Grave Mistake in Garden Plain?

Thank you to Scott H., Jack W., Marita H., Travis M., Michelle H., Gopher Records, and everyone else who assisted in this research.

In the back of Calvary Methodist Cemetery in Garden Plain you will find new gravestones for two Civil War veterans—William T. Goodnight and Frank C. Evans.

But neither of these men are buried here.

When the Midwest Historical and Genealogical Society documented all the gravestones at Calvary Methodist Cemetery in 1982, they noted that two men named Bill Goodnight and Frank Evans had unmarked graves, and no birth or death dates were recorded for either man. Flat concrete markers were placed and the men’s names were written on them.

Over two decades later, someone decided that Frank and Bill were Civil War veterans, and that their original gravestones had been destroyed.

It’s not quite clear how the conclusion was reached—no one I spoke to (including the person who ordered the replacement gravestones) remembers original Civil War gravestones being there. And all available records prove these Civil War veterans are not buried in Garden Plain.

How Did This Happen?

How this happened is quite simple: research mistakes are common, and so are mistakes by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We are all human, and we all make mistakes.

When I spoke with the individual who ordered the replacement gravestones, he didn’t remember how he concluded that these two Civil War veterans were the same Bill and Frank in the cemetery record book. He remembered doing the research to apply for the gravestones, but didn’t remember the details of his research or why it led him to these two veterans. He said no descendants were involved in his research or the application process.

The VA approved the applications without question. Replacement gravestones were shipped to Garden Plain and placed in 2009.

The article from the Times-Sentinel, May 14, 2009, says the gravestones were purchased, but the VA definitely supplied the gravestones; the contributions may have been for the cost of setting them.

The year these two gravestones were placed, hundreds of erroneous gravestones were discovered at Arlington National Cemetery. The VA promised after an investigation that the alarming number of mistakes were isolated to Arlington National Cemetery.

But then in 2019, Air Force Veteran Jim Gardner went public with his findings: 10% of the gravestones (858 total) at Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery contain errors, typos, or are for veterans who are not buried there. Similar problems have been highlighted in Arkansas, Georgia, and Washington.

But let’s dive into the details and documents for these two veterans specifically and you can decide for yourself. I’ve done my best to link every resource and make their full military records accessible for you to explore.

William T. Goodnight (1835-1913)

William T. Goodnight was an early settler in Greenwood County and lived there for over 40 years until his death in 1913. He was buried at Ott Cemetery in Hamilton, Greenwood County, Kansas with an original Civil War gravestone.

Photo taken April 2024.

His replacement gravestone in Garden Plain is documented on the Veterans Legacy Memorial website, proving the VA supplied it and shipped it there.

Photo taken April 2024.

Couldn’t There Be Two Men Named William T. Goodnight?

Yes! But there was only one William T. Goodnight with those birth and death dates who served with the 11th Kansas Infantry/Cavalry, Company H.

Could the Gravestone in Garden Plain be a Memorial or Cenotaph Placed by Relatives?

No. The gravestone in Garden Plain was provided as a replacement for a destroyed gravestone by people who didn’t consult with William’s family, and they didn’t know his original Civil War gravestone is in Hamilton, where his body was buried.

William Goodnight’s Military Records

For free downloadable PDFs of Williams full service, medical, and pension files from the military, click here.

From William’s military records with the 11th Kansas Infantry/Cavalry, we know the following:

He was born in Wabash County, Illinois.
He mustered in with the 11th Kansas Infantry, Company H on August 21, 1862 in Topeka, Kansas at age 26.
- The regiment became mounted during William’s service and was renamed 11th Kansas Cavalry.

He mustered out September 13, 1865.
He filed for his pension from Hamilton, Greenwood County, Kansas.
- All correspondence to him was sent to Hamilton; all correspondence from him came from Hamilton.
- He received pension checks in Hamilton, including his final pension check. It was returned from the Hamilton postmaster because William was dead.

