500 N. Main St., Room 921
Monroe, NC 28112
Phone (704)283-3810 Fax (704)282-0121
Staff Contact:
Matthew Delk 704-283-3656
Delkm@co.union.nc.us
News Release:
“Confederate Pensioners of Color” to be Honored on Dec. 8
November 26, 2012, Monroe, NC – The Union County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 1 passed a resolution proclaiming Saturday, Dec. 8 as “Confederate Pensioners of Color Day” in Union County.
A memorial to honor Union County’s 10 pensioners of color will be dedicated on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. in front of the Confederate Memorial located on the grounds of Union County’s Historic Courthouse.
North Carolina awarded pensions as benefits to qualified Confederate veterans. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the state recognized the confederate military service of men of non-white origin who were enslaved and free and began providing them pensions for the remainder of their lives. The “Pensioners of Color” were honored and respected for their wartime service and were included in many veterans’ gatherings and reunions.
Union County’s “Pensioners of Color” were Wilson Ashcraft, George Cureton, Aaron Perry, Ned Byrd, Hamp Cuthbertson, Jeff Sanders, Wary Clyburn, Mose Fraser, Wyatt Cunningham and Lewis McGill. These men led lives of continued service to their churches, schools and communities. They also engaged in business and trade, started families and left many descendants in Union County.
Several descendants of these men will be present at the memorial dedication as will Civil War re-enactors and guest speakers. One special guest will be Ms. Mattie Rice, the daughter of Wary Clyburn. Clyburn died at the age of 90 in 1930 when Ms. Rice was a young child.
For more information about these men, visit the Dickerson Room of the Union County Public Library in Monroe or contact Patricia Poland at 704-283-8184 ext. 224 or ppoland@union.lib.nc.us. For questions about the memorial dedication, email the Confederate Pensioners Committee at pensioners1865@yahoo.com.
The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony. . ###
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