Contact:  Dale Hachtel - dale_hachtel@msn.com

Merle Crabb, Port Byron, will present a historical review of the life and times of Eugene Abbot Lyford, Port Byron resident and Civil War Soldier, at the Monday, May 15, 2023, meeting of the Port Byron Historical Society, at the River Valley District Library, Port Byron at 7:00 p.m.

The presentation summarizes Eugene’s early life and focuses on his time in the US Army as First Sergeant of I Company 88th Illinois Volunteer Regiment, from his enlistment on July 16, 1862, until his last moments of life early on December 31, 1862, during the Battle of Stones River, Tennessee.

Merle has reconstructed Eugene’s life in The Route of Eugene Lyford through surviving letters, books, government documents, local history records, family memories, and newspaper articles.  He is the husband of Marvella Lyford Crabb, Eugene’s great-great niece.  

The public is invited to attend.