An affidavit from one of William’s children states “In his last illness he came to [Eliza, his ex-wife’s] house … and he died at her house and was buried from there.” Eliza lived in Hamilton.

William died in Hamilton, Greenwood County, and was buried there.

William Goodnight in Census Records and Other Documents

William was probably born in 1835 to David Goodnight and Drucilla Hood. A letter signed by William states that his mother died when he was seven, he was raised by others, and he never saw any family records. William also believed he had no siblings.

1850 census: Fifteen-year-old William Goodnight is living with a family that isn’t his own in Wabash County, Illinois.
- He married Mary Spain in 1858.
- He is living in Greenwood County by 1859.
1860 census: I couldn’t find William in the Federal census this year, but he would have been living in Shawnee or Greenwood County at this time, per his own account of his life from his pension file.
- He is in the 1865 Kansas census in Greenwood County with wife Mary and children Elisabeth, Octavia, Sopharona, and David.
- Mary “died in Greenwood Co, Kans., someplace” in 1869 according to one of his children’s affidavits in his pension file.
1870 census: Widowed William is living in Greenwood County with a friend and his children Octavia, Sopharona, and David.
- He married Eliza Jane Fisher in Greenwood County in 1871 when she was 17 and he was 29.
- He purchased land in Greenwood County in 1872.
1880 census: William is living in Greenwood County with Eliza, her mom, and three different children; Albert, Mary Jane, and Isa J. (Eyesa Josephine), each born to Eliza after 1871.
- William appears on GAR rolls in Greenwood County in 1889.
1890: There is no 1890 census, and there is no veteran’s census for Kansas that year, but:
- William appears on GAR rolls in Greenwood County in 1890.
- William filed for a pension in 1890 from Hamilton.
1900 census: William is living in Greenwood County with wife Eliza and one child, Dora.
- Eliza filed for divorce in Greenwood County in 1901 citing “extreme cruelty and gross neglect of duty.”
- William buys more land in Greenwood County in 1904.
- He signs an affidavit in 1907 in Hamilton stating “to the best of his knowledge, he is now in his 73rd year.”
1910 census: William is living alone in Greenwood County. His marital status is “divorced.”
- Eliza is also living alone nearby. The census notes she’s birthed nine children, four of whom lived.
- Eliza continues to care for William as needed until his death in Hamilton in 1913.

William’s farm in Greenwood County as documented in The official atlas of Kansas in 1887.

William Goodnight’s Obituary, Burial, and Will

William’s obituary was published in Greenwood County and it mentions his service with the 11th Kansas Infantry, both his wives, and all of his living children (except David).
- The obituary says he died at home and his funeral was at home.
- It says he was buried in Ott cemetery in Hamilton.

Hamilton Grit, Hamilton, KS, Sep 4, 1913

William’s will and probate were handled in Greenwood County.
- Probate notices were published in Greenwood County.
- Probate costs associated with his estate were documented in Greenwood County.
- The final distribution report in his will is from Greenwood County.
Eliza was living in Greenwood County in 1915, and she filed for his pension in 1916 as his widow. Her pension claim was denied because they were divorced.
- Eliza died in Greenwood County in 1918 and was buried “in the Ott cemetery beside other relatives who have passed before.” Her grave is not marked.
A 1918 Decoration Day article has William’s name on a roster of soldiers who are buried in Greenwood County cemeteries.

Hamilton Grit, Hamilton, KS, Jun 6, 1918

William T. Goodnight with the 11th Kansas Infantry/Cavalry was not buried in Garden Plain. He was buried in Ott Cemetery in Hamilton.

So was William ever in Garden Plain?

Maybe, but I found no record of it. Nothing I found in official documents or newspapers suggest that William T. Goodnight was ever in or near Garden Plain. He does not appear on any GAR rolls or on published lists of Civil War soldiers buried in Sedgwick County that I found until this gravestone was placed in 2009.

