In a phone conversation, Ms. Marks explained that they received a group photo of Civil War veterans from a collector. In the photo were two African Americans amidst the all white soldiers. This group was known as the Knowlton GAR or Grand Army of the Republic and they were out of Cazenovia, New York. The collector, Angelo Scarlato, wanted to see if they could identify the two Black men. They accepted the challenge. Their investigation took them to upstate New York, Madison county. With the help of librarians and genealogists, they surmised that three African Americans from the area enlisted or volunteered in the Civil War.
They /irst identify the /lag bearer in the photograph. Someone commented that a guy inquired about African Americans in Cazenovia on the Rootsweb Madison county message board a couple of years ago, and maybe he could help. That guy was yours truly. So, that’s how and why they contacted me.
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