The above link is to the WKYC-TV Channel 3 station in Cleveland and their report covering the event today of the addition of 107 names added to the Soliders' and Sailors' monument in downtown Cleveland.
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From the media press release about this event.:
"The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, which commemorates the Civil War and
honors the citizens of Cuyahoga County who fought and worked for the Union will hold a special
ceremony on Wednesday, June 19 at 11 a.m.
At that time, the Monument Commission will announce the addition of 107 names of United States
Colored Troop Veterans to the Monument’s Roll of Honor to the 9,000 names already enshrined. All
107 were from, or enlisted, in Cuyahoga County and more than 100 of these were African-American
veterans. The name of each newly added honoree will be read aloud at the ceremony.
The date June 19 was specifically chosen as it is also known as Juneteenth – or Juneteenth
Independence Day, or Freedom Day – a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865
announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally, the
emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America.
Today’s significant addition to the Monument’s Roll of Honor is the result of nearly 20 years of
painstaking historical research and verification work using modern methods.
It began in 2002 with high school history teacher Paul LaRue of Washington Court House, Ohio and
Mr. LaRue’s Advanced Placement History Class students.
One of the Class’s projects involved
research on seven USCT veterans buried in a Washington Court House cemetery. Their work led to
new government issued military headstones to be installed on the graves, rightfully honoring those
who fought for our country.
This success led the Class to continue its research on burials of other USCT veterans within the State
of Ohio.
Their work came to the attention of the Governor’s office, which issued an executive order to
provide copies of Ohio Civil War enlistment records to the Class.
As the Class continued its work, the
names of several veterans from Cuyahoga County were uncovered.
Jerry Young – a Monument volunteer at the time (and now a Commissioner of the Monument) –
learned of the Class’s work in 2009. Mr. LaRue graciously offered the use of the microfilmed records
to the Monument for continued research.
The Monument formed a committee for this work.
For nearly a decade, Mr. Young; Committee Chair Jon Silvis, and Executive Director Tim Daley have
conducted extensive research on behalf of the Monument Commission that has included factchecking; verification and re-verification.
Today’s ceremony is the culmination of the many years of hard work and dedication of an educator;
his students; the Monument’s historians and Commission; the State of Ohio and Cuyahoga County.
Today we add the names of 107 American heroes to their rightful place on the Roll of Honor of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument."
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