Family ties are secure as the Townsends of America and the Townshends of England work together on their Bell Project.

David Dallam Townsend gave an update on the progress being made on the Bell Project at the Oct. 27 annual meeting of the Townsend Society at their Oyster Bay headquarters.

The project was instituted last year after the visit of Charles Townshend (Viscount Raynham). This project was instituted at last year's annual membership meeting to raise funds for the hanging of bells at St. Mary's Church of Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England.

The campaign was initiated with the Townsend Society, and other Townsends, for the purpose of casting, hanging and tuning of the bells in time for the gathering of the Townsends at Raynham scheduled for June of 2002. The bells have been ordered and are being cast and, when finished, will be installed in a temporary framework. This work now under way will constitute the first phase.

The second phase will consist of the heavy timber construction, the ancillary work, the installation of teaching facilities and the ornate carving of the balustrade will be done once the remainder of the funds are raised. Between 40 and 50 thousand dollars have been raised thus far which is roughly half the required amount. David was confident that the remainder would be raised 40 and $50,000 by the time due. For additional information and progress contact the Bells website at: WWW.TOWNSHEND.ORG

The annual membership meeting of the Townsend Society of America had opened with a welcome by President Lewis Townsend and the routine business of reading various reports such as Financial by George P. Townsend, Publications by Lewis T. Townsend and other reports presented by Director Richard Ryan.

The guest speaker, Harrison (Terry) Hunt was then introduced. Mr. Hunt is the supervisor of Historic Sites for Nassau County and his topic was "Long Island and the Civil War." Well illustrated with slides tied to his lecture the speaker proceeded in his talk.

Long Island was, at that time, quite rural in nature with the exception of Brooklyn, which was a city independent of New York City. The occupations were mostly farmer or farm laborer. Following that were the maritime tradesmen such as fishermen, baymen, shipbuilding and related labor.

The majority of the population felt that the South, and the "slavery": question, was none of our concern. They also were, for the most part, Democrats and felt under no obligation to support a Republican President and his aims. The Confederates firing on Fort Sumter caused a dramatic change as it was now a question of saving the Union. Forgetting their party affiliations and differences, for the most part, Long Islanders felt that any nation created under such difficult circumstances and by the sacrifices of so many, had to be preserved.

Pro union rallies were held at the (then) Queens County Courthouse in Herricks and the Hotel in East Norwich. Flagpoles (called "Liberty Poles") went up all over the island. Many churches flew flags from atop their steeples while the ministers gave patriotic sermons to their congregations and served as volunteer chaplains to the military.

The communities also participated in recruiting drives when, after the first battle of Bull Run, it was realized that this would not be the short war that had been anticipated. Young men enlisted for various reasons, one of which was to preserve the Union. Others joined in response to advertisements saying "Spend next winter in Savannah, Georgia" or because their friends had enlisted or they did not want to be thought of as cowards or simply because they had nothing better to do!

Some Quakers served in combat units, without compromising their faith, as it was felt that the evils of slavery far outweighed the proscription against fighting. Two Ketcham brothers, John and Edward, served one in the cavalry and the other as an infantry officer. Sadly, both died one as a result of battle, the other in a Confederate prisoner of war camp.

States were authorized to raise their own units and many did which helps explains why there were duplications of unit numbers. Each state might have two First Infantry Regiments one being a militia the other a volunteer. There might also be a First Cavalry as well as a First Artillery. To further confuse the issue the Regular Army might also have a First Infantry Regiment. This is why, during the Civil War, it was customary to fully identify a unit by giving the name as "First New York Volunteer Infantry" or First New Jersey Zouaves." This writer had long wondered about the seemingly long-winded unit identifications used at that time and Mr. Harrison neatly cleared it up.

For some the army proved an opportunity for advancement as exemplified by a young lad who enlisted as a drummer boy in the 61st New York and rose to the rank of first lieutenant by war's end. Others found army life to their liking and remained in uniform transferring to the regular army after the end of hostilities. African-Americans, however, were not allowed to serve in the Union army until 1853. At that time they were permitted to enlist and were formed into two segregated units commanded by white officers.

Local women organized sewing circles and aid societies for the care and comfort of the servicemen. One of the biggest fund-raising events was the Long Island and Brooklyn Sanitary Fair held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Over $100,000 was raised; an amount that is considerable today and was gigantic during the 1800s. Others, including men, volunteered to serve in field hospitals ministering to the sick and wounded. One of these was Long Island's own Walt Whitman, the poet, who had gone in search of a brother reported wounded and stayed to care for those soldiers in need.

Once the war ended many Long Island towns erected monuments in memory of those who served the nation so well. Some were in towns and villages such as Roslyn while others were in cemeteries commemorating those fallen in battle. Unfortunately, over the years some have been vandalized as illustrated by a column which now stands alone due to the removal of the statue which once surmounted it.

The ex-servicemen organized themselves into various veteran's groups. The most popular of these was "The Grand Army of the Republic" which had several posts (branches) on Long Island. These groups would lobby for veteran's benefits and commemorate holidays such as Memorial Day and Independence Day by marching in parades and laying wreaths at the gravesites of their fallen comrades. They succeeded in obtaining pensions, survivor benefits and aid to indigent veterans from the federal government. To this day there are a few widows still collecting pensions as widows of men who served.

This concluded Mr. Hunt's excellent lecture and slide show and the assembled guests were invited to the dining room to partake of refreshments which were most appreciated.