ALBION, N.Y. – A Civil War veteran’s unmarked grave has finally received a headstone, thanks to the efforts of two young historians.
Daniel Walterhouse, who served in the 4th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, had been buried without recognition since 1910 in an unmarked grave.
Kendall Peruzzini and Mary McCormick, two middle school students, spent four weeks over the summer uncovering Walterhouse’s identity.
Their research led them to Orleans County Almshouse, where Walterhouse was buried.
“I’ve always really liked digging through history and stuff,” Peruzzini said.
Tim Archer, the girls’ former teacher, explained how the project began. “A Michigan Civil War researcher named George Wilkinson called,” Archer said. Wilkinson was unable to locate Walterhouse’s grave and sought Archer’s help due to his students’ previous work.
According to Archer, Walterhouse had volunteered for the Union in his 30’s. He fought in several major battles over two years, and even escaped from Confederate capture at one point.
He later returned to Orleans County, where he was living in the Almshouse due to his lack of funds. He was working with a lawyer to get pension rewards for an injury while fighting during the war, when he was stabbed above the knee. However, he never received his funds, and ended up dying penniless in an unmarked grave at the Almshouse cemetery.
Archer enlisted McCormick’s help, and Peruzzini soon joined. “[They were] going to our town clerk, death records, census records and national archive records, information that he fed us, as well as things that we could find here. We pieced him back right to here,” Archer said. The girls then approached local and federal officials to secure a headstone for Walterhouse.
“It’s so amazing. I mean, I’m just so happy that we got to honor him because he’s done so much for us,” McCormick said.
The ceremony in Albion included a salute to honor Walterhouse and others who served.
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‘It’s so amazing’: Young historians identify Civil War veteran in unmarked grave, hold give him military headstone 115 years later WHEC.com.
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