In the spirit of Veteran’s Day, come to the Lillian E. Jones Museum on Broadway Street in Jackson to experience military history through the lives of 235 veterans related to one Jackson County family.
The remarkable two-volume set details the military service of the descendants of the eight children born to James and Lydia Poor Scurlock of Bloomfield Township in Jackson County. Researcher Helen Cott, a Scurlock descendant now living in Kansas, devoted more than six years to the military scrapbook’s development. Cott is a volunteer with the National Archives, who is a trained genealogy researcher.
Among the family, Cott found numerous veterans of the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, as well as 27 who served in World War I, then 81 who served in WWII, plus 20 Korean War veterans and 26 Vietnam veterans. Scurlock family members also served in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom along with several active duty members. The scrapbook belong to the Jackson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society but the two volumes are housed at the Lillian E. Jones Museum. The Jones Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. –3 p.m. with free admission.
Scurlock is not the only Jackson County surname included in the military scrapbook. Other surnames included are: Aldridge, Aleshire, Austin, Bates, Bishop, Boring, Boyd, Brenner, Calentine, Denney, Eason, Eberhard, Ghiloni, Gilkey, Gillis, Gregory, Hanson, Heskett, Johnston, Keppler, Kirby, Kisor, Lang, Manion, Mantz, Merrill, Morgan, Morton, O’Guin, Parsley, Patterson, Perry, Price, Radcliff, Rupert, Secoy, VanFossan, Warren, Wise, Wolford, Wooten.
Appointments can be made to view the scrapbook outside of the Jones Museum’s regular hours by calling 286-2556. The Jones Museum’s regular hours are Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Admission is free to the Jones Museum and museum is wheelchair accessible.