Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Barnes, Roy 1900
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Marilyn Ransom mlnransom@chartermi.net May 30, 2013, 6:05 pm

The Ionia Sentinel, Thursday, March 8, 1900
Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Barnes are in receipt of the following letter, hospital 
record and telegram which explain themselves:

Ft. Monroe, Va., Feb. 27, 1900.—Mrs. E. W. Barnes, Ionia.  Remains of Roy L. 
Barnes, shipped today to Arlington national cemetery.  

Townsley, Q. M.

Santiago, Cuba, Feb. 11, 1900.

My Dear Mr. and Mrs. Barnes, Ionia, Mich.—I presume you have been waiting to 
hear from me in regard to Roy’s remains.  I will not go into any lengthy 
details, but when I come home I will tell you everything.  I will send you a 
copy of his hospital record so you can see he did not die with yellow fever.  
It took me nearly a half day to find his grave, it was grown over with weeds.  
The number of grave was 25.  Mrs. Barnes, I could not get a picture of his 
grave.  I offered $10 to a photographer to take it, but the sanitary 
commission would not let them go on the island.  We had to go over on the 
island and camp there until our job was completed, then we had to go through a 
disinfecting process which ruined my best clothes.  I personally looked after 
your son’s remains.  They are sealed up in a casket which must not be opened.  
I had your son’s name put on this casket, with mine under it, and the date 
when it was taken up, then put in a nice oak coffin.  This coffin put in a box 
securely fastened, bound by band iron.  His name, company and regiment put on 
the end, and on the right upper corner I put my initial, C.

I will bring you his head-board and a leaf from the tree that grew near his 
grave.  I prepared his remains so that if you bring him home you can take out 
the coffin.  But you must not, under no condition, break the casket that is 
sealed.  I expect his remains will be at Arlington by the time this reaches 
you, as they sail tonight on the U.S. transport Burnside.

T. M. Champlin
Member of burial party, Santiago De Cuba

The hospital record is as follows:

“Roy Barnes, private Co. I, 34 M.V.I.  Cause of death pernicious malaria, date 
of death Aug. 8, buried Aug. 9, 1898.  Remarks—was admitted Aug. 6, 1898.  No. 
and locality of grave, 5 upper tier, N.W.O.; fifth grave, first row.  Yellow 
fever hospital, Santiago, Aug. 8, 1898.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/b/barnes20585nob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/

File size: 2.8 Kb