Civil War vets' descendants buried at old Brush Creek Cemetery sought

Descendants of Civil War veterans buried in the Brush Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Leger Road in North Huntingdon, are being sought to determine if they plan to attend a Memorial Day service on May 28 during which the new headstones for 15 Civil War veterans will be dedicated.

The Norwin Historical Society will conduct the service, which will include a rifle salute, at 2 p.m. May 28. The ceremony will include members of the Blue and Gray Brigade and the Camp Chase Fife and Drum Corps.

The headstone dedication ceremony will be conducted by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, John T. Crawford Camp No. 3 in Kittanning and the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Ruth F. Barnhart Tent 56 of Pleasant Unity.

The following veterans received new headstones through the efforts of Bill Bray, cemetery sexton and vice commander of the Trafford American Legion Post 331: John S. O’Brien, Eli Powell, William, Hiram and Francis Gilkey, Ezekiel W. Tantlinger, Andrew C. Long, Cornelius Raver, Alexander N. Rowan, Joseph Greer, Richard J. .McWilliams, James D. Thompson, Joseph Jones, William Kunkle and Benjamin Wampler.

If a descendant of a veteran who received a new headstone plans to attend, they are asked to respond by April 15, with the ancestor’s name to sextonbcarpcc@gmail.com. They also can send a message on the cemetery Facebook page —Brush Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

There will be no public parking available at the cemetery, but there will be parking available at St Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on Leger Road. There will be a free shuttle to the cemetery.