Local groups pay homage to Civil War vet
Pictured from left to right: Humboldt County Genealogy Society members: Erica Knudson, Candy Carlson, Martha Schmidt, Karen May and Karen Pedersen, and American Legion member Bob Fort. Kneeling next to the new gravestone for a Civil War veteran buried in Union Cemetery is Humboldt County Veterans Affairs Director Dean Ewoldt. Humboldt Independent photo.
By KENT THOMPSON
There is probably more unknown about Hiram Hotaling than there is known about him.
What we do know is that the man was a physician in Dakota City in the late 1860s and died in 1871, one month shy of his 43rd birthday.
We also know that like a lot of Civil War veterans’ final resting places, the wrath of time and the elements are fracturing many gravestones in cemeteries across the country.
Such was the case with Hiram Hotaling. Shirley Vinsand, a member of the Humboldt County Genealogical Society, spotted a broken gravestone on the east side of Union Cemetery.
She suggested the Genealogical Society partner with the Veterans Affairs Administration and they, along with the Adams American Legion Post No. 119 in Humboldt, proved to be willing and enthusiastic partners in getting a new gravestone for the deceased veteran.
Read more about the story and information on Hiram Hotaling in this week's Humboldt Independent, your trusted source for area news and sports.
