Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, October 4, 2019 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War perform dedication ceremony at Riverside By Mark E. Vogler he crowd paused for several poignant minutes of silence as they paid their respects to long departed Saugonians who served their country more than a century and a half ago. Four people representing Saugus American Legion Post 210 and Saugus Veterans of Foreign War Post 2346 went to the lectern to read the names of the 138 soldiers and sailors who enlisted from the town for T duty in the Civil War. “For some of these heroes from Saugus, it will be the fi rst time that their names have been read out loud in over a hundred years,” said Edward J. Norris, commander-in-chief of the National Organization of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. “We are here to honor their memory and let the world know that they and their sacrifi ces are not forgotten,” he said. Norris served as master of $2.55 GALLON * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation ceremonies at the “Program of Rededication” of the General Edward Winslow Hinks Post 95 Grand Army of the Republic Burial Plot in Riverside Cemetery last Saturday. Men dressed in replica Civil War outfi ts – led by an honor guard of the 1st Military District Sons of Veteran Reserve – marched into the entrance of the Civil War Burial Plot. Some of the men in the march carried replica rifl es. There was a bugler and a drummer in the parade. A large group of students in the Belmonte Middle School waved their miniature American fl ags as the procession passed. Legal heir and successor Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lein * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 Lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net to the G.A.R. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a fraternal organization headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., that is dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of veteran heroes who fought and worked to save the Union during the American Civil War. The group, which was organized in 1881 and was chartered by Congress in 1954, is considered the legal heir and successor to the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). The G.A.R. was a fraternal organization comprised of veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marines and Reserve Cutter Service (Coast Guard) who served in the Civil War. At its peak, there were 410,000 G.A.R. members in posts scattered across the country in 1890. That was also a high point for Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies. With the death of its fi - nal member in 1956, the G.A.R. dissolved. The Sons now carries on some of the traditions of the G.A.R., including the dedication ceremonies of Civil War Burial Plots, like the one last Saturday. “This may be the only ceremony done here in decades,” Norris said in an interview last Saturday. “But we probably do three or four of these in Massachusetts a year.” There are more than 7,000 members across the country, covering every state. There’s a camp in London, and some members live in Canada, according to Norris, who lives in Lancaster. Members of the Sons must be able to race their family ties back to Civil War veterans. “You can join as an associMASTER OF CEREMONIES: Edward J. Norris, commander-inchief of the National Organization of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, presides over the G.A.R. Burial Plot at Riverside Cemetery last Saturday. (Saugus Advocate photos by Mark E. Vogler) ate. I joined in 2004 and it took me 18 months to fi nd a relative. Once I did, I applied for full membership,” Norris said. “My lineage to the Civil War was with second-great-granduncles. They were my secondgreat-grandmother’s brothers – four of them. Three served in Maine regiments, one served in a Wisconsin regiment. He moved to Wisconsin to be a logger,” Norris said. “We still have what’s considered ‘real sons.’ These are people who are still living whose fathers served in the Civil War. The last Confederate ‘real son’ just passed away about a week ago,” he said. “We still have three real sons left. They’re all in their 90s and two of them are brothers.” So, what determined who was buried in the G.A.R. Burial Plot in Riverside Cemetery? Norris said there was no special criteria for the 25 men who are buried in the plot. He said the majority of Civil War soldiers preferred to be buried in family plots. “They may not have any other plot, so that’s why they were placed here. And they could have requested to be buried here,” he said. “Our ceremonies – like what we did today – date back to the G.A.R. post. The last Civil War veteran that died was in 1954,” he said. Saugus fi refi ghter thankful smoke detectors were working when fi re broke out in his basement F ire officials are crediting a smoke detector for a quick knockdown of a fi re in the home of an on-duty Saugus firefighter early yesterday. The unnamed fi refi ghter was on the scene with Engine 1 and able to quickly extinguish the basement fire that was spreading up the stairs, according to a report on the Saugus Firefi ghters Local 1003 Facebook page. “Luckily for his family they had working smoke detectors in their home and the doors to the basement and bedroom were closed which helped prevent the spread of this fi re and everyone was able to get out safely,” the report said. The firefighter went onto the Facebook page to express his gratitude. “I thank God profusely that everyone is safe,” the firefighter said. “Doing this job, you never think that this would happen to you. Smoke Detectors Save Lives!”
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