Gridley's Mother, Ann Eliza Sholes Gridley-- Part 2

Ann Sholes and her husband Frank moved to Hillsdale, Michigan,  as newlyweds in 1845.  The Gridleys ran a  grocery store and had two sons and a daughter.  The youngest, little Helen, died at ten weeks of age.  Exactly what occurred to husband Frank is not known, but he was committed to the Michigan Insane Asylum, remaining apart from Ann until his death in 1887.

Her efforts to improve Oak Grove Cemetery through the Ladies  Cemetery Association  are well documented, as was her charity work as one of the founders of St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

Considered one of Hillsdale's most heroic figures, the name of Ann Gridley was chosen in 1911 as the name of the town's newly-organized Daughters of the American Revolution.

--Old B-Runner

Gridley's Mother: Ann Sholes Gridley

From Charles V. Gridley Find-A-Grave.

Charles Gridley's mother, Ann Eliza  Sholes Gridley (1825-1909) is listed as a Civil War nurse and a Daughter of the American Revolution.  She is buried with Charles' father at Oak Grove Cemetery in Hillsdale, Michigan.

From the Hillsdale (Michigan) Historical Society.

ANN SHOLES GRIDLEY

In her obituary in the local newspaper, the statement is made, "no one knows how much this esteemed woman did for Hillsdale."  Ann became famous as the mother of Capt. Charles Gridley of Manila Bay "You may fire  when you are ready, Gridley!"

She was also well-known nationally for her thirty years' service in the land office in Washington, D.C.

Known locally for her tireless work as a volunteer nurse on the fields of battle of the Civil War, Ann went to the front to administer aid to the sick and wounded.  She received personal thanks from Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan.

--Old Secesh

Charles V. Gridley-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

CHARLES VERNON GRIDLEY

(24 November  1844 - 5 June 1898) 

Officer in the U.S. Navy in the Civil War and Spanish-American War.

He was born to  Frank and Ann Eliza (Stokes)  Gridley in Logansport, Indiana, and his parents moved to Hillside, Michigan, when he was three months old.

After attending  Hillside College, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1860.  He reported for duty with his class in 1863, joining the crew of the sloop-of-war USS Oneida with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.  

He distinguished himself at the Battle of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864.

After the war, he stayed in the Navy and was promoted to lieutenant in 1867 and then to lieutenant commander on March 12, 1868.

--Old B-Runner

Big Civil War Cannon Destroyed at Battle Creek Michigan 100 Years Ago-- Part 3

Continued from July 23 and 26.

The cannon was used as a war memorial at the Oak Hill Cemetery for years afterwards and was the focal point of Decoration (Memorial) Day observances for may years before World War I.

It featured a plaque that read:

"This gun was in service on the Cumberland (USS Cumberland which was sunk by the CSS Virginia the day before its fight against the USS Monitor) during the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack.  Mounted here by Farragut Post No. 32, Department of Michigan, G.A.R. in commemoration of  the heroic services of Union soldiers and sailors during the Civil War."

(Should have been listed as on the USS Minnesota.

Shortly after Frank Kellogg's death, the gun was donated  to a scrap metal drive.

The story goes that it was removed from the cemetery grounds and loaded into a railway  truck using a ten-ton crane.  But the crane and truck  both overturned.  All had to be donated to the scrap drive.

--Old B-Runner

Big Civil War Naval Cannon Destroyed in Michigan-- Part 1

From the  July 22, 2020,  K102.5 FM, Kalamazoo, Michigan  "Civil War treasure  destroyed at Battle Creek....100 years ago" by Tim Collins.

And this was not destroyed by BLM rioters running amok.

It was a reminder of the past, revered each Decoration Day that it was around.  And it was destroyed by the city of Battle Creek, Michigan, and the federal government.  It was not a monument, but a huge cannon that was at the city's Oak Hill Cemetery from 1896 until the next big war when it became part of a scrap drive.

Frank J. Kellogg (no relation to  the Kellogg's of cereal fame), was a patent medicine inventor and salesman in Battle Creek and a Civil War veteran.  He was known as a rich man as well as a bit of a scalawag.  It was through his efforts that the cannon came to Battle Creek in 1896.

According to the Daily Journal of the city, on July 22, 1896, he received a letter from  the Inspector of Ordnance at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, saying the cannon had been shipped to Battle Creek's GAR Post.

And, it wasn't just ANY surplus cannon.  It had a a history including participation in the first-ever battle of ironclads and the largest bombardment ever up until the end of the Civil War.

It had been on the USS Minnesota.

--Old B-Runner