Frank C. Evans (1836-1890)

Frank C. Evans has a Civil War gravestone stating he was a 1st Lieutenant with the 3rd U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery (USCHA). This gravestone is also on the Veterans Legacy Memorial website, proving it was supplied by the VA.

Frank C. Evans, Garden Plain, Sedgwick County, KS, photo taken April 2024

But Frank C. Evans died in Poweshiek County, Iowa and was buried at Chippiannock Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois. His death was extensively reported, his Iowa death certificate documents his death location and burial location, and other documents prove that he was buried in Illinois, not Garden Plain.

Couldn’t There Be Two Men Named Frank Evans?

Yes, and at least one of them lived in nearby Wichita! But that Frank Evans who was nearby served with a different regiment, not the 3rd USCHA, which is what is on this gravestone.

There was only one Frank C. Evans who served with the 3rd USCHA with those birth and death dates.

Could the Gravestone in Garden Plain be a Memorial or Cenotaph Placed by Relatives?

Just like with William Goodnight, Frank’s gravestone in Garden Plain was provided as a replacement for a destroyed gravestone, even though there was never an original. It was ordered by people who didn’t consult with his descendants, and who were unaware that Frank C. Evans with the 3rd USCHA was buried in Illinois.

Frank’s military records

For free downloadable PDFs of Frank’s full service and pension files, click here.

From Frank’s military records, we learn the following:

Frank was born in Tompkins County, NY.
- A handwritten letter in his USCHA service file says he was born in Richford, Tioga County, NY, and that he originally mustered in with the 100th Indiana Infantry. Either way, Frank was born in New York.
26-year-old Frank mustered in with the 100th Indiana Infantry, Company E on August 12, 1862 from Noble County, Indiana.
- Black haired, blue-eyed, six feet tall, the dark complected soldier was a shoemaker.
Frank was left sick in Iuka, MS on October 27, 1863, shortly after the Battle of Vicksburg.

After getting well enough, Frank was ordered December 12, 1863 to go to Memphis and join the 3rd USCHA.
In the 3rd USCHA:
- Frank was 1st Sergeant, and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.
- The dark complected, darked haired shoemaker was described slightly differently than before: hazel eyes and standing 5′ 11″.
Frank mustered out of service with the 3rd USCHA in 1866.
- A discharge certificate in his file indicates discharge from the 100th Indiana Infantry in 1865; a handwritten note indicates 1863, when he transferred regiments.
Frank applied for pension in 1886 from Rock Island, IL due to “measles, affecting back, legs, and lungs, and rheumatism at Holly Springs, MS.”
- Military records indicate as a civilian he worked as a railroad engineer. An affidavit from Frank’s doctor dated July 1890—two months before he died—stated he was completely disabled and unable to work his railroad engineer job.
- Frank’s second wife Anna M. filed for pension from Iowa in November 1890.

Frank’s military pension index card showing his claim in 1886 and his wife’s claim in 1890 from Iowa where he died. Full pension file available at this link.

Frank’s pension file also includes his death certificate, confirming the solider wasn’t buried in Kansas, along with one of his children’s birth certificates, a marriage certificate for his marriage to Anna, and a divorce decree for him and his first wife, Mary E.

Frank in census records and other documents

Frank Caleb Crandall Evans was born to Bailey Evans and Charlotte Crandall in 1836. His two middle names were documented in the book Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and his descendants, but later documents would just say Crandall or C.

