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Archiver > SUVCW > 2008-05 > 1209657121


From: "Ernest Everett Blevins" <>
Subject: Re: [SUVCW] membership longevity (thread off of "We still llhavelots of wor...
Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 11:52:01 -0400
References: <c29.34d2fac6.354a92e5@aol.com><8CA79A49354C6C8-1208-CE1@MBLK-M26.sysops.aol.com><773c85270805010630o688f670el25be2d7f559c1cd8@mail.gmail.com><B396D84E9E784A829C13DCD117DB4C19@AlPetersonPC>
In-Reply-To: <B396D84E9E784A829C13DCD117DB4C19@AlPetersonPC>


I too sent her an article as well. Of coruse she might be just a reporter
and limited by the editors of what she can do to follow up. Hope she will
though. They have a large national cemtetery there. Eric and I visited it
one time and found the Raiders (General and Texas fame) burried there.

Ernie

On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 11:32 AM, Al Peterson <> wrote:

> Brother Ernie, just wanted to inform you that I sent an E Mail to Chloe
> Morrison of the Chattanooga Times Free Press last night and gave her a
> lot
> of information about the "real" Memorial Day, how it happened to be, and
> the
> problems we are experiencing today of not remembering or knowing what and
> when Memorial Day is.
>
> Let's see if she responds.
>
> Regards
>
> Al Peterson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [mailto:] On
> Behalf Of Ernest Everett Blevins
> Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:30 AM
> To:
> Subject: Re: [SUVCW] membership longevity (thread off of "We still ll
> havelots of wor...
>
> Being in Kentucky the SUVCW should have a big push in 2009 which Kentucky
> has already started heavily working on the bicentennial for Lincoln. I
> was
> up there in Kentucky for the National Council on Public History conference
> last month and they really pushed it. Kentucky camps should contact the
> Kentucky Historical Commission and ask about their mobile display which is
> set up for Lincoln. its small and very focused on his Kentucky life but
> for
> what you can pack into a self contained 18 wheeler display its good. See
> if
> the SUVCW can link into it. I know they are parked for most of amonth
> with
> the State Fair -- what an opportunity.
>
> Ernie Blevins
> List Administrator
> Commander Kennesaw Mountain #3
>
> On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 9:15 AM, <> wrote:
>
> > The membership projections are very encouraging.? I too had been a life
> > long student of the civil war, having come of age during the 1960's
> > bi-cintenneal events.? My first contact was as a boy scout, hiking some
> > trails at Perryville, Ky (Dug Road and Dry Canteen one the paths of the
> > union the other the rebels coming into the battlefield).? Their was a
> > ?re-enactment - about dozen men in a motley collection of clothing and
> > firearms "re-enact" the Battle of Perryville, Ky -- I suppose each
> soldier
> > "represented" a Brigade or more considering the numbers involved in the
> real
> > battle.? There wasn't any camps, nor sutlers, nor any flags that I
> remember
> > either.? The cemetery on the grounds was in bad shape, and their were
> quite
> > a lot of wire fences and modern things around.? SUVCW?? No, I did not
> > discover that until about 10-15 years ago myself, someone who knew
> someone,
> > knew that I was interested in the Civil War and was a "re-enactor" as
> well,
> > heard that there was a group forming -!
> > -This new camp grew, we now have a Department.? I am still in the camp,
> > having "grown" as well, held I suppose every office at one time or
> another
> > and even a few state offices as well --associated with fellow camp
> brothers
> > who have been Dept. Commander and on the National scene as well?. Our
> camp
> > and the one in Cincinnati, jointly hosted a National?Encampment
> (Cincinnati,
> > OH) in Ft. Mitchell, KY and are working on the upcoming Louisville, KY
> > encampment on the horizon as well.? Our camp was instrumental in
> starting
> > the James A. Ramage, Civil War Museum and Battery Hooper Park in Ft.
> Wright,
> > KY. as well as instrumental in?parades, events, monuments and
> dedications.
> > ?Today, the Perryville Battlefield is in historical and pristine
> condition,
> > has more than doubled its size, held national events, etc.? I am sure
> things
> > like this are repeated all over the country with many camps.? There are
> so
> > many positive stories to tell.
> >
> > F. C. & L.
> > Bernie O'Bryan, Camp Commander Nelson-Garfield Memorial Camp #3, Dept.
> of
> > Kentucky, SUVCW??
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:
