Administrative, organizational, financial, and program materials pertaining to the Wisconsin state and local units of the Grand Army of the Republic, a voluntary fraternal association of Civil War Union veterans.
The records of the G.A.R. have been arranged into three series: Department of Wisconsin, Local Posts, and National. Materials in this collection date from 1861 to 1986, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1885 to 1940.
The Department of Wisconsin records include correspondence, encampment information, financial records, orders, resources concerning patriotic instruction and patriotism, department information on Wisconsin local posts, and miscellaneous materials.
Many of the department records concern encampments, with attendance registers of both local and national encampments forming the bulk of this subseries. Organized chronologically by year and thereunder by Wisconsin regiment; the registers include the name, rank, company, and current residence of attendees. Less information is found on the encampments themselves aside from scattered newspaper clippings, delegate lists (1910-1916), a few resolutions, and an 1879 banquet napkin.
A good deal of material pertains to patriotism and patriotic instruction. Reports (1907-1921) from the local posts to the department provide information on patriotic instruction and Memorial Day activities within kinderG.A.R.ten to twelfth grade schools. Although most of these reports are in bound volumes, some are also found in the Wisconsin Local Posts series under the post number. Of interest, are letters (1909) written to Hosea Rood, Department Patriotic Instructor, by teachers throughout the state detailing patriotic activities, student responses, and teacher reactions. Essays, (1910, 1923) pertaining to such patriotic subjects as Memorial Day, the flag, and the lives of our presidents are bound in volumes and also include some teacher letters. There are also patriotic materials collected by the Wisconsin department including a play, poetry and songs, and Memorial Day documents.
There are few departmental administrative records. No meeting minutes and little correspondence are included in this collection. Financial records are incomplete, and give modest information on G.A.R. financial circumstances as they mostly provide a record of membership numbers. Yearly consolidated reports (1910-1926) supply counts of members lost and gained and the reason for such. Also included is a count of posts lost and in good standing as well as the amount of money spent on charity and the number of people aided.
Departmental General Orders (1866; 1891-1940) are not complete although there are several for most years giving insight into the department's agenda and actions for the year. The orders also include some information on officers, encampments, and deaths.
The Circular Letters (1897-1934), give much of the same information, as well as administrative reminders. The Special Order addresses the role the G.A.R. would play in the Spanish American War.
The lack of Department administrative records does not extend to its administration of the local posts. The department's administration of local posts is evidenced by reports from post quartermasters and adjutants, as well as the annual and semiannual reports submitted to Madison. Post quartermaster's reports (1904-1928) provide a biannual summary of the department's financial position. Post adjutant's reports (1903-1929) contain a biannual snapshot of membership and dues information for each post. Annual reports (1929-1930) combine both financial and membership summaries.
Although not complete, additional records kept by the department include information on disbanded posts, seniority of posts, and post charters. Charters, which include a list of post founding members, were to be returned to the department upon dissolution, but not all posts did so.
The Department of Wisconsin series contains some miscellaneous materials, including information on G.A.R. Memorial Hall, obituaries, the Wisconsin semi-centennial, and certificates. Several of the certificates relate to the Easel-Shaped Monument and are personalized either for individual Wisconsin veterans or entire posts.
Wisconsin Local Posts series comprises the bulk of this collection. Upon dissolution, local posts were to send their records to the department. Many did so, forming an extensive collection of membership records, meeting minute books, and financial records for many Wisconsin posts. However, information on any one post is haphazard and scattered. This series is organized numerically by post number and the researcher is advised to check the container list to ascertain what records exist for any particular post.
Descriptive books are one form of membership records. These books provide membership lists and contain information about the member's army service, discharge date, G.A.R. entry date, and often death dates. Members were assigned a number in the descriptive book that was subsequently referred to in other records. When available, the membership applications are a useful source of veteran information. Several posts have biographical information on their members, either compiled loosely or bound into “Personal War Sketches” books. These books include reminiscences on war experiences recounted by post members. Member's account books contain dues payment records and are useful in determining the years a veteran was active in the post.
Although, for many posts, the meeting minute books are not as detailed as they might be most, especially early books, include a good account of the meetings. Many minute books also served as a journal for the posts. These books contain member obituaries, notes about funerals, memorial resolutions, selected correspondence, and newspaper clippings. Other administrative records include resolutions and officer's record books in which names of post officers and occasionally information about the status of post members are recorded.
In later years, financial records show post activities. They are useful in determining Memorial Day activities. For posts without descriptive books, the financial records can give insight into membership.
The records for Post No. 11 (Lucius Fairchild Post, Madison) are the most extensive records of this series. The meeting minute books span 1887 to 1934 although there is a gap from 1893 to 1905. The descriptive book encompasses much of the post's existence and the file of membership applications is extensive. Included is a member obligation sheet demonstrating the fraternal qualities of the G.A.R. Of interest are materials concerning veteran burials in Forest Hill Cemetery of Madison, Wisconsin. Post No. 11 records also include materials concerning Flag Day, Memorial Day, and some patriotic songs and poems.
Posts Nos. 20 (W. H. Sargent Post, Janesville) and 68 (James Comerford, Chippewa Falls) also contain fairly complete records including membership information and a span of meeting minute books.
The National series contain encampment miscellany, orders, patriotic instruction records, materials from other states, and miscellaneous materials.
Encampment materials include some newspaper clippings, souvenir programs, and memorabilia. Fairly complete are National General Orders (1895-1940) and Circular Letters (1891-1938). However, General Order No. 11 establishing Memorial Day is missing. A few circular letters and general orders exist for other states as well as occasional correspondence and event programs. Issued by the national headquarters and providing information on the fraternal aspects of the organization; ritual cards outline procedures for many G.A.R. ceremonies, explain the duties of each officer, and contain a layout of the post room.
The bulk of this series involves patriotic instruction. Wisconsin resident and G.A.R. Memorial Hall caretaker Hosea Rood served as national patriotic instructor in 1920 and there is a good deal of correspondence from other states to Rood. Also included are the 1920 Patriotic Instruction reports from the states to Rood. One volume, the List of Patriotic Instructors, contains locations of other state headquarters, expenses of a patriotic instructor, and early chapter titles for Rood's A Little Flag Book.
