd Reg. that he knew en route for Vicksburg…

Decoration Day 2014

March 11 – Pursuant to public notice the monthly meeting of the Soldiers’ Aid Society of Monticello Prairie was held at the Baptist Church…Mr. J. Hulbrant (the speaker from Tennessee) held the audience spellbound for nearly two hours by his glowing description of the sunny south. He spoke of the 13^th Reg. – the impression on his mind when first he saw them on dress parade, their morals, their prayer meeting, their rations & their Officers. He described the country, the rivers, the forts, the gunboats, guns & shells… Read a part of one of David’s letters where he spoke of the Reg. being in a skirmish & the way they tear down a fence…

March 29 – Heard that a Mr. Bunt of the 31^st Reg. is dead to be buried tomorrow…

Oysterville Church, May 26, 2014

March 30 – Uncle Julius, Cousin Chaunsey & Sarah Ella Searles & me attended the funeral. He was dressed in uniform with red, white, & blue flowers around the inside of the coffin. Meeting opened by the choir singing a piece of poetry – said to be dictated by the spirit of his little sister that died some years ago. Then a medium spoke about two hours – quite a pretty looking woman & one that had command of good language, a Mrs. Wiltse. Four girls dressed in blue followed the corpse… Part of the 22^nd Reg. have been captured.

April 7 – Finished piecing a block of the album for a soldier’s quilt. Met at Mrs. A. Hall’s to set it together. The blocks are filled out with pink, the blocks set together with green with pink squares at each corner of the block – a very pretty quilt. The boys of the district each paid 25 cts to get the lining cotton & the calico to set it together. Meet next Thursday at Mrs. Smith’s to quilt it & the boys that paid are invited to supper.

July 18 – Heard of the death of Eli Fitch who went as a Sharp Shooter, was killed at Gettysburg. His Capt. says he was one of the-bravest-of-the-brave.”

The day we now call “Memorial Day” and celebrate on the last Monday of May was established in 1868, five years after these diary entries.  It was called “Decoration Day” and the date chosen was May 30th — a time when flowers all over our country would be in bloom.  Aunt Kate lived until 1925 and, by my calculations, celebrated 57 Decoration Days during her long life.