MS 520 - Grand Army of the Republic. Department of Ohio. Wiley Post #46 (Bowling Green, Ohio)

The records of Wiley Post #46, Grand Army of the Republic, Bowling Green, Ohio, consist of approximately .5 linear ft. of minutes, a roll book, a relic book, and miscellaneous loose papers, dating from 1864 through 1931.

The collection was transferred to the Center for Archival Collections during April 1988 from the Wood County Historical Museum. This register was prepared by Marilyn Levinson, Curator of Manuscripts, Center for Archival Collections, March, 1990. No restrictions exist on the the use of this collection.

Wiley Post no. 46 (Bowling Green, Ohio) was organized April 8, 1881 by 47 veterans of the Civil War. The membership of the post grew to a maximum of 155 around 1903. As the number of members declined, the Post called upon the Wiley Relief Corps to aid in conducting meetings and keeping records. In October 1930, two women, Olivia Osborne and Carrie Trumbull, were installed as Officer of the Day and Adjutant. The post was officially dropped from the rolls of the Department of Ohio in 1943, after the death of its last member, David P. Trumbull on September 21st of that year.

The Post was named in honor of Enoch B. Wiley, a member of Company C, 21st O.V.I., who was wounded at the Battle of Stone River on December 31, 1862, and died January 5, 1863.

The auxiliary of Post no. 46, the Woman's Relief Corps, Wiley Post no. 85, was organized May 1885. The Center for Archival Collections also holds the records for this organization (MS-498).

The records of Wiley Post no. 46, G.A.R., consist primarily of minute books covering the years 1889 to 1931, a roll book covering the period 1897 to 1928, a small "relic" book, and some loose papers.

The minutes of the Post offer a record of organizational and financial business transacted at meetings, including lists of officers and committee appointments, with an occasional reference to patriotic observances, such as Memorial Day, Decoration Day, and Flag Day. Minutebook entries in later years are dominated with reports of deaths and funerals of members.

The roll book and muster rolls provide information on the individual members of the Post, including name, regiment, and date of death. The roll book also contains a revision of the Post by-laws, adopted in Feb. 1897.

The loose papers include Civil War pass requests, parole papers, and discharge papers; GAR application forms, orders, receipts, and a poems.

PROCEEDINGS

MINUTES
January 15, 1889-February 14, 1931
Arranged chronologically
Contains officers' names, meeting dates, results of elections of officers, financial transactions, treasurer's reports, and occasional comments on patriotic observances and social activities of the organization.

ROLL BOOK
1897-1928
Arranged chronologically
Membership listing, which includes member name, regiment and company, and date of death. Separate list for surviving members as of 1922 and 1928. Book also includes revised by-laws adopted February 10, 1897.

MUSTER ROLL SHEETS
1886, 1906, 1907
Arranged chronologically
Official listing of new members, including name, age, birthplace, residence, and service record.

LITERARY PRODUCTIONS

RELIC BOOK
1897-1902
A record of Civil War relics entrusted to Wily Post no. 46 by various members, with the donor's name and a description of each item.

POEM
n.d.
Typescript of poem "We are coming, Father Abraham".

SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS

CIVIL WAR PAPERS
1864-1870
Includes discharges, passes, parole papers, general orders.

G.A.R. PAPERS
1868-1923
Includes forms, receipts, and orders.

Box 1

Folders

1. Minutes, 1889-1907
2. Minutes, 1907-1931
3. Roll book, 1897-1928
4. Muster roll sheets, 1886, 1906-1907
5. Relic book, 1897-1902
6. Poem "We are coming, Father Abraham", n.d.
7. Civil War papers (Including discharges,parole papers, general orders, passes), 1864-1870
8. GAR papers (Including forms, receipts, orders, poems), 1868-1923