Over 140 years ago the task of documenting the final resting places of Civil War Soldiers in the state of Michigan began. Through the foresight of Brother I. M. Cravath, a Department of Michigan Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Officer, reports were solicited from Michigan GAR Posts reflecting the May 30, Memorial Day activities where veteran’s graves were decorated.

True Veteran’s Son Francis E. Hall continued the effort in the early 1900’s. He was a member of Robert Finch Camp 14, Sons of Union Veterans in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and documented over 12,000 records during a ten-year term as Graves Officer. His program was called “Mark the Graves”, and until recently it was contained on 3 X 5 index cards in the Michigan State Library in Lansing.

From 1930 – 1950 the Daughters of the American Revolution included the marked graves of Civil War Soldiers in their effort to identify all veteran’s graves in the nation.

In the mid-1960s the Michigan Civil War Centennial Observance Committee added their efforts through the hard work of municipalities, historical societies, and students state wide.

The Camp Graves Registration Officers (GRO) often are the contacts for the replacement of headstones or installation of flag holders for the Civil War Veterans. You can contact the local GRO through the Department Graves Registration Database to discuss this issue.

If you have a question about a specific veteran, about a cemetery, or can provide us with updated (or corrected) information, please contact Rick Danes, our Department Graves Registration Officer at DGRO@suvcwmi.org.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the combined research of all of the above and the tireless effort of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and their friends, and especially the Archives of Michigan, resulted in over 20,000 records retained at the Department (state) and at the National level from the Department of Michigan.

At the present time, the Department database contains over 60,000 records, including all known Civil War soldiers buried in Michigan from any units, as well any Michigan soldiers that are buried anywhere. We also include the burial places of veterans of any war from the American Revolution through the Spanish American War if they are reported to us.

With a dogged spirit, and a mind to the technological advances that are being made in the world of communication, the Graves Registration Committee, Department of Michigan, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is honored to present this database to the public, keeping in mind that this is a “living effort” which will be updated on a quarterly basis. Any information in the dB is considered correct until we have a chance to verify it.

The database information contained in this site is protected by copyright and is for personal research only. Any other use of this information without the express written consent of the Department of Michigan, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a Congressionally Chartered Corporation, is expressly prohibited.