1840 census: Bailey and Charlotte Evans are living in Tompkins County, New York with one male child under age five. This is likely Frank; he would have been four.
1850 census: Bailey and Charlotte Evans are living in Tompkins County with fourteen-year-old son Crandall. This is Frank, going by one of his middle names.
1860 census: A shoemaker named Frank Evans, age 24, is living in Noble County, Indiana with wife Elizabeth and two-year-old son Charles.
- Charles was born in Wisconsin in 1858, but I wasn’t able to definitively find the family living there.
1870 census: Elizabeth Evans and son Charles are living in Noble County with Elizabeth’s dad and three more children: Lillie (b. 1861), Georgia (b. 1868), and Susanna (b. 1869). Frank isn’t with them.
- Frank C. Evans is living in Iowa in 1870 with tavern owner David Myers and several others, including the tavern owner’s daughter Anna.
- Daughter Susanna dies in August 1870.
- Frank C. Evans married Anna Margaret Myers in Illinois in 1875, which was reported in the news.
1880 census: Frank is with wife Anna in Illinois and working as a railroad engineer. The couple is living with Frank’s 22-year-old son Charlie.
- Frank’s first wife Elizabeth shows up in Indiana with their two living girls. Elizabeth says she’s widowed.
- In 1882, Frank and Anna have a son, Arthur. His birth certificate says his father is Frank Crandall Evans.
There is no 1890 census, so we are missing some key information from the year Frank died. But we have:
- The 1890 veteran census from Missouri that documents a Mary E. (Elizabeth) Evans claiming to be the widow of Frank. Several documents in Frank’s military pension file are about Anna proving that she, not Mary E., was Frank’s widow.

Frank’s Obituary, Burial, and Will

Frank died September 25, 1890 in Iowa. The Iowa death register says he died from gastritis. His death certificate also mentions jaundice and liver complications, that he was an engineer, and says his place of burial was Rock Island, Illinois.

Frank’s death certificate from Iowa showing his burial place of Rock Island, IL on September 29, 1890, four days after his death. This death certificate is in his military pension file.

Newspapers reported that Frank had recently relocated to Iowa before he died. His body was transported back to Illinois for burial.

The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, IL, Sep 26, 1890

No military service is mentioned in Frank’s obituaries or any articles about his life. But his death certificate and other documents in his military pension file prove that the Sir Knight who died in Iowa and was transported to Illinois for burial was the same Frank C. Evans with the 3rd USCHA.

According to his will (filed in Poweshiek County, Iowa), Frank was operating a boarding house in Iowa at the time of his death, which aligns with his doctor’s claim that he was unable to work as an engineer any longer. His will also has the names of his children and many pages detailing his finances and investments.

In all the documents for Frank, there is no mention of Kansas.

Frank C. Evans is not buried in Garden Plain. He’s buried at Chippiannock Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois.

So was Frank ever in Garden Plain?

Frank was reported as being in Leavenworth once to have his eyes examined, and some of his mother’s distant relatives lived in Kansas, but I couldn’t find a record of him being in or near Garden Plain.

A GAR Muster Roll from 1880 for Garden Plain Township does not include this Frank C. Evans, and he does not appear on any published lists of Civil War soldiers or veterans living in the area until this gravestone was placed in 2009.

So Who IS In Those Graves?

According to the original cemetery records, it’s two men named Frank Evans and Bill Goodnight.

No death dates were recorded in the cemetery record book, but Frank Evans was buried in plot A2 and Bill Goodnight owns plot A3 where he is buried.

Because the cemetery records indicate Bill owned the plot, we may be able to safely assume that he was an adult, old enough to purchase a burial plot for himself.

There were many Goodnights and Goodknights in Kansas in the early 1900’s. William S. Goodnight, William C. Goodnight, Portal H. Goodnight, Thomas J. Goodnight and other Goodnights all lived around the area.

There was a man named Frank Evans who appears on a GAR roll in Wichita in 1886. That Frank was born in Indiana and married his first wife in Iowa in 1865 after serving with the 2nd Iowa Infantry. He came to Kansas around 1873 and he may have lived in Wichita, Wellington, and Peck. He may be the son of Elijah Evans, a probate judge in Sumner County.

That Frank Evans was probably living in the Oklahoma panhandle when he died in 1902. I couldn’t find where he was buried, or that a veterans gravestone has been ordered for him. I also didn’t find this Frank in Garden Plain, but his wife filed for his pension from Kansas and she was buried in Wichita.