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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, May 22, 2026, pg. 7 Through the years I've given numerous tours of Riverside Cemetery in Albion, and also help place flags on veteran's graves at the annual placement held on the first Saturday in May. I do the "old grounds" there, as well as the older sections on the north end of the cemetery along M-99. I notice the various flag holders designed for veterans, as well as those originating from clubs and organizations. Among the thousands of burials at Riverside, there is one lone flag holder from a particular organization we are featuring this week. The Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (LGAR) was chartered by the U.S. Congress, and is the oldest women's hereditary organization in the U.S., according to its website. The organization is headquartered in Ohio. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was the Civil War veterans organization that was organized in 1866. In 1881, the Loyal Ladies League was established as an auxiliary to the GAR and assisted with helping Civil War veterans with pensions and built homes for widows and orphans. The various local groups joined together in 1886 to form the LGAR. However, the LGAR was not the only woman's organization associated with the national GAR. Here in Albion, the woman's auxiliary to the E. W. Hollingsworth Post No. 210 of the G.A.R. was associated with the Woman's Relief Corps (WRC) of the GAR, founded in Denver, Colorado in 1883. Albion's women organized with the WRC on February 8, 1888 with 39 charter members. In the histories of the local WRC, no mention is made of the LGAR ever existing here. What then is a LGAR flag holder doing in Riverside Cemetery? It is next to the grave of Elizabeth (White) Brand (1850-1897). "Betsey" as she was known by, was first married to William Simmons (1837-1881) who is interred in Lot 3 in Block 7 of Riverside Cemetery, with Elizabeth being the owner of Lot 3. William's tombstone has a regular local E. W. Hollingsworth Post flag holder next to it. After William's death, Elizabeth was subsequently remarried, to Benjamin E. Brand (1845-1936), a Civil War veteran of the Tekonsha area. They lived in Fredonia Township between Marshall and Tekonsha. When Elizabeth died of heart disease in 1897, her remains were sent to Albion to be interred next to her first husband. The flag holder at her grave consists of a 5-pointed star, with a large circle in the center. The text states, "LADIES OF THE G.A.R. CIRCLE 44." Each point contains an emblem: Two crossed swords representing Cavalry, an anchor representing Sailors, a bugle for infantry, crossed cannons for artillery, and crossed muskets for the Marines. In correspondence with current LGAR officials, they stated that Circle 44 didn't exist until the 1920s. I suspect that the holder was placed with the urging of Elizabeth's husband Benjamin Brand, who lived until 1936 and wanted a flag holder on his late-wife's grave. I don't know where "Circle 44" was located, but it probably would be in Marshall or Tekonsha, my guess. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the tombstone of Elizabeth Brand, and a close-up of the flag holder next to her grave. The non-profit Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic organization is still in existence today. They raise funds for the needs of veterans, volunteer at VA hospitals, are involved in cemetery clean-ups and various community projects, send supplies to active-duty service members, and participate in patriotic parades and holiday observances. Their website states, "Honoring the past through Patriotism, Education, Preservation, and Community Service." For more information, visit their website at www.lgarnational.org, or contact their National President, Janice Stevenson at: ladymarian1938@hotmail.com. How many of our readers have a LGAR flag holder on the graves of their ancestors?  The tombstone of Elizabeth Brand
 A close-up of the flag holder
All text copyright, 2026 © all rights reserved Frank Passic | Artwork copyright Maggie LaNoue © 2026
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