EAST PALESTINE Civil War soldier will be honored

Area historians have been researching the Civil War soldier's life for more than two years.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- On Aug. 21, 1862, Joseph Davis, a 23-year-old immigrant from South Wales, enlisted with the 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Company C.
By the time of his discharge on May 29, 1865, he had fought Confederate troops in places such as Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn., and Wilmington, N.C.
Against the Confederate Army of Tennessee at the battle of Franklin, Tenn., on Nov. 30, 1864, Davis captured a Confederate battle flag and was wounded. For those efforts, he later received a Medal of Honor.
Memorial marker: Historical society members and local chapters of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will honor Davis by dedicating a commemorative marker at 1 p.m. May 26 at Boatman Cemetery. The marker recognizes Davis as a Civil War veteran and Medal of Honor winner, she said.
Area historians, including local genealogists and the East Palestine Historical Society and Boatman Memorial Preservation Association, have been researching Davis' life for more than two years.
Ken Baril, an independent researcher from Cincinnati, and Ray Albert of the Medal of Honor Historical Society, Columbus, also provided information about Davis, and they think he is buried in Boatman Cemetery.
Results inconclusive: Julia Clark of the Boatman Memorial Preservation Association said research efforts have been inconclusive as to whether Davis is among the 24 Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War veterans buried in Boatman Cemetery, the city's first. Many of the graves there are unmarked, and there are few records, she said.
Clark said enlistment papers describe Davis as 5 feet 6 inches tall, with blue eyes and a dark complexion. He listed his occupation as a blacksmith.
Davis returned to East Palestine after his discharge. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had one son, Elmer.
Naturalization papers approving his U.S. citizenship state that he applied on Oct. 8, 1870.
His name appears on U.S. Census 1870 records of East Palestine, but not those of the 1880 census, Clark said.