Meet the Cortland man who keeps Civil War vets’ gravestones clean

Shaw Local

For many, efforts to thank U.S. veterans for their service don’t extend beyond the usual holidays and parades.

But one Cortland man has taken it upon himself to make sure veterans aren’t forgotten long after their deaths.

Harlan Hawkins, 69, has refurbished the gravestones of nearly four dozen veterans who lie buried in DeKalb County. His work is the reason many of their names can be read by cemetery visitors.

Community members listen to Harlan Hawkins talk about H.C. Whittemore during the Etched in Stone cemetery walk on Sunday Oct. 5, 2025, held at Elmwood cemetery in Sycamore. (David Toney for Shaw Local News /David Toney)

As the vice commander of the Sycamore camp for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Hawkins made it his mission to clean up and restore the headstones of the Civil War veterans in Elmwood Cemetery.

That task stems from efforts made by members of the Grand Army of the Grand Army of the Republic – the Civil War veterans organization that, among many significant efforts, emphasized decorating the burial sites of Union veterans.

“The Sons have carried on this tradition of remembering and maintaining the graves,” Hawkins said. “Most of these guys that I’m maintaining their stones, there’s no family left.”

Hawkins began his effort in late 2023 and said he works on about 10 tombstones at a time. He said it takes about four weeks to go through the process of cleaning tombstones, which incur stains from fibrous materials that latch onto the rock.

At a recent DeKalb County History Center-sponsored event called Etched in Stone, an annual heritage walk through Elmwood Cemetery, Hawkins was praised for his unpaid labor.

Dennis Maher, the Commander of Gen. E. F. Dutton Camp N49, Sycamore, told a small crowd that Hawkins has restored 46 tombstones for Civil War veterans buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

As of Oct. 20, Hawkins has restored 48. The leaves less than 100 tombstones to go before he completes the first phase of his mission.

He said he doesn’t plan on stopping with Elmwood Cemetery’s veterans.

“I’ve got the names of the folks that are responsible for surrounding cemeteries,” Hawkins said. “As I get through, I’m just going to keep on doing this. ... When I get through all 144 here, I’ll find another nearby cemetery and start working on those guys.”