SOUTH WAYNE — When Nikki Larson saw the Sons of Union Veterans would be honoring James Perrigo, the last Civil War veteran buried in Lafayette County, she couldn’t wait to call her mother, Joyce Stauffer, Perrigo’s great granddaughter.
More than 20 people attended Lafayette County’s Last Soldier Ceremony on an overcast day Aug. 31 at Blaisdell Cemetery in South Wayne. More than half of those in attendance were descendants of Perrigo.
Stauffer, South Wayne, got the call about an hour and a half prior, but didn’t hesitate to attend the ceremony. She said she was very familiar with Perrigo’s background; he died in 1935, and used to live at her grandmother’s house just outside of South Wayne. She even has letters he sent to family while at war.
Before Perrigo could join the Civil War, he had to have a permission slip signed by his father since he was only 16.
He joined the 4th Regiment Wisconsin Cavalry in 1864. The cavalry had previously fought at the siege of Vicksburg in 1863, the battle of Port Hudson and the occupation of Baton Rouge in 1862 and 1863. He spent his time in the war supervising occupied territory in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
He came home in 1865. Perrigo moved with his family to South Wayne in the 1880s, where he was the postmaster for 19 years and was the town clerk.
Tina Perrigo Howard, Monroe, is originally from central Illinois and had no idea she had any relatives in the area. Howard, who is a member of the Daughters of American Revolution, was informed about Perrigo’s ceremony earlier in the week by Barb Nemec, president of the board for the Lafayette County Historical Society.
After learning of her relation to Perrigo, Howard said she started working online on her family tree. At the ceremony, she said she was excited to have the chance to meet other relatives. Howard was even asked to say a few words on the family’s behalf, which she said was nice, but nerve-racking.
Nemec said she was surprised how many relatives attended the ceremony.
“I was really excited to have this connection to civil war history and to get it into the eye of the public,” Nemec said.
The ceremony included a musket firing and placement of a marker honoring Perrigo’s service. It was led by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War with participation from the Lafayette County Historical Society and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
