Badge owned by soldier donated to Historical Society
By Michael S. Hoey
CORRESPONDENT
John Brabazon, a Civil War veteran and one-time commander of The George H. Thomas Post No. 6 of the Grand Army of the Republic, was honored with a ceremony at Spring Grove Cemetery in Delavan on June 25.
Brabazon was a member of Company E of the 28th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry from 1862 to 1865 during the Civil War, according to research compiled by Delavan resident Pat Blackmer. Brabazon was a very active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and was the commander of Post No. 6 when he died in 1917.
Despite his service, Brabazon’s grave marker at Spring Grove Cemetery did not have a G.A.R. marker on it. Blackmer, a member of the Mary Chesebro Lee Detached Tent No. 23 of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, noticed the omission after identifying Brabazon as the owner of a G.A.R. badge on behalf of Franklin Stoneburner of Delavan. Blackmer said one mission of the Daughters is to make sure all gravesites of Civil War veterans are registered in a national database.
Blackmer said a few other gravesites at Spring Grove also appear to be missing G.A.R. markers, and she has no idea why. She said it is possible the gravesites had markers at one time, and they were damaged or removed for some reason. She said each new marker costs $50.
Blackmer said the marker is a star-shaped symbol that all veterans of the war should have on their graves.
Ken Wargo, chairman of the Civil War Monument Restoration Committee, also attended the ceremony.
“We are saving history for future generations,” he said noting that this year is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
“We want to correct the wrongs of history,” Wargo said. “If there are any other missing markers, we want to go back and make amends for that as well.”
Wargo said he also does not know why the G.A.R. markers were not on some graves that should have them.
As part of the ceremony, Wargo made a presentation to the Daughters tent about the status of efforts to restore the Civil War monument that serves as a centerpiece for the cemetery. Wargo said more than $12,000 toward the $20,000 goal has been raised for the project. Once the full amount is raised, Wargo said the project could be completed in about four weeks.
“It is a very exciting time,” he said. “We want to involve the community and restore the prestige of the cemetery. We want to raise awareness and help make Delavan a nicer place.”
Part of the ceremony also included Stoneburner’s donation of the G.A.R. badge that Brabazon once owned to the Delavan Historical Society. The badge shows membership in the G.A.R. Delavan George H. Thomas Post No. 6 on one side and a memorial ribbon to be worn to honor comrades at their funerals on the reverse side.
Stoneburner said no another badge like it exists in the area, and it is in pristine condition. Stoneburner said he acquired the badge at an estate auction at 305 Racine St. after the death of Robert Seymour in the late 1950s. Stoneburner showed the badge to Blackmer, and she helped him find out who it originally belonged to.
Blackmer’s search for the original owner of the badge led her through records at Aram Public Library, newspaper archives, the Walworth County Historical Society, the county courthouse, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and area cemeteries.
Blackmer quickly identified Seymour’s grandfather and an uncle as Civil War veterans but from Post No. 76 in Elkhorn, not Post No. 6 in Delavan. Further research showed that Seymour’s mother Maretta lived at the Racine Street address with Seymour and his wife and her last name was listed as Brabazon. Marriage records indicated Maretta was married to John Richard Brabazon on May 29, 1894. Seymour turned out to be Brabazon’s stepson.
Delavan and state Civil War records showed a soldier by the name John Brabazon and a check of local cemeteries turned up his grave at Spring Grove Cemetery. A check of newspaper microfilm at Aram Public Library turned up a front-page story about Brabazon’s passing in the Delavan Enterprise in the Jan. 25, 1917, edition.
According to the story, Brabazon died of heart trouble on Jan. 24. His family had settled in the Delavan area in 1857 and he enlisted in Company E of the 28th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry on Aug. 21, 1862. He was discharged from Union service on Aug. 23, 1865.
Brabazon’s war service led him into battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Texas. He was slightly wounded while engaged in battle at Fort Spanish near Mobile, Ala.
After the war, Brabazon settled on a farm in Sugar Creek where he lived for 16 years before returning to Delavan where he raised poultry and served as a member of the city council.
Blackmer’s research concluded that Brabazon’s wife saved the badge after his death and it was passed on to Seymour when she died in January 1939. Stoneburner then purchased it at the auction and owned it for more than 60 years before finally deciding to donate it.
“This is the year so much is being emphasized, published and celebrated about the Civil War,” Stoneburner said about why he chose to donate the badge. “Now is the time for the public to see it.”
Stoneburner, who said he bought the badge and some other Civil War-related items because he is an antique collector, agreed to donate the badge in December but has held on to it until the Historical Society has the proper display case necessary to preserve it. The Daughters recently donated a special archival display box for it and Historical Society Director Patti Marsicano said the badge will be on display within a week.
Stoneburner said Alan Jones of New Mexico also donated some records including the charter of the original tent of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War for the Delavan area that was signed by all of its original members and framed.
“People like Alan Jones who have been so generous to share their one-of-a-kind pieces of Delavan history are integral in perpetuating the preservation of Delavan’s history by the Historical Society,” Marsicano said.
“Franklin loves his history and is very generous with it,” she said. “It will be a really nice addition to add to our display from that time period.”
Marsicano said a new display honoring groups that were born from the Civil War like the G.A.R., the Veterans of the Civil War and the Women’s Relief Corps will be completed next week.
Marsicano also said the Daughters will host a cemetery tour from 1 to 4 p.m. July 27 at Spring Grove Cemetery highlighting five veterans of the war. Someone will be dressed up at each gravesite to talk about the veteran buried there.
Stoneburner said he is very proud of the service and history of the Civil War veterans.
“They sacrificed a lot,” he said. “It is important to recognize such an important event and the commander of the Delavan post.”
