1 RG97 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) GRAND ISLAND VETERANS HOME (GIVH) (formerly NEBRASKA SOLDIER AND SAILORS HOME) 1887-2005 215 cubic ft; 211 boxes & 36 volumes History of Collection: The Grand Island Veterans Home, originally known as the Nebraska Soldiers and Sailors Home, opened in 1887 and was the first Veterans’ home in the state. A brief history of the facility is reproduced below from the DHHS website at: http://dhhs.ne.gov/Documents/GIVHHistory.pdf History of the Grand Island Veterans’ Home Nebraska’s oldest and largest home was established in 1887. The following is an excerpt taken from the Senate Journal of the Legislature of the State of Nebraska Twentieth Regular Session held in Lincoln on January 4, 1887: “WHEREAS, There are many old soldiers in Nebraska who, from wounds or disabilities received while in the union army during the rebellion, are in the county poorhouses of this state; therefore be it RESOLVED, That it is the sense of this Senate that a suitable building be erected and grounds provided for the care and comfort of the old soldiers of Nebraska in their declining years; RESOLVED, That a committee of five be appointed to confer with a committee of the House on indigent soldiers and marines to take such action as will look to the establishment of a State Soldiers’ Home.” Legislative Bill 247 was passed on March 4, 1887 for the establishment of a soldiers’ home and the bill stipulated that not less than 640 acres be donated for the site. The Grand Island Board of Trade had a committee meeting with the citizens of Grand Island to secure funds to purchase land for the site of the home. 2 Timeline of Events: On March 31, 1887, a town meeting was held in the Bartenbach Opera House, and within 36 hours local citizens pledged the $25,600 needed for the purchase of the land, which was originally located three miles north of Grand Island. On October 20, 1887, Governor John M. Thayer placed the cornerstone of the new Soldiers and Sailors Home, and Oliver P. Duncan was the first Civil War veteran admitted to the home on June 28, 1888. The facility was established to house only Civil War veterans of the Union Army, but later it was decided that during the Reconstruction period that Confederate Army veterans were also allowed to enter the home. Subsequent laws were passed to allow veterans serving in all of the wars and conflicts since that time, to be eligible to live at the facility. The name of the facility was changed to “Nebraska Veterans Home” in 1969 to reflect all branches of the service. In 1895 a bill was passed to create another soldiers’ home in Milford, Nebraska, and it opened in 1903. However, funding was pulled from the facility later, and it closed on July 1, 1939. NOTE: Admission case files do not exist from the Milford Home. The veterans who were members of the Milford Soldiers and Sailors Home were then transferred to Grand Island. Bills were passed to establish other veterans’ homes in Norfolk in 1963, in Scottsbluff in 1974 and in Omaha (Bellevue) in 1980. The Grand Island Veterans Home currently serves as the central administrative unit for all member admissions for every home throughout the state. There may be a gap in some of the admission case files from the Grand Island Veterans Home. In June 1967, Grand Island (Hall County) suffered a flood, and according to notes in the administrative files, some records were lost. 3 Scope and Content Note: The Grand Island Veterans Home records are divided into four series: Series One: Administrative Member Admission Files, 1887-1935 Series Two: Administrative Member Admission Files, 1935-2005 Series Three: Registers and Ledger Volumes, 1888-1971 Series Four: Misc. Materials, ca. 1914-1980; this series does contain 13 file folders pertaining to the last several years of the Milford Soldiers and Sailors Home. When the facility closed its door on July 1, 1939, members were transferred to the Grand Island home. The administrative member admission files indicate the following: 1) Veteran passed away before admission; 2) Veteran decided not to enter the home or canceled admission, aka “Content in Present Location, (CIPL); 3) Veteran was denied admission due to state/federal rules and regulations; 4) Admission information includes date of admission, discharge date (s) from the facility, next of kin, and emergency contact information on the admissions form, military service information; and finally, 6) date of death (some files include copies of obituary notices from local newspapers). Restrictions to Collection: All member administrative admission files must be reviewed by NSHS staff in order to comply with state and federal regulations involving any medical information that may be contained in the files involving HIPAA (retroactive and proactive federal law), mental health statutes (Nebraska Revised Statute 71-961), military discharge papers (Nebraska Revised Statute 23-1309), guardianships or conservatorships (Nebraska Revised Statutes 30-2601 thru 30-2661) and social security information. Please