Headstone Dedication Ceremony Part Two: The Eulogy

What follows is the eulogy written by Kristin Klinck Petersen and delivered on May 12, 2012.

Today we honor the military service of our ancestors, DeWitt Clinton Klinck, and James Monroe Klinck.

In addition to being our not-so-distant ancestors, both men are veterans of the United States Civil War. And, until only a few months ago – both men had been resting in unmarked graves for the past 150 years. In fact, despite the historical trail of prosperity and success I’ve been following on the Klinck side of the family, there are many ancestors in unmarked graves – at this moment, we’re standing in a field of almost 1 dozen Klincks. Luckily, because of a program run by the Veteran Affairs office and the generous help of my friend, Knox Martin, we were able to receive stones for Clint and Monroe at long last!

Front of Ceremony Card

DeWitt Clinton Klinck was a volunteer in the 7^th Tennessee Cavalry. He was known to have been a brave and gallant soldier who notably fought in the Battle of Franklin in November of 1864 – the very same battle in which his older brother, Hayne, lost his life.

After the war, Clint married Mary McDonald. They had one child, a son named D.C. Jr, who lived only 12 months; he is buried in an unmarked grave nearby. Tragically, 2 years later in 1875 Clint took his own life – but not before unknowingly starting an enduring family tradition of service to the city of Memphis – from 1870 to 1875 Clint served as the foreman for Hook & Ladder Fire Company #1.

James Monroe Klinck served briefly with the 21^st Tennessee Infantry. He was only 16 years old at the time of his discharge.

After the war, Monroe worked a number of blue collar jobs – he was a porter, a bartender, a watchman, a prison guard – and even worked for the U.S. Corps of Engineers, where he most likely helped with the Mississippi River Stabilization project. Eventually, Monroe followed in his father’s footsteps and opened his own grocery store, which he ran until his death in 1898.

Back of Ceremony Card

He was also a husband and (thankfully for all of us) a father. Monroe married Annie Littleton in 1872. They had 3 children – Lillian, Jack, and Irby. Lillian married a tough Memphis beat copy named Lee Quianthy  - they’re both buried here at Elmwood. Jack Klinck was a local Justice of Peace – both he and his wife, Lillian, are buried here. And finally Irby. Irby Klinck was fire chief for the City of Memphis for a decade, from 1933 to 1943.

In Clint’s obituary, they wrote, “Although he had scarcely arrived to the years of manhood, he was firm in his desire to serve his country.” In the past two years, I’ve learned an incredible amount about the varied causes and motivations that lead to the Civil War – but at the end of all things, none of that really matters – what matters is that at ridiculously young ages, both of these men put themselves in harm’s way to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. And because they did, we are all able to stand here today and thank them.