Local student finds mistake in history book about Patterson soldier
Military records showed the soldier was from Paterson, New Jersey but he was actually from Patterson, New York.
Share:
More Stories
0:22
Authorities: Ramapo man faces charges for stealing from cars, attempting to cash stolen check
10m ago1:02
Deadline approaches for Peekskill City School District’s P-Tech and Smart Scholars programs
31m ago0:30
Yonkers woman pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter following death of boyfriend
1h ago1:42
Portion of Central Avenue in Greenburgh reopens following gas main break
1h ago0:30
‘We are heartbroken.’ Loved ones search for answers in case of missing New Paltz woman
1h ago1:08
East End: Kick off party to the summer showcasing the beauty of the region
2h ago0:22
Authorities: Ramapo man faces charges for stealing from cars, attempting to cash stolen check
10m ago1:02
Deadline approaches for Peekskill City School District’s P-Tech and Smart Scholars programs
31m ago0:30
Yonkers woman pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter following death of boyfriend
1h ago1:42
Portion of Central Avenue in Greenburgh reopens following gas main break
1h ago0:30
‘We are heartbroken.’ Loved ones search for answers in case of missing New Paltz woman
1h ago1:08
East End: Kick off party to the summer showcasing the beauty of the region
2h agoA local student found a mistake in the history books regarding a Civil War hero from Patterson.
Ellen Cassidy, a senior at Brewster High School, discovered the answer at Milltown Cemetery.
A soldier named Francis Oliver Myers fought for the Union Army in a unit of Black soldiers out of Massachusetts.
During a battle at Fort Wagner in South Carolina, Myers was badly injured and died two years later.
Historians got that part right, but the military records also said that Myers was from Paterson, New Jersey. Cassidy found several sources, including Myers' obituary, that said different.
Cassidy found that Myers was from Patterson, New York and he is buried at the Milltown cemetery.
The student has informed top American historians about this. She published her finding in The New York Almanack to help correct the record.
The Massachusetts Historical Society is now also clearing up its own records to state Myers was from Patterson, New York.
Local veterans are praising Cassidy for correcting the 130-year-old mistake.
The students say birthplace is an important part of any hero's legacy.
"There were a lot of primary documents that said he was from Patterson, New York," Cassidy says. "It was probably a silly mistake that went into transferring it, but it was a historically significant one."
