Trenton Republican-Times, Daily, Trenton, Missouri
Friday, May 12, 2000
Civil War Soldier Is Honored In Ceremony Held Near Galt
by Diane Raynes R-T Editor
Surrounded by family members from four generations, along with friends from both far and near, Norma Holloway Waller sat quietly as a six-man squadron from the Missouri National Guard remembered the man whom Mrs. Waller had come to know very intimately over the past three years.
A gun salute, followed by the playing of "Taps,"began the ceremony that honored her great-great-grandfather George Leslie, a Civil War veteran and native of Grundy County, who is now buried in the Dillon Cemetery, northwest of Galt. The ceremony, held last Sunday morning, was the culmination of thousands of hours of work by Mrs. Waller as she accumulated information about her family history.
The search actually began when a cousin in Independence, Debbie Rogers, asked about old pictures Mrs. Waller's grandmother might have. Knowing of a picture box at her mother's house, Mrs. Waller, who lives in Richmond, and her cousin began looking at photos of their ancestors.
One that was found was a small tintype, identified only with a penciled caption, "Grandma and Grandpa Leslie." It was the missing piece Mrs. Rodgers had been looking for, a photo of her great-great-grandparents which were also the great-great-grandparents of Mrs. Waller.
According to Mrs. Waller, the photo prompted a search at the Independence Genealogy Library which yielded not only census information on George and Phoebe Chrisman Leslie, but information that George was a Union soldier during the Civil War. Fighting for the north, Leslie was a member of the 23rd Missouri Infantry, Company B and had fought at the Battle of Shiloh. Additional information found revealed that Leslie joined in the battle on April 6 only to be taken prisoner later that day following one of the bloodiest battles of the war. He was paroled later that year and mustered out in Atlanta, Ga. on Sept 22, 1864.
Mrs. Waller's search then continued in Trenton, where she visited the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library's genealogy section as well as walked several cemeteries to find out where relatives were buried. George Leslie had moved to Grundy County where he lived until his death on Sept. 24, 1895.
According to Mrs. Waller, the family had always believed George Leslie was buried in Black Oak Cemetery, just north of Laredo. But a newspaper article from the Sept. 25, 1895 edition of the Trenton Republican-Times revealed he was actually buried in the Dillon Cemetery. A check of those records found no George Leslie listed, but Mrs. Waller said the article indicated that a few of the headstones had been knocked over and that some were missing.
It was at that point, now August 1999, that Mrs Waller decided to contact the Veteran's Administration about getting a Civil War headstone for her great-great-grandfather. Information was taken and an order placed for the headstone, which Ms. waller was told may or may not be approved.
Just three months later, Mrs. Waller found herself the recipient of the headstone, which she knew could not be set during cold weather. Those months gave her time to plan last Sunday's ceremony, which was attended by over 40 relatives from Missouri and Kansas, many of whom had gathered in Trenton earlier that day to discuss their families and remember the man who brought them all together.
The ceremony concluded with the folding of an American Flag, which was presented by Chief Warrant Officer James Grey to Mrs. Waller as a representative of George Leslie's family. James Whitfield, who is western area coordinator for the Missouri National Guard, also presented Mrs. Waller with a 38 star flag, the same flag under which her great-great-grandfather fought during the Civil War. Her surprise was obvious as she brushed away tears that had already formed earlier in the ceremony.
Mrs. Waller, thanking her relatives for being at the ceremony, then presented each with a miniature U.S. Flag in rememberance not only of the day but of their Civil War ancestor, who now has a permanent place not only in the Dillon Cemetery but in all their hearts as well.
A very special thanks to Mrs Norma Waller who provided this information!! Ggoose79@aol.com.
