Monday morning, Rhinelander and Oneida county will host the annual Memorial Day services at the Davenport Street Bridge and the county courthouse lawn. But following the 11:00 a.m. ceremony, those gathered at the courthouse could also see a special dedication at a local cemetery.
Oneida County Veterans Service Officer Tammy Walters says a relative of a Civil War veteran John Perry Campbell has been looking for his final resting spot. He died in 1906 and was buried in an unmarked grave. Walters says she walked Forest Home Cemetery in Rhinelander but couldn't find Campbell's place. Campbell's relative from Stevens Point contacted Mayor Dick Johns and Gunder Paulsen of the city Parks Department for help...
".....she sent me as much information on this veteran as she had. I contacted the national archives and got all the military papers I could find on him, once I got them, I contacted the Memorial Program out in Quantico, Virginia and got a grave marker...."
Walters says all the work paid off for the family and for her......
"....It is amazing. I am just so honored and priviliged to be a part of it. I'm so excited. I'm so excited this Civil War veteran after over 108 years is finally going to have a marked grave...."
Rhinelander Memorial will place the stone on the grave prior to the ceremony on Monday.
