Grand Army of the Republic Flag

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Grand Army of the Republic Flag, A&M 2933, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 in. (1 item)
Creator:
Grand Army of the Republic
Abstract:
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union armies of the American Civil War. The GAR flag was given to Corporal Thomas Noah Tipton in celebration of his pension. It was presented to him at Berlin, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 1867. Corporal Tipton was a Civil War Union soldier, serving both Company F, 136th Pennsylvania Infantry, and Company C, 11th Minnesota Infantry, and was discharged June 26, 1865, at Buffalo Mills, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He passed away in 1867, and was buried in the family plot at Fairhope-Burkett Cemetery, Fairhope, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Additional provenance information is provided in the scope and content note.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Grand Army of the Republic Flag, A&M 2933, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Civil War era flag donated to the Hoffman Circle No. 16, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Morgantown, West Virginia, on December 14, 1975.

The flag was first given to Corporal Thomas Noah Tipton in celebration of his pension. It was presented to him at Berlin, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 1867. Corporal Tipton was a Civil War Union soldier, serving both Company F, 136th Pennsylvania Infantry, and Company C, 11th Minnesota Infantry, and was discharged June 26, 1865, at Buffalo Mills, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. He passed away in 1867, and was buried in the family plot at Fairhope-Burkett Cemetery, Fairhope, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

The flag was given to his daughter, Mrs. Melville (Emma Tipton) Leach, after Corporal Tipton's death in 1867. She was the mother of Mrs. Thomas E. (Emma Leach) Davies of Morgantown, West Virginia. Mrs. Davies, who acquired the flag from her mother's estate in 1942, decided it should be given to the local GAR, so she presented it to Hoffman Circle No. 16, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Morgantown, West Virginia. Her son, Colonel Thomas Melville-Leach Davies, U.S. Army (retired), presented the flag to the Hoffman Circle in accordance with her wishes.

Some additional provenance information can be found in a narrative document accompanying the flag.

Biographical / historical:

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union armies of the American Civil War. Established in 1866 by Benjamin Stephenson, the GAR provided veterans with a forum for both social and political activities. In addition to honoring their military service through monuments and memorials, the GAR hosted local, state, and national encampments and raised money to assist veterans and their widows and orphans. The organization reached its highest enrollment in 1890 with more than 400,000 members, and during its most active years had immense political power. The GAR was also responsible for the establishment of Memorial Day as a national holiday. The Grand Army of the Republic was formally dissolved in 1956 after the death of its last member.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard