Any project of this size takes a lot of planning and donations of time , effort and out of pocket expenses.  DUVCW Tent #20 and SUVCW Camp #62 members have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours organizing things down to the smallest detail so everything runs smoothly.  We do this out of honor, and our admiration and appreciation of what our Veterans did for us during the Civil War.  As organizers we don't expect to be acknowledged  in every detail of work.  However there are a couple of areas that need recognition because others will want to know.  And then there are others with no connection who are willing to step forward to help.

  First of all it is our deep appreciation that we feel towards John's niece as spokesperson for John and his family for sharing him with all of us.  Her years of research and determination to find him along with the expenses incurred are overwhelming to us.

  Vern Stottlemeyer, Past Dept. Commander for MO. SUVCW built John's wooden coffin as a project for his high school shop class.  They even used one student as a representative of John since he was the same height.  KTVO came and did a news segment on this project.  Vern is retiring from teaching this year.  What a way to remember your last year.  And what an opportunity to share with his last students something that they will never forget and be able to tell their grandchildren.

  Lonnie Dover, SUVCW Camp #62 has been hard at work constructing the 35 star flag for the coffin and the 21st MO. Inf. flag.

  Chris Feeney, editor of the Memphis Democrat newspaper for making room for the weekly articles.  And to both Chris and Kevin Fox of the Kahoka Media newspaper for their combined efforts on the event newspaper which thanks to the advertisers will be free to all.

  Rick Woltman of Woltman Trophies and Awards for his rock bottom cost on the thousands of Memorial Ribbons.  These will be given out free along with a period Death Notice Card to those at visitation until we run out.  They will be collector items to save.  Woltman Trophies and Awards is the official Memorial Ribbon company.  Visit them for your needs at http://woltmantrophies.com/

  We were required to purchase a concrete grave liner box so that the wooden coffin and urn with cremains would never crush under the weight of heavy equipment.  This was going to cost us $750.00.  Thanks to the St. Joseph, MO. division of Suhor Industries, Inc., Manager Mike Anderson has donated this along with the set up.  This was a big expense and caused many exclamations of jubilee and sighs of relief.  As an added interest, this company provided the vault for our 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagon.  Pres. Reagon signed our Federal Charter for the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 while in office on December 9, 1985, our 100th anniversary year as an organization.  Please visit Suhor Industries web site and read about Pres. Reagon's vault and it's trip to California.  http://www.suhor.com/

     Firewood has begun to arrive.  Workdays on March 12 and 26, 2005 with workers hauling, cutting and stacking the wood.  The money for purchasing the wood has been donated.  Chainsaws and labor have been a gift of dedication to this.  When Harris Motor Company of Memphis, MO. found out why the workers were renting a UHaul trailer, they said it's "free" from now on through the event weekend.  We will need it to haul hay and straw bales and other things like the trashcans and water barrels which will soon arrive.  They also are donated.
Wood workers were:
The Fikes, Albert, Dawn and sons Leo and Nathan
The Cunninghams, Charles and daughter Sam
Gary Puckett
Jeremy Chin
David Dillon
Susan Buckallew for her location to store it and furnishing sandwich meals.

   The citizens of Memphis, MO and surrounding area are busy sprucing up the town and cemetery.  Donations of empty lots close to the Court House square for encampment locations are really helping us.  Others are donating rooms in their homes and yards and driveways for camping and RVs.  The Memphis Community Theater has waived their cost for us to use it for the Lincoln Production fund raiser.  The PEO organization who originally donated the gates to the Memphis city cemetery are having them renovated in time for the services.

      The 5th MO. Cavalry Unit is coming and bringing their horses for parade duty and to pull the cannons.  This Unit travels a lot and does duty at many memorial services besides reenacting.  Their web site is:  http://www.5mocav.com  Others are bringing wagons and teams to shuttle people to and from the square and encampment locations.  The public is welcome to take a ride and visit with the soldiers and their wives and children in camp.

    John Avery has donated his 1861 hearse and his time to honor Corporal Byrne.  Those that were at the Keokuk, IA event got to see it along with John's period embalming tent and display.  Check out John's web site and see pictures of the hearse and read about it's history and where all it has traveled.  http://www.civilwarundertaker.net

    The St. Louis Carriage Company has donated the rental cost of their horse named Rossy, a black Percheron, to pull the hearse.  The ancestors of the modern day Percheron served as war horses carrying knights into battle instead as draft animals in the field.  They first came to America in 1839.  Visit their web site at:  http://www.stlouiscarriagecompany.com/

    PLEASE HELP WITH ROSSY'S TRAVEL EXPENSE!!!!  Even though Rossy has been donated, it is going to cost us travel expense for him to be brought here.  We are negotiating this cost but it will still be one of our bigger expenses.

    Parker Print and Pray of Memphis is the official T-shirt maker.  Owner James Parker spent hours working on our logo to go on the T-shirts, invitations and cockade certificates.  The logo is awesome and such a tribute to this page in history.  He is also ordering the cardboard fans with the logo on them.  They also will be for sale at only $1.00 so that anyone can afford this commorative logo as a memorial keepsake.  Proceeds go to the John Peyton Byrne Memorial Fund to help with the expenses.

    The cheers went up at the last planning meeting when it was announced that Glen Meyers owner of Meyers Driveway & Septic Tank Service of Keokuk, IA had donated all the porta potties that we need!!!  John and Robert Helenthal, G.G. Grandsons of Harrison Byrne, brother of John P. Byrne are employees of Glen's and pleaded our case first hand.  John and Robert only have to haul them and pump and clean them up before returning.  This cost could have been in the thousands of dollars and has been a big concern to all of us.  Thank-you Glen, John and Robert.

    David MacKay will be piping for us traditional tunes while David Parker accompanies him on the bodhran drum.  They will be performing at the court house steps during the Friday, May 27, 2005 entertainment  You will find them at other times strolling the streets of Memphis and entertaining at the encampments.  On Saturday, they will pipe the family out the front door of Payne Funeral Chapel at 1:00 p.m.  Also, they will perform for the visitors and those in attendance at the graveside funeral, during the filling in of the grave.  They are both from Ft. Dodge, IA and are traveling here and waiving their fees to honor Corporal Byrne.  We very much appreciate this.  Visit their web sites at:  http://www.dodgenet.com/~dmackay/Bagpipe/Service
http://www.fortmuseum.com/

    While the family and dignitaries reception will be going on at the VFW at 5:00 p.m. following the services, John will not be left alone.  Guards will stay behind with him and continue guarding his grave and answering visitors questions till sunset on Memorial Day.  Since these guards will not be able to attend the reception, the PEO, Chapter C of Memphis, MO. will be providing a catered meal to be delivered to them.  This organization has a long history of envolvement in the Memphis community.  They furnished the Memphis City Cemetery's beautiful gates many years ago.  In a joint effort, they and the city have had the gates refurbished and they will be rehung before the services for Corporal Byrne.  We thank them for the meals and the gate restoration.

      We appreciate all contributions large and small.  As many as time permits will eventually be listed here on this page.

    We still need things like hay and straw bales, portable water tanks to fill the water barrels, trash can liners and a list that seems to be growing faster than the donations.  YOUR help is needed with items or monetary help with items and is greatly appreciated.  Contact the webmaster for any questions or contribute to the address below.