MN AHGP Archives-Douglas Co. Civil War Record-Reynolds Post GAR
John L. Reynolds Post No. 51, Grand Army of the Republic
The charter of John L. Reynolds Post No. 51, Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Minnesota, was granted at Stillwater on October 29, 1883, John P. Rea then being department commander and Samuel Blooneir, assistant adjutant-general, following being the charter members of the post: Horatio Jenkins, Thomas F. Cowing, Lewis J. Brown, James S. Chapman, John B. Cowing, Henry K. White, Buel Chidester, William E. Chidester, Andrew J. Ames, Charles Schultz, Lewis S. Hill, William H. Hutchinson, Joseph Gilpin, Charles Perkins and Ole J. Urness. The post held its first meeting in Co wing's Opera Hall at Alexandria on October 29, 1883, and W. H. Harrington, chief mustering officer of the Department of Minnesota, Grand Army of the Republic, installed the post and officers of the same, the officers being as follow: Commander, Horatio Jenkins; senior vice-commander, Thomas F. Cowing; junior vice-commander, William H. Sanders; surgeon, Lewis J. Brown; chaplain, James S. Chapman; quartermaster, J. B. Cowing; adjutant, William E. Chidester; officer of the day, Henry White; officer of the guard, Buel Chidester; sergeant-major, Andrew Ames.
John L. Reynolds Post grew in strength of numbers and in local influence with the passing of years until its roster came to number one hundred and seventy-nine, the members, in addition to those mentioned above being as follow: Hiram Shippey, Hiram P. James, James A. Shotwell, William A. Downs, Oliver B. Cooley, A. H. Taylor, George A. Whitcomb, Francis Giles, Charles E. Jenkins, F. C. Meade, William P. Burgan, G. J. Strang, Samuel J. Johnson, James Shaver, George E. Keyes, Knute Nelson, Leonard West, Henry H. Brown, David Johnson, Peter Lundgren, W. H. Halstad, W. C. Roland, John Lindquist, John Barnard, Hamilton Taylor, F. G. Stevens, N. N. Hardy, Fred von Baumbach, A. A. Brown, James C. Miller, Royal Colby, Dennis Crandall, W. R. Franklin, James A. Miller, C W. Cofield, Moses Fredenberg, Isaiah Johnson, Calvin Abbott, Albert Hubbell, Rial Catlin, Thomas Kinney. Mathias Swap, Joseph Cramer, William H. Countryman, R. B. Oliver, George W. Frost, Paul Paulson, Carl W. Woodward, Nels Abrahamson, H. L. Lewis, James F. Dicken, William L. McKenzie, William P. Rogers, Daniel Alice, Martin J. Norde, Johnson Baker, Christopher Halvorsen, George W. Gardner, Thomas Bratton, John N. Shelru, George W. Partridge, Olaf Dahlheim, James Madison, John Sundblad, Andrew J. Urness, George G. Mitchell, William Hounsell, James J. McOuillan, Luther South, James R. Patten, Olaf Fahlin, Philander Brooks, Gilbert Olson, John Olson, Jr., Moses Ingersoll, H. G. Fladeland, Cyrus B. Chase, James W. Roath, Henry Johnson, Fred Prodger, Samuel Jones, John Peterson, Andrew Burkee, John N. Hanson, John A. Anderson, Nicholas Mager, Peter Smith, John DeBilzen, August Wilm, J. L. Kasson, J. C. Terryl, Gustav Olason, William Ziska, John A. Johnson, Charles Laurel, William Kapphahn, Joshua M. Doudna, Alonzo Kellogg, Laurentz Johnson, Justus O. Kellogg, Nicholas Renkes, John Hobart, John E. Allen, William A. Bailey, John C. Carley, Francis W. Frederick, John Moses, James Fitzgerald, Frank Webber, Frank H. Colby, George H. Ostrum, William McCrory, William B. Dow, Olie Olson, Olie Brandson, Charles Buscher, Charles H. Wright, Ed. Peterson, Josiah Kimball, James H. Abbott, Nicholas Sandstrom, Nelson Peck, Almon Warner, Stephen W. Miller, Theo. A. Emerson, August Gutzman, George A. Freundenberg, Valentine Nichols, Egbert Fullerton, Gilbert Hayford, Samuel Laws, Alvin Milligan, John R. Moran, James Bright, Jesse Barrick, Amos Bacon, William A. McDonald, Henry Haner, Solomon Demming, David R. B. Hall, Edward Alger, Joseph Alger, Benjamin W. Noe, Charles W. Sutton, P. L. Letherman, R. Larson, Vincent Cooley, Chris McCabe, Frank J. Stevens, Thomas Cooper, Henry Yerigen, Charles F. McKillips, William Cort, James Goddard, James Watters, Rev. T. W. Critchette, D. D., Melvin Cushman, George Mathison, Gottlieb Griebio, Lewis S. Patten and Melvin Churchman, besides whom the names of John Anderson, Thomas Carpenter and William Wagoner are mentioned on the roll as veterans not members of the post.
With the passage of time and in consequence of death and removals, by 1916 membership of the post has dwindled down to thirty-two. At that time the officers of the post were as follows: Commander, Rev. T. W. Critchette, D. D.; senior vice-commander, Thomas Cooper.; junior vice-commander, Frank F. Stevens; officer of the day, Luther South; officer of the guard, Henry Yearkin; adjutant, Melvin Cushman; quartermaster, James Watters, and chaplain, T. W. Critchette.
(excerpted from "History of Douglas and Grant Counties, Minnesota")
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