Black Civil War veteran gets long overdue honor on his birthday

(GREENDALE, Ind.) – A project spearheaded by the Lawrenceburg Public Library has led to a long overdue honor for a Civil War veteran and former slave. 

In 2023, Phil Kuhn and genealogist Rachel Scott, who both work at the library, were researching the stories of veterans buried within Soldiers Circle at the Greendale Cemetery. 

Rachel had learned that an African-American who had served in the Civil War was buried there. 

His name was William Early. 

She searched the cemetery but a gravestone with his name was nowhere to be found.

That’s because of what initially occurred in the Civil War-era. African-Americans who enlisted in the military had to do so under the name of their enslaver. 

Therefore, William Early was known in the military as William Gaines. 

Following his Army service, he went by his real last name (Early) while living in Lawrenceburg. 

He passed away in 1934 and was the first African-American to receive full military honors during his burial at Greendale Cemetery. 

Despite that, his government-issued grave marker read William Gaines. 

“This man who fought for his literal freedom was buried under his slave name and when I learned about that, it became a passion and something I was determined to change,” said Scott. 

William was buried under the wrong name for more than 90 years, and once Scott became aware of it, she became determined to rectify and correct it. 

Researching William Early 

William Early was born on September 18, 1843 in Boone County, Kentucky. 

His family was enslaved to a man named Richard Gaines who owned about 320 acres in the Burlington area. 

Early was approximately 20-years-old when he and his brother, Melvin, ran away from home and enlisted in the military. 

Their enlistment came after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which had a provision that encouraged African Americans to join the Union Army. 

The research conducted by Lawrenceburg Library genealogist Rachel Scott reveals that William joined Company E of the 117th United States Colored Infantry. 

His job in the Army was to carry gunpowder which led to a serious injury on April 6, 1865. 

He was sitting around a fire when an ember landed in the bag of gunpowder. 

“William said he and the bag of gunpowder were blown sky high. He temporarily lost his eyesight and was hospitalized for over a year with horrible burns,” Scott said. 

Early was discharged from the Army in January 1866 and returned to Boone County where he got married and had a daughter. 

Around 1892, he moved across the river to Lawrenceburg and initially was renting a home near Main Street. 

Over the years, he became involved in local organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic, which was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who served in the Civil War. 

“He was actually elected the chapter's Quartermaster and for a Black man at that time, especially with the rise of the KKK in the 1920’s and 1930’s, for him to be elected to that position spoke volumes about the kind of man William was,” Scott said. 

William was also one of the founding members of Union Valley Baptist Church, which is located at 530 Martin Luther King Drive in Lawrenceburg. 

Rachel says his contributions to the church is another example of how people viewed William.

“He was widely respected among the White community in Lawrenceburg, and was among the most instrumental people in getting the money and donations to build the church,” she said. 

She also discovered that Early became a homeowner around the age of 86 which was in 1930.

The home was located at 518 Euphemia Street, however, it is no longer standing. He surrounded himself with family as a brother and sister also lived on the same street. 

William Early passed away on March 22, 1934 and his death made the front page of the Lawrenceburg newspaper.

Despite the respect he had earned locally, his grave marker was labeled incorrectly for more than 90 years until Rachel Scott corrected the atrocity. 

Scott spent countless hours researching William and then used that information to work with Department of Veterans Affairs.

It was an extensive process to get the approval for a name change but her hard work and passion paid off.

On Friday, the grave marker for William Early was officially dedicated on what would have been his 183rd birthday.

Dedication Ceremony

The public ceremony last week at Soldier’s Circle included several speakers as well as military honors. 

Scott spoke about Early’s life and told the crowd that he now feels like her "adopted grandpa."

Military rights were conducted by the Southeastern Indiana Honor Guard.

Honor Guard member PG Gentrup presented Scott with the American flag from the ceremony as well as special plaque that is typically only reserved for Purple Heart recipients.

Other attendees included Phil Kuhn, two members from the National Park Service in Kentucky, along with other representatives from the Lawrenceburg Library, Boone County Public Library, Kenton County Public Library, and Union Valley Baptist Church. 

William Early’s new grave also has a special designation on the backside:

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