We count the cost of wars not only in dollars, but in the loss of human life commonly referred to as casualties. The hidden costs paid by those who stay behind often remain unmeasured.
Those who stop for gas at Shell on South 11th Street often admire the large, but at the same time, simple cross in Silverbrook Cemetery just across the street. It is engraved with the letters "Ihs" that represent the first three letters of Jesus' name in the Greek alphabet and marks the Scorse family plot. Records suggest that the first member of the family buried there was Leah Catlett, wife of John and mother of two daughters and one son.
Alcetas Jerome Scorse would eventually join his mother in the family plot. However, not before he served his country in both the civil and Indian wars.
As his father and sisters waited in Niles, Scorse took the long way home.
Imagine the angst of his parents and sisters as he volunteered with the 10th Ohio Infantry before his 16th birthday. By the time of that milestone birthday in 1862, he was taken prisoner during the Civil War at Winchester.
Reports suggest he was paroled from infamous Libby Prison. Libby Prison was normally reserved for officers, who were routinely exchanged with the north.
Click here for the full article on the Niles Daily Star website
Published February 18th, 2008