Throughout Northfield’s history, its citizens have consistently heeded the call to serve in our nation’s military branches. Many of the town’s early citizens were Civil War veterans, including bank hero Joseph Lee Heywood, and area military service has continued through today. The Northfield History Collaborative preserves documents and images detailing the service of its citizens. In honor of Veterans’ Day today, here is a selection of some of our favorite military and veterans’ documents:

Images:

John Norton’s Civil War promotion document

Send-off for Spanish-American War volunteers, April 1898

Military parade on Division Street, 1915

Three world War I-era servicemen on Bridge Square, c. 1917

Documents – follow the links to see the books in their entirety

Resume of Service Men from Waterford from the Civil War through Vietnam

Minutes book for Northfield’s post of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization made up of Union veterans of the Civil War

Attendance roll for Company K, 4th Infantry of Northfield, from the Spanish-American War of 1898

American Legion Post 84 minutes, 1944-1949

The NHC salutes our veterans and hopes to continue telling their stories, as our collection of military documents keeps growing. You can see many more of them on the NHC website here.