The Fayette County Genealogical Society met April 15 with member Jeff Garringer presenting the program “The Grand Army of the Republic in Fayette County.”

Garringer related the history of the Grand Army of the Republic “GAR,” emphasizing its history in Fayette County. The GAR, a fraternal organization of Union Army veterans, was founded in Decatur, Illinois in 1866. As the union forces were organized, so was the GAR with the states being departments. All 88 counties in Ohio belonged to the Ohio Department. At the community level, the GAR was organized into posts.

In the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, there were three GAR posts in Washington Court House and six more in the villages throughout Fayette County. When the GAR had its statewide annual reunions, they were called encampments. There was also an annual National Encampment. Even though Washington Court House was a small town compared to other cities in Ohio that held the Ohio encampments, Washington Court House was chosen for the encampment in June of 1905.

Washinton Court House did an excellent job of decorating the town, with wonderful parades, and accommodating the visiting veterans by citizens opening their homes since there were only three hotels on a much smaller scale than of any bigger city in Ohio. There were some 2,000 Civil War veterans from all over the state who marched in a parade. The sitting Ohio Governor Myron T. Herrick attended the encampment. The crowds that attended the encampments were in the thousands.

Washington Court House was chosen again for the Ohio Encampment in 1913 with equal success. James M. Cox was the governor of Ohio, and he attended the 1913 encampment. The final Ohio Encampment took place in 1947. The last National GAR Encampment took place in 1949. Those in attendance at the society meeting were given a booklet entitled “When Washington Court House Hosted Ohio’s GAR Encampments in 1905 and 1913” by John Leland, which gives details of the planning and the events with pictures. Both encampments were quite the events in the history of Washington Court House and Fayette County.

Jeff Garringer is an active member of the Society and Fayette County Historical Society.

The next meeting of the Fayette County Genealogical Society will be the Annual Lineage Dinner May 20 at the home of our caterer, Jason Gilmore, 605 S. North St., Washington Court House. The social hour begins at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30. The cost of dinner, which includes the tip, is $25 and is payable at the dinner. The Society will induct five new members into the First Families of Fayette County Lineage 3 Society.

To be eligible for membership in this lineage society, an individual needs to prove an ancestor(s) lived in Fayette County by Dec. 31, 1820. Reservations need to be made by Monday, May 13 to Sue Gilmore at 614-864-9609 or [email protected].