Rich Senko stood among rows of tombstones at Grandview Cemetery, a sullen stare in his eyes.
That sadness is for a man he's never met: John Woleslagle.
The only concrete memory of Woleslagle, a Union solider in the Civil War, is a fallen headstone tucked along a hillside. The stone, weathered and nearly swallowed whole by grass and earth, was discovered last month by Senko and his wife, Lucille.
Members of the Monessen Historical Society, the Senko's are on a mission: Find an existing relative of Woleslagle so the old soldier can receive a new gravestone.
"Just the fact he was a Civil War solider and he's buried in our own hometown, he's special," Rich Senko said. "He fought for this country, for the North. All these other (veterans) have flags and a headstone. He deserves it. And it would cost nothing."
Woleslagle, a private in the 149th Pennsylvania Infantry, died in 1909. His last known residence was in Rostraver Township, according to the Senkos.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs furnishes - at no charge to the applicant - a government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased, eligible veteran, regardless of date of death.
Jimmy Pallini, commander of Allison-Lescanac Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1190 in Monessen, said the VA will indeed replace the tombstone at no cost - but only if he can provide written approval by a descendant of Woleslagle.
"I thought maybe with us being a veterans' organization and the fact we couldn't contact the family, they could put this through," Pallini said.
"I filled out the application and a cover letter to get the headstone, but they sent a letter back saying we'd have to find next of kin, with proof that they're some kind of relation."
The search for Woleslagle was more than 30 years in the making. That's when Rich Senko, who's always maintained interest in the Civil War, received a handwritten paper from his mother with information about a solider who was buried in town.
His interest was rekindled last year after joining the historical society. About a month ago, the Senkos scoured the cemetery three times before going to see the caretaker, Don Gregor.
"Donny had a map, and it still took us three days," Lucille Senko said.
"We couldn't find a tombstone, but saw a stone footer for one. Don and Rich pulled grass up around the marker and found a stone lying in the grass."
Rich Senko rubbed chalk across the exposed stone, revealing Woleslagle's name, infantry number and the dates "1834-1909." It is illegal to remove the stone from its current condition.
The Senkos performed Internet searches and confirmed Woleslagle served in Col. John Irvin's regiment from Aug. 29, 1862 to Oct. 2, 1864, when he was discharged by surgeon's certificate.
They also made phones calls, mostly coming up empty. One 91 year-old woman near Youngwood said she was an in-law of John Woleslagle, but offered little other information than a phone number for her daughter. Lucille said the daughter did not return a phone message.
A search by The Valley Independent turned up two U.S. Census records - one from 1870, one from 1880 - that lists John Woleslagle as a resident of Clearfield, Pa., about 120 miles northeast of Monessen. He was listed as being married to Mary Woleslagle and employed as a laborer. The later record lists a 16 year-old son, John A. Woleslagle.
"There may be a next of kin, but they might not be anywhere near around here," Pallini said. "He could've moved here much later in life. But finding a next of kin, that's the only way you can get the headstone."
For Lucille, the search has only turned up more questions.
"Why was he in the area? And why is he buried up at Grandview Cemetery?" she said. "Nobody knew he existed. If it wasn't for us digging around, it probably would have stayed that way."
There is one other documented Civil War veteran at Grandview: Michael Doney, who served with the 13th U.S. Infantry. But Doney has a legible headstone, along with a Grand Army of the Republic star marker.
The GAR was America's first veterans organization.
The Senkos want Woleslagle's service to be honored in the same respect.
"He's not just a box down in that ground. He was a person, and he fought in the Civil War, which makes him more important than me or you," Rich Senko said. "This is a part of our history. He should be recognized as such."
Anyone with information about John Woleslagle or his family is asked to call (724) 684-7199.