> > To:
> > Sent: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:28 pm
> > Subject: Re: [SUVCW] membership longevity (thread off of "We still ll
> have
> > lots of wor...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 4/30/2008 8:31:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> > writes:
> >
> > Where I am coming from is this. I have been studying the Civil War
> > diligently for 32 years and only first heard of the Sons after 29
> years.
> > I
> > was stunned that an organization such as this could elude me for so
> long.
> > Now of course Sons seem to be popping out of the woodwork every time I
> > turn
> > around. At first I thought I simply was not looking in the right
> place.
> > What was really the case is I was not looking period. Never having
> heard
> > of
> > it why should I look. This is something I have heard from others that
> > have
> > recently joined as well. So I am forced to wonder at why it is that I
> > could
> > travel to battlefields all over the mid west and east, read extensively
> > and
> > talk to round tables without bumping into something...somewhere.
> >
> >
> >
> > Brother McMillin:
> >
> > Your observations and questions do not surprise me. Please allow me to
> > express some unwritten history of the Order and give a glimpse to an
> > answer to
> > your question.
> >
> > You did not hear of the SUVCW by design. At least a design that
> existed
> > for
> > many years and has been slowly erased over the past 20 - 25 years.
> >
> > Let me take you back to Remembrance Day 1986 in Gettysburg. A small
> > group
> > of Brothers were appalled at a conversation we overhear between 3
> PCinC's
> > all
> > of whom have answered their final muster call. The essences of that
> > conversation was 1) those younger than themselves did not have personal
> > knowledge of
> > the Comrades of the GAR and therefore had no understanding,
> appreciation
> > or
> > desire to "keep green the memory" for we had no memory, 2) the Order
> > would die
> > with them for the above reasons, 3) they did not want and did not
> support
> > any recruitment program they liked the small good old boys club where
> the
> > PCinC's ran the show for eternity. Needless to say this development
> was
> > the
> > sole
> > topic of conversation at the banquet that evening and the topic of many
> > telephone calls during the ensuing months. Not all the PCinC's had
> this
> > attitude
> > for there were some who had never personally know the members of the
> GAR.
> > They served out of a sense of duty to their ancestors and the deeply
> held
> > desire to honor their forefathers through membership and service to the
> > Order.
> > We
> > were determined that no matter what it took, we would not let this dire
> > prediction come to pass. An informal plan took shape and was put in
> > place over
> >
> > several years. Without going into a lot of detail, it worked. We are
> > still
> > here. Yes, we need to do more and we need to make ourselves better
> > known.
> > But let's look at where we have come from. In 1988 when I became
> > National
> > Treasurer and Jim Lyons became National Secretary, we scoured the
> records
> > which
> >
> > were given to us. We had been claiming a membership of 2500 +/-. In
> > reality,
> > when the paper camps were removed and deceased Brothers dropped, we had
> > less
> > than 1500 living breathing Brothers. From this we have grown to 8,000
> > members. More than a 500% increase in Brothers in 20 years and have
> > added the
> > Departments of Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee (includes Alabama), Texas,
> > Oklahoma,
> > Nebraska, Kansas and soon Georgia and South Carolina and North
> Carolina.
> > Expanded the Department of Wisconsin to include Minnesota, Department
> of
> > Maryland to include Virginia and the Department of Colorado and Wyoming
> > to
> > include
> > Utah and Montana. If we can continue this pace, we will have 40,000
> > members
> > by mid century and have a real chance to have Departments covering
> every
> > state. (With the chartering of the two new Departments, only
> Mississippi,
> > Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
> North
> > and
> > South Dakota are not part of a Department) Is this sufficient? No.
> But
> > is
> > isn't all that bad either considering that most hereditary
> organizations
> > are
> > experiencing drops in membership.
> >
> > Remember the SUVCW is a camp up organization not national down. If you
> > have
> > ideas, express them. Get yourself appointed to Department and National
> > Committees. Run for elected offices. You are the SUVCW not some
