09/28/2025
A Long-Awaited Tribute: Honoring Charles M. Ragsdale
On September 27, 2025, a remarkable gathering took place in the quiet town of Whitesville, Kentucky, at the Old Panther Creek Cemetery. Representatives from the Daughters of the Union, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Whitesville Historical Society, and the Sons of Union Veterans of Kentucky—Camp 1 Fort Duffield, Camp 2 Camp Calhoun, and Indiana’s John W. Foster Camp No. 2—stood together in solemn unity. Their purpose: to finally honor Union soldier Charles M. Ragsdale.
We assembled at his gravesite to dedicate a Civil War military marker originally commissioned by the U.S. War Department on September 28, 1886—exactly 139 years ago tomorrow. Though the stone was ordered, it was never placed. Its whereabouts remained a mystery for well over a century.
That changed in late 2003, when the monument unexpectedly surfaced in the parking lot between the Whitesville Post Office and the old senior citizens building. Pat Burch, then City Clerk, placed a lost-and-found ad in the Messenger-Inquirer in December of that year. No one claimed it. The stone was moved to the Whitesville City garage, where it remained in quiet limbo.
Local journalist Suzi Bartholomy wrote about the discovery, sparking interest from genealogist Jerry Long of the Daviess County Public Library’s Kentucky Room. His research uncovered a list of military headstone applications published by the West-Central Kentucky Family Research Association. It confirmed Charles M. Ragsdale was buried at Panther Creek Cemetery, and his wife was listed in a 1974 monument survey of the site. Despite several follow-up articles, the marker remained unset—some believed it belonged at the Black Cemetery, where Charles’ father was buried.
Charles M. Ragsdale was born on August 2, 1840, in Ohio County, Kentucky, to Tucker W. “General” Ragsdale (1799–1889) and Morning Eidson Ragsdale (1804–1887). At 21, he enlisted as a wagoner in Captain Kirby’s 17th Kentucky Infantry, Company G, on November 2, 1861, in Hartford. He was mustered in at Camp Calhoun on January 4, 1862, and later transferred to Company F. His service record is sparse, but it notes he was hospitalized in Shiloh, Tennessee, due to illness in May 1862.
Years later, the marker found its way to the Whitesville Historical Society. Volunteers searched for a living descendant to authorize its placement. Then, on Friday the 13th of September 2024, fate intervened. Brian Wilson of Henderson contacted the Society seeking information about Ellis Cemetery, where his great-great-grandmother Eliza Robards Ragsdale is buried. That connection led to permission from Delores Kindred to place Charles’ long-lost monument beside his wife, Sarah Amandaville.
After nearly 139 years of wandering, the mystery was solved. Thanks to the dedication of local historians, genealogists, and community members, Charles M. Ragsdale’s service is now properly honored.
May Charles and Sarah rest in peace, side by side at last.
