OSAGE COUNTY — About three dozen people gathered March 6 at the Osage County Library in Linn to hear a presentation about Civil War veteran Jerry Berry and plans for a Memorial Day dedication ceremony in his honor.

The program was hosted by the Friends of Chamois Cemeteries and featured Craig Haugan of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Lillie Camp No. 6 of Jefferson City. Haugan shared research about Berry, who is recognized as the last surviving Union soldier from Osage County.

The presentation served as a preview of a planned Memorial Day monument dedication ceremony set for May 25 in Chamois honoring Berry’s military service.

The Sons of Union Veterans have been researching Berry’s life as part of a national project to identify and commemorate the final Union veteran buried in each county across the United States.

Haugan explained that the effort began when members of the organization started investigating records of Civil War soldiers buried in Osage County.

“What do you know about Jerry Berry, the last Union soldier here in Osage County?” Haugan recalled being asked during an earlier presentation. “I said I’d never heard of him.”

That question launched months of research that eventually led to the discovery of Berry’s gravesite in the historic African American cemetery on the hill overlooking Chamois.

Berry was born into slavery in Callaway County in 1844. After the Emancipation Proclamation allowed enslaved men to enlist in the Union Army, he joined the military in December 1863 in Fulton and was mustered into service at Benton Barracks in St. Louis.

He served in the 56th United States Colored Troops, an infantry regiment made up of African American soldiers. The regiment spent much of its service in Arkansas guarding military supplies, plantations used to produce crops for the government, and wood fuel used by Union steamboats.

Although the regiment saw limited combat, soldiers endured harsh conditions and widespread disease. Berry’s unit lost many men during the war, particularly from illness. After the war ended, members of the regiment helped expand an orphanage for African American children near Helena, Ark., donating both money and labor.

Berry served for two years, nine months and 15 days before being discharged in September 1866.

After returning to Missouri, he eventually settled in Chamois. Historical records show that he worked along the Missouri River, likely performing labor on river improvement projects intended to maintain navigation channels for steamboat traffic.

Berry was also active in the local African American community. Records indicate he helped establish a Black Baptist church in Chamois and served as one of its trustees. He was also a member of the Prince Hall Masons, an African American Masonic organization that later oversaw his funeral when he died in 1939.

Berry lived to about age 95, making him the last surviving Union Civil War veteran from Osage County.

Members of the Sons of Union Veterans located Berry’s grave through historical records and cemetery surveys. When researchers first visited the site, the area had become overgrown and the marker was partially buried. Volunteers later cleared the area and identified Berry’s family plot.

The presentation served as a preview of a planned Memorial Day monument dedication ceremony honoring Berry in Chamois.

While the Sons of Union Veterans led the historical research and recognition of Berry’s service, the project has also connected with a separate local effort to restore the cemeteries located on the hill above Chamois.

The Friends of Chamois Cemeteries group formed recently to address deteriorating conditions in several burial grounds on the hill above town. Volunteers have been working to repair tombstones, clear brush, and restore historic monuments.

The groups are now collaborating on preparations for the May 25 ceremony.

Plans for the event include historical presentations, music, clergy participation and military honors. The ceremony will also include the unveiling of a special marker recognizing Berry as the last surviving Union veteran from Osage County.

Members of the Prince Hall Masons are expected to participate in the ceremony, reflecting Berry’s membership in the organization.

Organizers say honoring Berry’s story is an important step in preserving a piece of Osage County history.

Berry’s life spanned a remarkable period in American history. Born into slavery, he later served in the Union Army during the Civil War and lived well into the 20th century.