Plattsmouth, Neb. (KMTV) — Born in Ohio, Benton C. Kinkade fought in the Union Army during the Civil War, participating in prestigious events such as the Battle of Shiloh. During the war, he was shot, wounded and captured.
“He returned to Marietta, Ohio,” said American Legion Post 56 member Michael Pauley. “And in 1864, and until 1871, met and married his wife, Cynthia. Cynthia West.”
Kinkade and his wife had two daughters and moved to Plattsmouth.
“He had a career in house painting, his wife died, and suddenly, in 1910, he moved to Seattle to be with his older children, and by 1916 he succumbed to low-frequent pneumonia,” Pauley said.
For reasons unknown to anyone, his funeral took place at a funeral home in Washington. He was never collected or sent back to Plattsmouth for burial since his wife was laid to rest at Oak Hill Cemetery.
“It wasn’t until the missing group in America found his ashes, discovered a resting place for his wife, and they returned the ashes here to Plattsmouth,” Pauley said.
Members of the US military, such as Pauley and Kermit Reisdorf, felt compelled to honor a hero who was dedicated to holding this nation together.
“When their remains appeared here after sitting on a shelf for 105 years, we were forced to find a final resting place for them,” Pauley said.
This procession to Paul gives us a telescope into his history.
“History doesn’t stop or start with one particular person, it’s just a benchmark of where we are, and we can look at these benchmarks and judge who we are, where those benchmarks are,” says Pauli. he said.
Reisdorf thinks a proper burial for Kinkade is the least a community can do to say “thank you” and “rest in peace” at the end.
“I feel absolute gratitude that he is buried, not only as a veteran, but he is actually reunited with his wife after 111 years,” Reisdorf said.
here is Link to Missing in America Project.
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