For years, Catherine Ruzika's mother talked about returning to Greenfield Cemetery, in Uniondale, to visit the family plot, where generations of relatives, including Civil War veteran George W. Keep, were buried.
But after Ruzicka’s mother became ill and died in 2011, the visit never happened.
Instead, Ruzika made the trip to the grave herself. What she found launched a yearslong journey into her family's history and a mission to ensure that her great-great-great-grandfather would finally receive the recognition he had earned through military service over a century and a half ago.
On Aug. 1, Keep will be among 21 veterans honored in a dedication ceremony at Greenfield Cemetery after receiving a government-issued headstone, thanks to the efforts of Moses A. Baldwin Camp No. 544 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, based in Hempstead. The group has spent years researching veterans buried without proper markers and working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to secure new headstones.
For Ruzika, 71, a resident of Wantagh for nearly 40 years, the moment has been more than a decade in the making. "He is the reason I started doing the ancestry," she said of Keep.
After her mother's death, Ruzika began digging into family records and genealogy, hoping to learn more about the relatives whose stories had largely been lost over time. As she researched the family's plot at Greenfield Cemetery, she discovered that Keep's original marker had either deteriorated beyond recognition or disappeared altogether.
She also uncovered military documents, pension records and family artifacts that had been passed down through generations. "I learned so much about my family history by doing the ancestry," she said. "Not only George, but his ancestors."
Although Ruzika looked into replacing the marker years ago, progress stalled. During the pandemic, access to historical records became more difficult, and the project remained on hold.
Then, about a year ago, she received an unexpected email. Wayne Haddock, a member of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, had found her while researching Keep's military service. Using genealogy records on Ancestry.com, Haddock determined that Ruzika was one of Keep's descendants, and contacted her to help move the organization’s application forward and obtain another headstone for Keep.
"I was able to track Catherine down because her ancestor, George Keep, was on Ancestry in her family tree," Haddock said.
Sons of Union Veterans researches veterans who may be buried without military markers by comparing cemetery records with Civil War service records. When a veteran's unmarked burial location is confirmed, the organization submits an application for a government-issued marker to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"The VA reviews the application, checks it against their military records, and once it's approved, they pay for the marker to be fabricated and delivered to the cemetery," Haddock explained.
Some graves lost their original stones over time, while others never had markers installed. "It's an ongoing process," Haddock said. "There are still more."
The work is deeply personal for him. Haddock, who joined the organization about five years ago, said his own family includes veterans who served in conflicts dating back to the French and Indian War. Some of those ancestors were also buried in unmarked graves, which inspired him to help preserve the memory of others.
"Just so these men aren't forgotten," he said, explaining why his work remains important 161 years after the Civil War ended.
Keep served as a private in Company H of the 56th New York Infantry. Through her research, Ruzika learned that he later served as a nurse in a military hospital in Charleston, S.C., before being discharged in October 1865.
She received word this spring that the VA had approved the new marker, and, she said, "I was elated."
Ruzika owns an independent caregiving business, helping clients who can no longer care for themselves. Looking back, she sees a connection between the service she provides and the compassion her ancestor showed while caring for wounded soldiers during the Civil War.
She plans to attend the Aug. 1 dedication, representing the family as Keep's service is publicly recognized once again.
For Haddock, ceremonies like this are about more than replacing old stones. They are about restoring names, preserving history and ensuring that the sacrifices of veterans are never erased by time.
"Our group specializes in honoring these men for their service," he said. "The most important thing is that these men aren't forgotten."
