photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Mike Hadl, left, and Tom Schmidt, right, both members of Lawrence's chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, stand behind a new headstone dedicated to Civil War veteran Doc McWilliams Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.

By all accounts, Doc McWilliams is a Lawrencian worth remembering.

Born enslaved, McWilliams came to Lawrence in 1862 and the next year enlisted in the Union army’s 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, the first Black regiment to be organized in a northern state and the first to see combat during the Civil War. After the war, he lived to the age of 66, becoming a civil rights leader in local and state politics and serving as the commander of one of Lawrence’s chapters of the Grand Army of the Republic, a former fraternal organization composed of Union veterans.

But despite his accomplishments, McWilliams, for more than a century, was missing one recognition in particular: a headstone marking where he’s buried on his family’s plot in Oak Hill Cemetery. Until May, McWilliams had rested in an unmarked grave since his death in 1910.

The headstone was installed thanks to the efforts of Lawrence’s chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a national organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of Union veterans. And later this month, community members will be able to attend a ceremony dedicating the new fixture — complete with Civil War reenactors, a cannon salute and a special musical selection.

“His grave’s been unmarked for 113 years,” Tom Schmidt, Kansas Department Commander for the Sons of Union Veterans, told the Journal-World. “I mean, why not? Why not shed some light on his story and his life and his service in the Civil War? … This is what I always say — it’s the right thing to do. I think my ancestor would be proud that I’m a member of the Sons of the Union Veterans and that we’re still honoring people that served.”

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

A new gravestone honoring Doc McWilliams, a veteran of the Civil War who fought for the first Black regiment to see combat in the Civil War, is pictured at Oak Hill Cemetery Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.

The headstone dedication ceremony is set for Saturday, Sept. 30, at Oak Hill Cemetery, 1605 Oak Hill Ave., starting with a memorial procession at 12:45 p.m. Schmidt and a team of local volunteers have been working to plan the event and are encouraging all who are interested to attend.

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Schmidt, along with committee members Jeanne Klein, Mike Heck, Mike Hadl and Mike Todd, have been working since late 2021 to properly recognize McWilliams. Schmidt said that effort started with Klein, a Lawrence historian, who was the first to discover McWilliams lacked a headstone after documenting the family plot where he’s buried.

Soon, Schmidt said, the Lawrence Sons of Union Veterans chapter was getting involved to rectify that.

“I’d been involved with going through the process with the (United States Department of Veterans Affairs) to get government headstones, so they look like the other headstones,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt is talking about the nearly identical government-furnished headstones given to all Civil War veterans that feature a shield emblazoned with a name and unit. There are now hundreds of those headstones erected throughout Oak Hill Cemetery, and others scattered at cemeteries around Lawrence and Douglas County.

photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

About 20 headstones dedicated to Civil War veterans who fought for the Union are pictured at Oak Hill Cemetery Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. Throughout the cemetery, there are hundreds of these nearly identical government-furnished headstones.

But getting one of those headstones is a process made much easier with the help of a living relative, Schmidt said. Luckily, McWilliams’ great-grandson still lives in Lawrence and was happy to help.

The headstone that was ultimately granted by the VA did come with one caveat: it couldn’t be engraved with the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry as its unit, since the unit was absorbed into the U.S. Army in 1864 and its designation changed to the 79th Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry.

“That’s why the stone shows the 79th (USCI) — United States Colored (Infantry) — instead of 1st Kansas Colored Company G, which you’ll see other units that have that designation,” Schmidt said.

With the help of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, the group was able to set the stone in Oak Hill Cemetery on May 3. Schmidt and his committee have since shifted their focus toward the Sept. 30 dedication event, which they’ve been planning since June.

The itinerary for the day will be a busy one, Schmidt said. Kansas Territorial Pipes and Drums, a Topeka-based performance band, will provide some music, flowers will be placed by McWilliams’ new headstone and a number of speakers will give remarks — including University of Kansas professor and Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Willmott, who will read excerpts from some of McWilliams’ public speeches. That’s all on top of cannon and rifle volleys and other military funeral staples.

“I don’t know if Lawrence has ever had anything quite like this,” Schmidt said.

Ultimately, he said it’s not just an opportunity to honor McWilliams but also to get more people interested in exploring their families’ Union ancestry. That plays into Schmidt’s three goals for the ceremony: to educate, dedicate and communicate.

After all, Schmidt said, there’s always something new to learn about what life was like in McWilliams’ time.

“We’ve tried to give a good balance of honoring and exposure,” Schmidt said. “… What they’re going to see is probably something that most of them have never seen before.”

As the dedication ceremony will be taking place in the cemetery, Schmidt said he recommends that people bring their own lawn chairs for seating. To learn more about the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, visit suvcwks.org.