> > mythical
> > National organization. The consensus of the Brothers is the direction
> we
> > go.
> > Above all be a delegate and attend Department and National Encampments.
> > If you
> >
> > have standing credentials by virtue of your past service, exercise your
> > right
> > to participate in the encampments. The SUVCW needs your participation;
> > your
> > ideas; your zeal.
> >
> > Ok enough pontification for tonight.
> >
> > Rich Orr
> >
> >
> >
> > **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used
> > car
> > listings at AOL Autos.
> > (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851)
> > The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) list received the
> > blessing
> > of National in July 2007. It was established in January 2007 to assist
> > in
> > disseminating information and seeking assistance to members, associates,
> > and
> > potential members who have an interest in the SUVCW, GAR, the people and
> > events
> > of the period of the War Between the States.
> >
> > The opinions expressed and information provided in messages are those of
> > individuals and are not necessarily the official opinions, views or
> > beliefs of
> > any Camp, Department or National SUVCW.
> > -------------------------------
> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> >
> > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the
> body
> > of
> > the message
> >
> > The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) list received the
> > blessing of National in July 2007. It was established in January 2007
> to
> > assist in disseminating information and seeking assistance to members,
> > associates, and potential members who have an interest in the SUVCW,
> GAR,
> > the people and events of the period of the War Between the States.
> >
> > The opinions expressed and information provided in messages are those of
> > individuals and are not necessarily the official opinions, views or
> beliefs
> > of any Camp, Department or National SUVCW.
> > -------------------------------
> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the
> quotes
> > in the subject and the body of the message
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Ernest Everett Blevins, MFA . Blevins Historical Research
> 110 Evergreen Way . Villa Rica, Georgia 30180
> . 770-456-1876
>
> Historic Preservation Consultant -- Historical and Architectural Research
> --
> Genealogical (Family) Research -- Preservation Planning and Documentation
> --
> House History
>
> Member: American Planning Association, New England Historic Genealogical
> Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans,
> Sons
> of Union Veterans, and member of numerous other lineage and heritage
> societies.
> The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) list received the
> blessing of National in July 2007. It was established in January 2007 to
> assist in disseminating information and seeking assistance to members,
> associates, and potential members who have an interest in the SUVCW, GAR,
> the people and events of the period of the War Between the States.
>
> The opinions expressed and information provided in messages are those of
> individuals and are not necessarily the official opinions, views or
> beliefs
> of any Camp, Department or National SUVCW.
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes
> in
> the subject and the body of the message
>
> The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) list received the
> blessing of National in July 2007. It was established in January 2007 to
> assist in disseminating information and seeking assistance to members,
> associates, and potential members who have an interest in the SUVCW, GAR,
> the people and events of the period of the War Between the States.
>
> The opinions expressed and information provided in messages are those of
> individuals and are not necessarily the official opinions, views or beliefs
> of any Camp, Department or National SUVCW.
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes
> in the subject and the body of the message
>



--
Ernest Everett Blevins, MFA • Blevins Historical Research
110 Evergreen Way • Villa Rica, Georgia 30180
• 770-456-1876

Historic Preservation Consultant -- Historical and Architectural Research --
Genealogical (Family) Research -- Preservation Planning and Documentation --
House History

Member: American Planning Association, New England Historic Genealogical
Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Sons
of Union Veterans, and member of numerous other lineage and heritage
societies.


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