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Wednesday, May 28, 2003

By Niki Campbell

It's not often that tracing genealogy is as easy as crossing the street, but that's all it took for Alan Wilson to connect with a Civil War-era uncle.

Wilson, 52, lives just steps away from the Zelienople Cemetery. Among the many veterans buried there, some dating back to the 1700s, is his great-great-uncle, Col. Joseph H. Wilson.

"I was pretty surprised to find out one of my ancestors was buried here," said Wilson, who discovered his uncle's final resting place five years ago while researching another relative who fought in the Civil War.

While the story of Col. Wilson may seem tragic -- he died at 42 without ever marrying or fathering children -- -- the native of Beaver County accomplished much in his four decades.

Educated at Jefferson College in Washington County, he took up the study of law and became Beaver County's district attorney. Later, he became a state legislator and finally the commander of the 101st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

On Saturday, under a sunny sky and surrounded by red, white and blue grave markers for the many veterans buried there, a dozen Civil War re-enactors and more than 30 others -- some of them Col. Wilson's direct descendants -- gathered for a memorial service at the cemetery.

The service was two years in the making for Alan Wilson, who had been piecing together Joseph Wilson's story with the help of a historian. And it came 141 years -- almost to the day -- after Joseph Wilson succumbed to typhoid fever while with his regiment in Virginia.

"It's so important to explore genealogy to better understand our nation's history," Alan Wilson said. "It helps us better understand why these men sacrificed everything for the freedoms we have today."

An important part of the memorial service was the participation of the 101st Pennsylvania Color Guard re-enactors, a group that includes about a dozen direct descendants of soldiers who were under Col. Wilson's command.

Fiercely proud and eager to talk about their ancestors' service in the Civil War, the re-enactors marched solemnly through the cemetery to pay their respects.

They come from all over Pennsylvania and as far away as South Carolina. They dress in authentic reproduction Union uniforms and carry a battle-worn U. S. flag that mirrors the one carried by the original 101st, right down to the 26 bullet holes shot through the original over the course of the war.

President and group historian Edward Boots, of Marion, played a pivotal role in getting the re-enactors together for the memorial. Boots is a descendent of the 101st's quartermaster.

Boots would go on to a busy weekend; he also helped organize several other tributes to Civil War veterans, including the dedication of a memorial to his ancestor.

At Col. Wilson's ceremony, Boots led the opening and closing prayers honoring "the man who bravely led our ancestors into battle."

The service included a reading of Joseph Wilson's biography, taken from the "History of the 101st Regiment, Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry," as well as a presentation of a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives honoring his service. It closed with a salute by the re-enactors and the playing of "Taps."

While not a member of the re-enactor's group, Alan Wilson is thinking about joining. "It was so wonderful to have them here," he said.

If he does sign up, he'll join a distant cousin, Dean Wilson. Dean Wilson has a special link to the colonel as well as a blood relationship: He is a descendant of the colonel's brother, John Hayes Wilson, who faced the dangers of the war zone to retrieve Joseph Wilson's body from Virginia and bring it home to Zelienople.

While the colonel rests peacefully in Zelienople, much of his legacy lives on in the Wilson family. Take, for example, the Wilson sisters from Wampum.

Eleanor, 75, and Hazel, 80, attended the memorial service with what turned out to be the most direct link to the colonel, his pistol and sword. The implements, wrapped in plastic grocery store bags, were the hit of the event as re-enactors and onlookers were eager to hold and photograph them.

Undaunted by the attention, the proud sisters kept a watchful eye on the items.

"These were passed down from our father and from his father," said Eleanor Wilson. "We are proud to have them and will make sure they stay in the family."

As the ceremony wound down and those in attendance crossed the street for refreshments at Alan Wilson's home, the re-enactors stopped at another grave site to honor another member of the 101st. Members of the group had found out just a day before that the man, a lieutenant, was also buried there.

"[The re-enactors] want to make sure they honor a member of the 101st whenever possible," Alan Wilson said. "It's very important to them."

Niki Campbell is a freelance writer.