leavenworth national cemetery

My Aunt Martha was the family genealogist.  When she passed away, I asked if I could have all her files.  Her daughter was more than relieved to relinquish them to me, as they were taking up quite a bit of space in her garage.  I culled through them and made digitally produced albums for all the family members with the details of our ancestors going back to their arrival in this country from Silesia, Poland. 

One of our ancestors, Joseph Pietzuch enlisted in the German Battalion and was a bridge builder for the Union Army during the Civil War.  His specialty was pontoon bridges.  After suffering heat stroke on the march from Huntsville to Stephenson, Alabama, he mustered out, studied engineering, worked as an architect and became the Town Engineer for North Vernon, Indiana.  

Building trades suffered during an economic depression in the 1870s, and a decade later, Pietzuch became the Civil Engineer of the Soldiers Homes in Dayton, Ohio and later in Leavenworth, Kansas.  It was in Leavenworth that he died in 1900, and he was buried in the Leavenworth Soldiers Cemetery. 

When Campbell and I began discussing places that we might visit on our cross-country trip, I mentioned that I would like to go to the cemetery in Leavenworth to find my great, great (and for Campbell, great, great, great, great!) grandfather’s grave.  I had checked online which section contained his remains.  His headstone was easy to find, situated on the road at the very corner of that section.  

I had brought along Joseph Pietzuch’s story as researched by Aunt Martha and recorded with photos in the digitally produced album. And so, on Sunday afternoon, one week after Memorial Day, David, Campbell and I stood in the Leavenworth National Cemetery and read the story of our ancestor’s achievements and contributions.  Another emotional and solemn moment to remember on Campbell’s journey. 

Love, Liz 

Photo by David McFadzean