On Saturday June 18 a ceremony was held at Waterman Cemetery, Sutherland, Iowa to honor the last Civil War veteran in Iowa to pass away. James P. Martin, came to O’Brien County in 1887.
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) organized the event. Sons of Union Civil War Veterans is a national fraternity organized in 1881 and chartered by Congress in 1954. This organization is the legal successor toe the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Its purpose is to “preserve the history and legacy of the heroes who fought and worked to save the Union.” SUVCW operates 29 departments across the United States and more than 200 community camps. There is also a member-at-large component for men wishing to join but who do not have a department of camp nearby. Iowa hosts its own department, chartered June 2, 1883.
The purpose of the last soldier project is to locate and appropriately mark the final resting place of the last Civil War soldier buried in each county and in each state of this great country. Each last soldier gravesite is embellished with a “last soldier plaque”.
The Iowa Department held 100 of recognition ceremonies across the state. Each county’s last living Civil War Veteran was honored by SUVCW. Lucas County lost its last 2 Civil War veterans on the same day, thus, Iowa Department held 100 recognition ceremonies. Each ceremony
O’Brien County was the last county visited. James P. Martin, a child immigrant to the United States enlisted in the Civil War at age 16 was the last Civil War Veteran in Iowa to pass away on September 20, 1949 at the age of 101. Martin served as the Department Commander for the GAR the last 2 years of his life and the only living member is Iowa. More than 800 people attended his funeral including the then governor and other dignitaries.
About 25 Martin relatives were able to attend the ceremony on June 18, 2022 at Waterman Cemetery near Sutherland. Martin came to the United States with his family as a young boy from Scotland. He entered the civil war at age 16 and served faithfully until the end of the war. Martin was on sentry duty at the United States Capital the night Abraham Lincoln was shot.
He met his wife in Kansas, returned to Wisconsin before relocating with his wife and 7 children to a quarter section east of Sutherland. Martin and his wife raised 9 children there.
The entire ceremony and interviews can be seen on our YouTube channel, “O’Brein County’s Bell-Times-Courier”.