Green honored in Spring Grove Cemetery memorial event

EAST LIVERPOOL - Alfred Holland Green passed away on Feb. 11, 1913, while sitting in a barber's chair. He had just received a haircut and shave.

The Civil War veteran was remembered Saturday during a ceremony at Spring Grove Cemetery. His family, with the help of several local organizations, was able to get a Civil War military marker for his gravesite.

"This ceremony is more than I could have ever dreamed of," Carl Green, a great grandson of Alfred, said Saturday.

Family members came from as far away as Florida for Saturday's ceremony.

Carl Green may have put together the local event, but it was spurred by the research of fellow family member Tracy Green-Cameron.

A resident of North Carolina, Green-Cameron said that after her husband died in 2007, she took a renewed interest in her side of the family and started to research the family history.

"I wanted to learn more about who I was so that I could pass that information along to my children," Green-Cameron said. "The story of Alfred Green fascinated me, and I began to lobby to get him government recognition which was a tedious, lengthy process."

Green-Cameron went on to say that "It's a really, really interesting story, and I learned a lot about the family including Alfred's involvement in the Civil War."

Starting in late 2008, it took about a year for Green-Cameron to trace the family tree. She found out about Alfred and let Carl Green know that the Civil War veteran rested at Spring Grove Cemetery without proper recognition.

Carl Green, a Wellsville resident, started to find a way to get the proper military marker for Alfred.

"I basically took all the paperwork I got from Tracy and went with it," Carl Green said. "I sent the papers to Steve Boliss with the West Virginia National Guard, and he made some progress with it." Boliss took part in the ceremony Saturday.

Carl Green also contacted the Tri-State Veterans Burial Group and other organizations seeking guidance.

The effort culminated with the arrival of the marker and Saturday's memorial service.

Members of the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry attended the ceremony and played a significant role. They dressed in period uniforms and offered a salute to the Civil War veteran.

"We don't get invited to events like this too often," Nicholas Gaworski said while accepting the thanks of family members after the event.

More often, Gaworski said, the group attends reenactments all over the country. The group is based out of the Boardman area but is made up of members from all over the Tri-State area and beyond.

On July 23-25 the group will take part in the 2010 Argus Park Civil War Reenactment event in Canfield.

Gaworski said the group attends and assists with a Civil War memorial dedication about once a year.

George Gamerdinger, the Tri-State Veterans Burial Group chaplain, offered the prayer at the gravesite and led the ceremony. A gun salute and Taps followed, and then a flag was presented to Carl Green.

Carl Green immediately gave the flag to the oldest living family member, William Green, who also lives outside Wellsville.

William Green will keep the flag for a year then pass it along to the next oldest surviving family member so they can keep it for the following year. The pattern will continue.

"It's a way for the family to remember Alfred and his service," Carl Green said.

Alfred Holland Green, PVT Company A of the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry, was born on May 5, 1843, and passed away Feb. 11, 1913, but he was honored once again with a simple ceremony Saturday at Spring Grove Cemetery.