of Dayton, Ohio
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Soldiers Home of Dayton, Ohio |
Information about the National Soldiers Home,
Return to Carolyn's Genealogy Page |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Aerial scene of the National Soldier's Home |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Bird's eye view of the Campus in 1898 |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Gardens and Lake in 1885 |
History of the Soldier's HomeNear the end of the Civil War in 1864, it was estimated that by the close of hostilities there would be over 100,000 men from the Union Army who would be unable to return to civilian employment. On March 3, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act of Congress establishing the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers to care for these disabled veterans of the Union Army. The Central Branch of the National Home, located approximately 3 miles west of the city of Dayton on 355 acres of farmland, was opened in September 1867. At its inception the Central Branch was the largest branch of the National Soldiers Home system. Records indicate that the largest number of veterans cared for in a year was 7,092 in 1898. The largest number of veterans present was 5,033 in 1897. The number of visitors to the Central Branch swelled to 669,059 in 1910, which is the last year the count of visitors is available. Early administrators were not content to provide merely living quarters for the disabled veterans. From the outset, officers and administrators sought to provide religious, intellectual and recreational activities for the men in residence. The grounds were initially laid out by Chaplain Thomas B. Van Horne and were maintained by the veteran patients. Lakes surrounded by miles of strolling paths and scenic walks provided a pastoral setting for rehabilitation and relaxation. For more than 80 years, the facility and its lavishly landscaped grounds were a showplace and attracted over 350,000 visitors per year. The hospital of the Central Branch was the first hospital completed in Montgomery County, dedicated in May of 1870. The Home Hospital was a marvel of innovative and progressive design with interior steam operated elevators, indoor plumbing and steam heat. The Protestant Chapel was started in 1868 and was completed soon after the hospital dedication in 1870. Built of stone quarried on the property and built by the veterans themselves, the Chapel is the first religious structure paid for by the Federal Government. The first chaplain, William Earnshaw, was an early leader taking and active part in the workings of the home. Earnshaw was the first librarian, at first gather in a collection of military history books. In October 1868, Earnshaw announced the donation of a large library by Mrs. Mary Lowell Putnam of Massachusetts. By the turn of the century, the Patients' Library ranked among the best and most heavily used libraries in the state. Ten years after its founding, by 1877, the facility had been transformed into a city with 132 buildings, many of which had running water, steam heat and gas lighting. There were six and one-half miles of road, two miles of gravel walkway, many wells and four lakes. The facility also boasted a 250 acre farm which provided much of the produce consumed by the patients. In July 1930, the National Soldiers Home system was dismantled and consolidated into the newly formed Veterans Administration. A new hospital, Col. Edwin Brown Hospital, named for an early administrator of the site, was dedicated in 1931 replacing the old Home Hospital. An extensive construction program resulted from the depression and the government program of public works. Many of the frame and brick buildings dating from the earliest years of the Central Branch were razed to make way for a new mess hall, and new domiciliary buildings. Among the changes, the old snorers barracks, used to accommodate "loud sleepers" disappeared. All in all, several million dollars were spent renovating the grounds and constructing new buildings through this period. Patrick Hospital, originally built in 1940 as a domiciliary, was converted to a geriatric hospital in 1950. The Dayton VA Medical Center was among the early Veterans Administration providers of nursing home care as mandated by an executive order signed by President John Kennedy. Since 1974, the Dayton VA Medical Center has been affiliated with the Wright State University School of Medicine. The VA currently serves as the principal teaching hospital for Wright State University's Department of Medicine and as a major contributor for the Departments of Surgery, Dermatology, and Neurology. The VA is also affilicated with the University of Cincinnati for residency training in Psychiatry. In 1989, the Veterans Administration was yet again re-named and restructured by presidential action. Today, the Dayton VA Medical Center is part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and provides care for veterans in a multi-county area of Ohio and Indiana. The Medical Center is located on over 300 acres of land and the facility includes a general medical, surgical and psychiatric hospital; a nursing home; and domiciliary. Comprehensive medical programs in medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitative medicine and dentistry are available to today's veterans. |
The Dining HallThe following picture of the Dining Hall at the National Soldiers Home, taken in 1902, was contributed by Donna M. St. Felix of Dayton. |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Dining Hall at National Soldiers Home |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Inscription on back of picture |
Recent PicturesThese pictures were taken by Carolyn Johnson Burns in the Dayton National Cemetery in August 2000. |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Soldiers' Memorial |
 Click picture to view enlargement. View from the hill. |
 Click picture to view enlargement. Rows of white headstones. |
Newspaper ArticlesIn an effort to help preserve the memory of the National Military Home in Dayton, following are articles about the Home and its veterans. These articles have been transcribed from Dayton-area newspapers, and most contain pictures that have been copied with a digital camera.
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Online Burial Records for the Dayton National CemeteryBurial records for Dayton National Cemetery are available online through the following web sites. These web sites do not contain complete lists.
Click here for a Map of the Dayton National Cemetery. |
Veterans from the War of 1812 Buried in Dayton National CemeteryIn September 1936, the Ohio Society United States Daughters 1812 dedicated a Memorial at the Dayton National Cemetery to honor the veterans of the War of 1812 who were buried in the cemetery. The names of these veterans below are linked to their Military Home Register.
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Dayton Soldiers Home Register of Members, 1867-1935The military home records for disabled veteran soldiers are available by submitting a research request. If you believe you have an ancestor who may have lived in the Dayton Soldiers Home or may be buried in the Dayton National Cemetery, you can submit a research request to Carolyn Burns, Genealogist at carolynjburns@woh.rr.com. |
1880 Federal Census of the National Military HomeTranscribed from the top of the census page:"Inhabitants in National Military Home, in the County of Montgomery, State of Ohio, Jefferson Township, enumerated by me on the 1st day of June, 1880. Central Branch Liberty. William Furey, Enumerator."The 1880 census of the National Soldiers Home can be viewed free through Ancestry.com. The census begins on page 585 and ends on page 624. |
Sources to Help in Your ResearchInformation from the following sources might be of assistance if you are researching veterans associated with the Dayton National Soldiers Home.
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 This page updated November 11, 2013. |
