Ashland man recalls history of his great-great-grandfather, a Civil War veteran
ASHLAND — Jeff Hendershott became a Civil War reenactor years before he learned he had a family tie to the war.
Hiram Bell, his great-great-grandfather, fought for the Union from 1861-65 as a member of the 64th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company A.
Bell saw action in many of the most famous battles of the war, including Shiloh, Corinth, Stones River, Chickamauga and Atlanta.
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While Hendershott, 64, later researched the era, he gives credit to others for much of the information he has learned.
"Genealogy's just not up my alley," the Ashland man said. "You've got to have incredible patience.
"I cherry-picked off my cousin and my uncle. They did all the heavy lifting on my mom's side of the family."
Hiram Bell enlisted in Union army in 1861
Bell enlisted in the Army in 1861 in Mansfield. He entered the military as a private and mustered out as a sergeant. Bell was discharged in Victoria, Texas.
In flipping through some photos, Hendershott came across a portrait of Bell, taken when he was probably in his 60s.
"I can see my grandmother, and I can see my Uncle Roger, who did all the legwork on our family history," he said of Bell's eyes and nose. "That's what brings it home. It really wasn't that long ago, if you think about it."
Bell was a pipe-fitter by trade and returned to Ashland after the war. From then until his death, there is a large gap in the understanding of his life.
"A couple of things we heard, he would never go to bed before hanging his Civil War hat on the bedpost," he said.
Bell also reportedly suffered from stomach ailments for the rest of his life. Hendershott suspects that condition could have been tied to his military service, noting soldiers didn't have the best nutrition or water.
Hendershott didn't know when Bell died, until a friend called him out of the blue in 1991 and said he would pick him up, that he needed to see something. The pair drove to Ashland Cemetery, which is only a quarter-mile from Hendershott's home.
What did they find?
"It was the daggone tombstone," Hendershott said. It showed Bell died in 1918 at the age of 81.
Unknown person placed granite headstone at grave site
At some point, someone placed a rose granite headstone at Bell's grave, listing him, his mother and their daughter.
"We have no idea who did it, where it came from or who paid for it," Hendershott said.
Fast-forward to graduate school in 1995, and Hendershott didn't know a topic for his master's thesis at the University of Akron. His professor suggested doing a case study on the Ashland chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, Andrews Post. GAR was the first veterans' organization.
"What better way to finish up your schooling than to do something that is right there where you live and had an ancestor?" Hendershott asked.
The Ashland chapter met in a house on Arthur Street that still stands. A man who bought the property found some of the old meeting minutes, applications, bylaws and even a document with Bell's signature. Hendershott used that wealth of information to complete his thesis for his master's degree in American history.
He said his interest in history started in eighth grade when he had a teacher who was "really into the Civil War." The teacher even brought a replica musket to class and fired it.
"That kind of lit a fire," Hendershott said. "Maybe a year after that, we were on a family vacation in the region. My dad wanted to go to Gettysburg."
In 1988, Hendershott took his family to Gettysburg for three days.
"That's when the hook was really put in," he said.
He added many people became interested in the Civil War around that time because of Ken Burns' nine-episode documentary "The Civil War" and the movie "Glory" with Denzel Washington.
"It brought out whatever was dormant in me," Hendershott said.
Hendershott became Civil War reenactor
Becoming a Civil War re-enactor was the next logical step. Hendershott said he took part in his first such event during the early days of BalloonFest, Ashland's annual summer celebration.
He joined the 64th OVI in 1991. While he no longer participates in reenactments, calling those a "young man's game," Hendershott has maintained his interest in history, noting the Civil War's connection to Memorial Day.
The origins of Memorial Day can be traced to the aftermath of the Civil War. When the conflict ended in 1865, people across the country began holding ceremonies to honor the Union and Confederate soldiers who had been killed.
One of the earliest known ceremonies took place in May 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, where a group of freed enslaved people gathered to commemorate fallen Union soldiers buried in a local race course.
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The first national observance took place May 5, 1868. It was declared by Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic and was designated as a time to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers and to hold ceremonies to honor their sacrifice.
Over time, Memorial Day became an important national holiday, honoring all Americans who died while serving in the military. Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971. It is always the last Monday in May and is a time to reflect on the true cost of freedom.
Hendershott doesn't have any special plans for Memorial Day, but he realizes its significance.
"It means you're not just honoring the Civil War veterans. You're honoring everyone who came before and after," he said.
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This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Civil War veteran who fought for Union has ties to Ashland