keep in mind that confidentiality and privacy issues do apply for this collection due to the vast time span of the records. Some of the veterans who received care at this facility may be alive at this time. 4 SERIES ONE MEMBER ADMINISTRATIVE ADMISSION FILES, 1887-1935 (Total of 20 boxes) Arranged in alphabetical order by last name of veteran BOX 1 Abbot, Benj. thru Bennett & Wozny thru Z Abbot, Benjamin F., College View, Lancaster County, Enlisted May 29, 1861 Co B 13th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and January 1, 1864, Widow Fannie D. Abbott, Admitted September 23, 1928, Civil War. Abel, William, Admission April 1916, Fullerton, Nebr., Nance County, Co. I, 53rd Illinois Infantry, 1864-1865, Born Litchfield, Connecticut on April 27, 1837; Died Jan. 25, 1920, Buried at Fullerton Cemetery Abercrombie, Samuel (widow), Aurora, Hamilton County, Enlisted Indiana Infantry May 15, 1864 Co I 137 and 140 Indiana Infantry , Widow Rachel R. Abercrombie Admitted April 25, 1921, Civil War Abercrombie, Samuel, Aurora, Hamilton County, Enlisted Indiana Infantry May 15, 1864, Co I 137 and 140th Indiana Infantry, Admitted January 17, 1921, Samuel died October 28, 1924, Civil War. Ables, William, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Enlisted December 7, 1917, Trench Arty, Admitted April 14, 1933 WWI. Abrams, Cassius M.C., Verdel, Knox County, Enlisted August 11, 1862, Co F, 34th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Admitted May 10, 1927 and June 17, 1928, Civil War. Abrams, William J., Nora, Nuckolls County, Enlisted August 15, 1862, Co G, 79 Indiana Infantry, Admitted July 15, 1902, Civil War. Abrams, Hester, wife of William J. Admitted October 18, 1902, Civil War. Adams, Anderson, Omaha, Douglas County, Enlisted February 20, 186, Co 46th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Admitted September 16, 1922, Wife: Hattie, Civil War. Adams, Benjamin B., Kearney, Buffalo County, Enlisted Co A 56th Illinois volunteers and Co G? 65th Illinois Infantry – no date – Papers lost, Admitted November 11, 1903, Died March 9, 1904, Civil War. Adams, Charles H., Fullerton, Nance County, Enlisted December 9, 1861Co D, 4th New York Artillery, Admitted: December 8, 1924 and November 6, 1929, Born January 8, 1843, Died August 26, 1940, Civil War. Adams, Daniel V. Curtis, Frontier County, Enlisted November 28, 1863, Co B 57th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Admitted August 15, 1909, Civil War. Adams, Reuben widow Elizabeth, Fairfield, Clay County, Admitted June 20, 1901 and May 16, 1902? Reuben Enlisted August 20, 1862 Co I, 114th Ohio Infantry. Either Elizabeth or Reuben died August 27, 1914, Civil War. Adams, Emiline, Douglas County, Omaha, See Benedict, Francis Adams, Hattie J.(widow)– See also Anderson Adams, Admitted August 7, 1919, Civil War 5 Adams, James C., Ord, Valley County, Enlisted August 11, 1862, Co C, Private in 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Admitted February 1, 1898, James transferred to Ingleside August 8, 1918, Died May 17, 1919, Civil War. Wife Mary K Adams, Ord, Valley County, died August 20, 1919 in Lincoln, NE; buried August 23 at Waco, NE. Adams, Joseph, Grand Island, Hall County, Enlisted August 17, 1861 Co G, 4th New Jersey Infantry and October 27, 1862, Co B 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry , Admitted June 27, 1890, Civil War. Adams, William H. Lincoln, Lancaster County, Private Co E 19th Ohio, Capt 19th Ohio Infantry, Admitted July 10, 1901, Civil War. Adams, William S., Omaha, Douglas County, Enlisted April 27, 1898, Company G, 2 Nebr Volunteer Infantry, Discharged October 24, 1898, Admitted into Milford Home after August 10, 1932, Spanish American War. Adkins, Edward, Grand Island, Hall County, Private Company F 11th Ohio Cavalry, Enlisted June 3, 1863, born Kentucky,ReAdmitted June 27, 1900, Dropped July 1, 1901 – Away over 60 days, Civil War. Adney, Jonathan W., Bellevue, Sarpy County, Enlisted August 14, 1862, Pvt Co K 31st Wisconsin Infantry, Admitted May 9, 1890, Civil War. Agestriotis, Frank A., Hastings, Adams County, Enlisted June 2, 1919 in Lincoln, NE, 554th? Infantry, 89th Division, Admitted January 15, 1940, Born Dec 15, 1888 in Greece, Died September 23, 1942, WWI. Agestriotis, Mabel Marguerite, Wife of Frank, Hastings, Adams County, Admitted October 9, 1940, Frank's Enlistment May 10, 1918? Died April 9, 1946.WWI Akin, Harriet C. widow of Alva D. Akin, Burwell, Garfield, Alva Enlisted February 23, 1864 Corporal Co H, 45th Illinois Infantry, Admitted August 15, 1906, Harriet died June 26, 1915, Civil War. Albert, Olof NMI, wife Hilda Albert, Gothenburg, Dawson County, Olof born in Syria October 5, 1894, Enlisted 10-5-1917, Private 158th Infantry, Cancelled 5/14/1951, WWI. Albertson, Hulda Rosabelle, widow of William P. Albertson, College View, Lancaster County, Private Co G 12th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry,Admitted to Milford Home February 24, 1928, Original Pension document, Original 1862 Disability, also marriage license, Civil War.