Compatriots, South Carolina Division

Sons of Confederate Veterans

 

And Friends 

I received the following email from Kelly Hinson of North Carolina, Secretary of the Southern Soldiers Remembrance Foundation (SSRF).  As you will see, the organization is looking for ancestors of SC Soldiers who lie at rest in Hollywood cemetery.  If you are able to provide assistance, I urge you to consider her request and contact her at:  rebel.belle@hotmail.com 

For any who do not know Kelly, I will personally vouch for her character, her trust and integrity and her deep love of the South.  The goal of placing appropriate markers at Hollywood is, indeed, a bold initiative and I salute her and all involved for these noble efforts.  Please provide aid and assistance as you are able. 

From Kelly…………

Dear Commander Simpson,

I’m writing to let you know of a renewed effort to mark the known graves of Confederate soldiers at Hollywood Cemetery, in Richmond, Virginia, especially, but in other places as well. Our organization, Southern Soldiers Remembrance Foundation (SSRF) is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to ensuring that the memory of those brave men, who gave so much, will never be forgotten.  We believe that it is our duty to remember each Confederate soldier by creating a lasting memorial for his final resting place.   

Our press release from late 2013:

In recognizing the continued need for attention to the dearth of headstones marking the almost 11,000 graves of Confederate soldiers at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, we, the Hollywood Cemetery Confederate Headstone Project, are honoured and proud to announce our collaboration with The Southern Soldier Remembrance Fund, (SSRF) a well-known 501(c)3 non-profit begun in 2000 by Jim Phelps, Bill Ward and Terry Stucky. With the goal of continuing the endeavor to complete this far-reaching and truly ambitious project, we have combined our resources and hope that the renewed interest in Confederate history during the sesquicentennial of the War for Southern Independence, will beckon to those who claim kinship with the men who wore the gray, whether it be kinship by blood, or by country, and that those ties of kinship will kindle the spark of Confederate fire in our veins, starting a blaze that will not be extinguished until each brave soldier lying in those unmarked graves is remembered by name, upon his headstone.

Our primary purpose is to place headstones on all known and unknown Confederate graves. We believe that it is our duty to remember each Confederate soldier by creating a lasting memorial for his final resting place. In light of the changes in applying for a Veteran’s Administration (VA) marker in the past several years, the task ahead has become even more daunting. Thus we have devised a two-pronged approach to manage what seems an insurmountable and unattainable mission. Hopefully, with the help of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, this responsibility, our duty, our goal, can be reached.

  • First, we ask that each Camp/Chapter identify any ancestors of members who are buried at Hollywood, and have no marker. We furthermore ask that descendant, as next of kin, to file the VA form requesting the marker, and ask that it be sent to us, then it will be delivered directly to Hollywood Cemetery for their completion and signatures. For each soldier, the Camp/Chapter or descendant should then sponsor the $100 fee for installation (required by Hollywood Cemetery). This fee should be sent to SSRF to be tax deductible, then will be given to Hollywood at the time of delivery of the application. VA turnaround is currently approximately two months.
  • Second, we ask that each Camp and Chapter “adopt” 10 soldiers (or however many the members feel can be managed) who are in need of a headstone. With the affection and affinity for genealogical research evident in the ranks of both of our organizations, we are hopeful that the descendants, and next of kin, for many, if not all, of these men can be found and then contacted to inquire as to their interest in filing the necessary VA form, and perhaps sponsoring the placement of memorial markers to their Confederate ancestor. If the descendant(s) cannot sponsor the cost of placement, the Camp or Chapter may then sponsor the fee.

By approaching the need for placing such a great number of headstones, hopefully within our lifetimes, in this manner we can now imagine the day when each of our heroes buried at Hollywood will be recognized by name…perhaps someday by their great great great great grandchildren coming in search of the stone marking the valor of their ancestor.

In preparing the research for proof of kinship for these soldiers, we hope to find multiple descendants who are open to learning of the heritage they have gained. These will then be eligible to join the SCV or the UDC, and we can approach them with an invitation to join us in honouring the Southern Soldier, our Confederate Veterans, having then their own ties of kinship binding them, as we are bound.

 

A purpose guided by our hearts, a duty to remember, and a never ending reverence for that which is honourable. ~~SSRF 2013

 

One of the soldiers available for adoption, needing a head stone is :

 

Cpl. Edmund T. S. Hayne

I

1st South Carolina Infantry

06/30/1862

Hollywood Soldiers Section M- 256(c)

Mortally wounded at Gaine’s Mill


another…

Cpt. John A. Martin

E

1st South Carolina Cavalry

08/19/1863

Hollywood Soldiers Section T-78(c)

Mortally wounded at Brandy Station

 

Many more lie there unmarked, will y’all help us to reach our goal of marking as many as possible within our lifetimes? Please notify your Brigade Commanders, Camps and affiliates in the OCR to first identify any known ancestors and claim them as your own. Then we will work on the research and data portion of our goal.

 

Thank you and God Bless you!

Your Sister in the South,

Kelly Hinson, Secretary SSRF

—

Mark A. Simpson, Commander

SOUTH CAROLINA DIVISION

Sons of Confederate Veterans