(Radio Iowa) – Fifteen Civil War veterans now have gravestones in Des Moines thanks to a group that works on the forgotten histories of soldiers. Cemetery historian Mike Rowley held a dedication ceremony earlier this month at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines to commemorate their service to the country.

“The gravestone is really just a marker and a way to remember an individual, and then kind of start their own search for the history of that individual. And it opens up endless stories,” he says.
Rowley says he’s carrying on his ancestors’ legacy as the son of a veteran himself.

His three-person team of researchers has marked around 400 gravestones in Iowa so far and he hopes it help inspire people currently in the military.  “We, as residents and citizens, value what they do, so that they won’t be forgotten even after 100 years. And hopefully it’s a bit of encouragement to those individuals as well,” Rowley says.

Rowley says he finds stories of great heroism and great tragedy through his research.