Southern Ohio Genealogical Society to conduct program on The Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home, Xenia
Lead Summary
By
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By Dwight Crum
Vice President of Programs
Southern Ohio Genealogical Society
Thursday, November 9 will be the next fall program of the Southern Ohio Genealogical Society.
The guest speaker will be William Chavanne, childhood resident of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home in Xenia. Chavanne will share stories and events of his childhood and how the home may play into your family genealogy.
A little background on the home.
Money was collected from taxes levied during the Civil War to care for the dependents of soldiers, but the government mishandled the money. By the war's end, several families were living in county infirmities under deplorable conditions. Seeing this, soldiers still living began contacting government officials, requesting that something be done to help the families of the fallen soldiers.
Eventually, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a federation the veterans formed after the close of the Civil War to foster comradeship, financed the purchase of a home for veteran's orphans in the city of Xenia.
Xenia was chosen because people from Greene County had long been interested in the plight of the veterans' families, and Reverend P.C. Prugh had been raising funds for the project for some time. Rev. Prugh is thus referred to as the "Father" of the movement to establish a home.
Additionally, Chaplain George W. Collier is credited with being the first to suggest the idea of a home to the GAR. In 1869, the Grand Army of the Republic established the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home in Xenia, Ohio. The "Home" was commissioned by Abraham Lincoln, and was a self-contained community with a farm, dairy barn, hospital, power/heating plant, gymnasium, banquet hall, chapel, and residence halls. Lincoln challenged the states to bind up the wounds of the Civil War by meeting the needs of widows and orphans created by the conflict.
Ohio members of the Grand Army of the Republic took up that challenge, and, through a donation of 100 acres by a Xenia farmer, created the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home. In 1870, the State of Ohio assumed control of the home. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home was originally located in a rented building in Xenia, Ohio. In 1869, Xenia residents provided the GAR with 150 acres of land to build a permanent facility.
All SOGS programs are open to the public, so join us for this very interesting program which will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 9. The meeting will be held in Hillsboro at the Highland County Service Center Conference Room, 1487 N. High Street [This is the old K-Mart building located close to Southern State Community College and also houses the Highland County Health Department.]
Upcoming SOGS programs will include the following programs: December 14 – Christmas gathering, 6:30 p.m. Highland House, 151 E. Main St., Hillsboro. Reservations required; January 11 -- Beginning Genealogy Workshop for youth, visit our web site www.sogs.info or send an e-mail to register, sogs414@sbcglobal.net . Programs already scheduled for the spring include: March 8 – “Where There is a Will and Even if there is no Wil”l, Liz Stratton; April 12 – “Yes, it Has a Story to Tell – The Genealogy of your Home”, Betty Crum; May 10 – “Using the Law to Get the Most from Old Estate Records”, Liz Stratton; June 14 – First and Second Family Banquet & Annual Meeting.
Vice President of Programs
Southern Ohio Genealogical Society
Thursday, November 9 will be the next fall program of the Southern Ohio Genealogical Society.
The guest speaker will be William Chavanne, childhood resident of the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home in Xenia. Chavanne will share stories and events of his childhood and how the home may play into your family genealogy.
A little background on the home.
Money was collected from taxes levied during the Civil War to care for the dependents of soldiers, but the government mishandled the money. By the war's end, several families were living in county infirmities under deplorable conditions. Seeing this, soldiers still living began contacting government officials, requesting that something be done to help the families of the fallen soldiers.
Eventually, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a federation the veterans formed after the close of the Civil War to foster comradeship, financed the purchase of a home for veteran's orphans in the city of Xenia.
Xenia was chosen because people from Greene County had long been interested in the plight of the veterans' families, and Reverend P.C. Prugh had been raising funds for the project for some time. Rev. Prugh is thus referred to as the "Father" of the movement to establish a home.
Additionally, Chaplain George W. Collier is credited with being the first to suggest the idea of a home to the GAR. In 1869, the Grand Army of the Republic established the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home in Xenia, Ohio. The "Home" was commissioned by Abraham Lincoln, and was a self-contained community with a farm, dairy barn, hospital, power/heating plant, gymnasium, banquet hall, chapel, and residence halls. Lincoln challenged the states to bind up the wounds of the Civil War by meeting the needs of widows and orphans created by the conflict.
Ohio members of the Grand Army of the Republic took up that challenge, and, through a donation of 100 acres by a Xenia farmer, created the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio Veterans' Children's Home. In 1870, the State of Ohio assumed control of the home. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home was originally located in a rented building in Xenia, Ohio. In 1869, Xenia residents provided the GAR with 150 acres of land to build a permanent facility.
All SOGS programs are open to the public, so join us for this very interesting program which will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 9. The meeting will be held in Hillsboro at the Highland County Service Center Conference Room, 1487 N. High Street [This is the old K-Mart building located close to Southern State Community College and also houses the Highland County Health Department.]
Upcoming SOGS programs will include the following programs: December 14 – Christmas gathering, 6:30 p.m. Highland House, 151 E. Main St., Hillsboro. Reservations required; January 11 -- Beginning Genealogy Workshop for youth, visit our web site www.sogs.info or send an e-mail to register, sogs414@sbcglobal.net . Programs already scheduled for the spring include: March 8 – “Where There is a Will and Even if there is no Wil”l, Liz Stratton; April 12 – “Yes, it Has a Story to Tell – The Genealogy of your Home”, Betty Crum; May 10 – “Using the Law to Get the Most from Old Estate Records”, Liz Stratton; June 14 – First and Second Family Banquet & Annual Meeting.