“FRATERNITY, CHARITY, AND LOYALTY”
Also known as Memorial Day. Observed nationwide on each may 30. Friday, may 30, 1902 the citizens of white oaks showed their respects. It had been just over 35 years since the end of the civil war. Most the survivors were in their 50s or early 60s at this time. There were burials from both North and South resting in Cedarvale. There were living veterans from both sides living In town. It was all closer to the people there. not like a long ago forgotten war somewhere back then. So , due reverence and respect was the norm . Solemn. Some rode down to the cemetery. some took carriages or wagons. Some paraded on foot. Some dressed In GAR garments, some in their old uniforms. All the rest dressed like going to church.
Those meeting at the GAR hall went one block South. Then a right on White Oaks ave. Then a left on Harrison then on down to Cedarvale Cemetery.
Upon arrival they saw the red white and blue bunting, hanging on the entrance. fresh flowers on each veterans market. The grass and weeds nice and trimmed. The fence freshly painted white. Bleacher and chairs to rest . Walk through the headstones. listen to remarks and remembrance. Back to Pythias hall for an evening of chatting, music, visiting and a short speaking program.
One of the speakers was 13 year old Effie Cooper , daughter of James and Mattie Cooper. Who was born in white oaks married, bore four children and was killed by the Spanish influenza in Ancho 15 years later. Knowing the town was dying day by day. People leaving every week. Still the sense of civility was still alive and well, even as economic collapse was obvious. Another testament to why White Oaks and its citizens were special in the old days.
Early life and career[edit]
Kearny was born in New York City to a wealthy Irish American family. His father and mother were Philip Kearny, Sr., and Susan Watts.[1] His maternal grandfather John Watts, the last Royal Recorder of New York City,[2] was one of New York’s wealthiest residents, who had vast holdings in ships, mills, factories, banks, and investment houses. Kearny’s father was a Harvard-educated, New York City financier who owned his own brokerage firm and was also a founder of the New York Stock Exchange.
Early in life, Kearny desired a career in the military. His parents died when he was young, and he was consequently raised by his grandfather. Against the younger Kearny’s wishes, his guardian insisted that Kearny pursue a law career. Kearny attended Columbia College, attaining a law degree in 1833. His cousin John Watts de Peyster, who had also attended Columbia, wrote the first authoritative biography on Kearny.
In 1836, his grandfather died, leaving Kearny a fortune of over $1 million ($27 million in 2019 dollars). He chose to make the army his profession. The following year, Kearny obtained a commission as a second lieutenant of cavalry, assigned to the 1st U.S. Dragoons, who were commanded by his uncle, Colonel Stephen W. Kearny, and whose adjutant general was Jefferson Davis. The regiment was assigned to the western frontier.
Kearny was sent to France in 1839 to study cavalry tactics, first attending school at the famous cavalry school in Saumur. He participated in several combat engagements with the Chasseurs d’Afrique in Algeria. Kearny rode into battle with a sword in his right hand, pistol in his left, and the reins in his teeth, as was the style of the Chasseurs. His fearless character in battle earned him the nickname from his French comrades of Kearny le Magnifique (“Kearny the Magnificent”). He returned to the United States in the fall of 1840 and prepared a cavalry manual for the Army based on his experiences overseas.
Shortly afterward, Kearny was designated aide-de-camp to General Alexander Macomb, and served in this position until Macomb’s death in June 1841. After a few months at the cavalry barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Kearny was assigned to the staff of General Winfield Scott, soon becoming his aide-de-camp. He did additional duty on the frontier, accompanying his uncle’s unit on an expedition to the South Pass of the Oregon Trail in 1845.
Press Image Above to See the Location of G.A.R. in White Oaks New Mexico Here
New Mexico Library, Archives and Records Center Building; 1205 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, NM 87507; phone 505-476-7948; email archives@state.nm.us; website www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/
Collection 1960-044, Series I Post Records, Subseries 1.7 Series I, Box 1, Folder 19: Roster, no date.