SAN PEDRO, Colorado — More than 160 years after he survived a Civil War battle in New Mexico, Jose Maria Sanchez now has a new veteran gravestone, thanks to his great-great grandson.
“You know, there's that pride that you have an ancestor that was part of the Civil War,” Kenneth Gardner said.
Gardner, an amateur genealogist, discovered his great-great grandfather, Jose Maria Sanchez, fought in the Battle of Valverde in 1862. Sanchez survived the battle and then moved to San Pedro, Colorado.
Sometime after Sanchez died, his grave marker in the San Pedro cemetery was lost; however, Gardner was able to find records showing he was buried next to his son.
With the help of a friend, Gardner was able to send historical military records to the government and persuade Veterans Affairs to make a military headstone for Sanchez. The headstone was installed at his resting place over the summer.
“It was quite a process,” Gardner said of the work to get the headstone. “We’d submit the paperwork, and the VA would come back and say, ‘Well, can you do this now?’ and then we had to show proof of descendancy. I did that through photos and through a family tree."
This Veterans Day, Gardner and other family members will honor Sanchez with a military ceremony at his gravesite and with a Catholic Mass in San Luis.
Gardner said his family always shared stories his great-great grandfather who served in the military, but he didn't know about the Civil War battle until he did in-depth research.
"Embrace your family," he said. "Be proud of it. Do the research early in your life, while you have elders that can tell you things."
More 9NEWS stories by Jeremy Jojola:
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.