SAM_0777Archival documents on display usually illicit nothing more than a big yawn from most people.  Documents on display are usually the item overlooked in favor of the “more interesting” objects like a Remington Rifle used during the Civil War by Michael Brunner, ancestor of the Brunner family in Mentor.  Documents are just “insignificant” pieces of paper, aren’t they?

Though small, documents are far from insignificant.  In fact, they are the backbone of any good exhibit.  Original documents are irrefutable evidence of our history, and often investigating an “insignificant” document leads to some pretty interesting stories.

One such document is the Squirrel Hunters discharge certificate of Henry VanNess which is on display at the History Center in the wing of the museum dedicated to Civil War exhibits.  Like the document, VanNess was dismissed as small and insignificant.  As it turned out, he was anything but.

Henry VanNess was only five feet tall, but he was determined to serve Ohio in the Civil War.  He tried to enlist several times, but was rejected over and over because he was too short.  But Henry would find a way…

Early in the war, Ohioans were certain of a rebel advancement on Cincinnati.  Soldiers were sent to defend the anticipated onslaught.  Many men had not been mustered in yet, but wanted to serve anyway.  They wore their own hunting gear and used their personal, antiquated firearms.  Because their weapons were often primitive hunting rifles, they were dubbed “Squirrel Hunters.”  Of course, Henry VanNess served as a Squirrel Hunter.  It was a way to participate even though he had been rejected for military service.

The Squirrel Hunters did not see any battle against the rebels and were officially “honorably discharged” in September 1862.  The Governor of Ohio, David Tod, honored these volunteers with a small pension and gave praise to the “rescuers” of Cincinnati.

After serving as a Squirrel Hunter, Henry decided to serve a hospital unit where he made a successful liniment for wounded soldiers “with much success,” wrote Edith Call in a letter to the Historical Society dated 1960.  Eventually the Union accepted him as a soldier.  Henry enlisted in the First Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company D, and Henry also served the 171st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

After the war Henry married and lived the remainder of his days in Perry, Ohio, where his family was from.  They had been early settlers in the area.  Edith Call also wrote in her letter in 1960:

“He was a funny little man.  I can remember him with his hair in curls.  He never wanted to cut it – guess he thought it was a mark of distinction.”

Yes, he was VERY distinctive – and BRAVE in heart.  Hardly someone to be deemed insignificant.

The next time you are considering discarding that box full of old letters or documents belonging to a long, lost relative, consider that documents may look insignificant, but a big story could be in there somewhere.

By Lynn Vandevort, Collections Manager LCHS