The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Headstone of War of 1812 vet dedicated

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

After lying unnoticed in an unmarked grave in Woodland Cemetery for 133 years, War of 1812 veteran James L. Coe finally received the attention he deserved — and then some — on Saturday. The Van Wert County Veterans Service Commission brought local veterans organizations, War of 1812 re-enactors, and even a couple of cannons, together to make some noise about the recent placement of a headstone on Coe’s gravesite.

Van Wert County Veterans Service Commission President Bill Marshall speaks at the dedication of a headstone for War of 1812 veteran James L. Coe. photos by Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

A great-grandson of Coe’s four times removed, Cincinnati resident Jim Wilson, was also on hand with his wife, Lorraine, to witness the ceremony. Wilson said his daughter found out about the ceremony — surprisingly from a man named Coe who is no relation to James — and let her father know.

“My daughter is an assistant curator at the Denver Museum and she called me Monday night and she said ‘they’re honoring Grandpa Coe up in Van Wert, Ohio, and placing a stone on his unmarked grave; you gotta be up there because you’re the only ancestor,” said Wilson, whose is descended from one of Coe’s three daughters (he also had two sons).

Wilson also brought a display with him showing Coe at approximately age 100 wearing an old naval uniform from his days as a U.S Navy sailor fighting the Barbary pirates prior to the War of 1812.

“I’m really glad to be here and I can’t believe it’s going on,” Wilson said. “It’s just something that somebody could have lived so long and done so much.”

County Veterans Service Officer Barry Johns opened the ceremony under cloudy skies, welcoming those who attended, including a number of people in period costume who accompanied the War of 1812 soldier re-enactors.

War of 1812 re-enactors from the 1st and 2nd U.S. Artillery fire off a salute to veteran James L. Coe at Woodland Cemetery (click here for more photos of the ceremony and the Franklin Park dedication).

“One of the things we do is we make sure our veterans are honored in the proper ways,” Johns said, citing a statement made in 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln during his second inaugural address: “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and for his orphans,” which has been the motto of the VA since 1959.

Chaplain Dick Elder also honored Coe in his prayer, noting: “Let us revere him as a good man who fought a good fight for a just cause.”

Bill Marshall, who is president of the local Veterans Service Commission, and was the person who first learned

“Today, we honor a man, a veteran, who for over 133 years lay in this unmarked grave known only to his Maker,” Marshall said. “Today, we will honor his life with the ceremony presented by his fellow veterans and a gravestone marker that will forever note him by name (and) recognition of his service to our country.”

Jim Wilson, a descendant of James Coe, holds a photo of Coe at the age of 100 in a U.S. Navy uniform of the time.

Marshall then went into a recital of Coe’s background and service record, noting that he was born, fittingly, on July 4, 1776, in Pennsylvania, and later served in the U.S. Navy during America’s fight against the Barbary pirates prior to the War of 1812 and then enlisted in the army in 1812 as an artilleryman. He fought in a number of battles in and around Canada during the war, and was apparently captured by the British during the Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812, but was exchanged after a brief time as a prisoner of war. He mustered out of the army in 1815.

Coe moved to Van Wert in 1850 and was given a veteran’s land grant of 160 acres in Union Township. He later sold that farm and purchased one in Hoaglin Township, where he died on November 19, 1885, at the age of 109 (see archived story for more information on Coe’s life).

Following Marshall’s speech, a local honor guard comprised of members of American Legion Post 178 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5803 rendered a 21-gun salute to Coe, as did re-enactors from the 2nd Regiment, Kentucky Volunteers; Captain John Linigle’s Company of Ohio Militia; and White’s River Guard, Indiana Volunteers; followed by an artillery salute by re-enactors from the 1st and 2nd U.S. Artillery.

A color guard made up of members of Ohio City and Convoy American Legion posts also participated, while Paul Hoverman and his son, Tim, played “Taps” at the conclusion of the ceremony.

POSTED: 07/23/18 at 8:04 am. FILED UNDER: News