The JOHN J. HANSON Camp, No. 30, Sons of Veterans, was formed in Newmarket, NH in the summer of 1907. 25 charter members gathered at the GAR Hall in June, where they planned instituting a camp in town. On Tuesday, the 2nd of July, they met under the guidance of the NH Division Commander, Samuel S. Smith of Exeter, to elect officers.

​The following article ran in the Newmarket Advertiser, Friday, 5 July, 1907 (pg 5):

They named their camp after Sgt John J Hanson, who had served during the Civil War in Co. D, 15th New Hampshire Infantry. He was later captain of the "Newmarket Guards", a company of State Militia. He was a GAR member, being the first commander of the George A Gay Post #18, in Newmarket. He died in Manchester, NH in 1899.

​The newly elected officers were:
- Commander Franklin A Brackett - himself a Civil War veteran, serving in the Martin Guards (Jul-Sept '64) and 1st NH Hvy Art (Sept '64 - Jun 65), he was the son of David Brackett of Co E, 13th NH 
- SVC Albert O. Smith, grandson of Cpl Orsamus T Smith, Co E, 13th NH Inf
- JVC, James T. Barrett, son of John Barrett (Co C, 6th NH)
- Sec, Herbert F. Davis, son of David O. (Co D, 2nd NH; Co F, 5th NH)
- Treas, Carl F. Brackett, son of Comm. Franklin A Brackett

On this day, the 29th of June, in 1906:

The LOUIS BELL Camp, No. 5, Sons of Veterans, of Farmington, New Hampshire, was mustered in with 33 members. Officers from Dover, NH had driven up in autos, but had arrived later than expected, preventing many more potential members from being mustered in until a later date.

The Farmington News, in their 6 July 1906 issue, posted the following elected officers (though a couple of names were left out from an earlier article about their camp organization):

The Brothers elected were:
Frank J Smith (son of George H, 3rd NH, 13th NH, & 1st NH Cav)
Ulysses S Knox (son of Simeon P, Co E, 1st ME Hvy Art)
Charles E Ayers (son of John O, Co G, 10th NH)
Eugene Ricker
Hollis B Pearl (son of Rufus K, Band & Co D, 5th NH)
Edward F Card (son of George V., Co C, 13th NH)
John E Pike (son of Edwin E, gr-son of John C, Co I, 15th NH)
Frank E Webber
Frank Dame (son of Albert W., Co K, 11th NH)
Nelson H Mathews (son of J. Frank)
Everett N. Noyes (son of Charles F, gr-son of William A.F., 11th MA)
Charles Drew (son of Charles G)
Horace Dudley (son of Charles C, Co G, 6th NH)
Howard R Hadlock (son of Charles H, Co F 50th MA)
Edwin E Pike (see above under son John)

This town had previously been home to a Camp of this same name in the 1880-90's, then No. 15, but had disbanded.

​The camp was named for Louis Bell, who was a lawyer living in Farmington at the time the war began, and had served first as Captain of Co A, 1st NH Infantry, then later became colonel of the 4th New Hampshire Infantry. He died, on 16 Jan 1865, of wounds received at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, and is buried in Chester, NH.

There was also a GAR Post (Louis Bell Post, No. 3) in Manchester, NH named in honor of him.

Links:
Farmington News, June 1st, 1906 [camp being organized]
​Farmington News, July 6th, 1906 ["A New Organization"]

The Civil War Soldiers Memorial in Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, New Hampshire

This memorial (date of construction unknown) lists the names of 13 Civil War soldiers from the town of Salem, NH who died during the War. Their names, listed in order by regiments:

Aaron Goodwin Co. B 2nd NH Vols
Born in Haverhill, MA, a res of Salem when he enlisted for 3 months on 23 Apr 1861, age 20. Not mustered in, he reenlisted for 3 years on 15 May, and must in as private on 1 June '61. Wounded at Gettysburg on 2 July 1863, he died on 17 Aug at McDougall Gen. Hosp at Fort Schuyler, New York. He is buried in Cypress Hills National Cem.
Levi W Simons Co. H 4th NH Vols
Born in Alexandria, NH, a res of Salem when he enlisted on 2 Sept 1861, aged 35, and mustered in on the 18th as a corporal. He died on 2 Oct 1863, and is buried [as Simonds] in the National Cemetery in Beaufort, SC [grave #1516] note: Aylings shows he rec a disability disch on 24 Oct 1863 at Morris Island, SC, as does must-out papers.
Benjamin Day Foster Co. G 6th NH Vols
A Salem, NH native, he enlisted, at age 18, on 17 Oct 1861, and mustered in as a private on the 28th. He was killed in action on 29 Aug 1862.  
Isaiah Milton Kelly Co. G 6th NH Vols
​At age 37, the Salem native enlisted on 6 Nov 1861, and was mustered in as a private on 28 Nov. He was killed in action at Bull Run on 29 Aug 1862.
Charles E Bailey Co. B 7th NH Vols
Born in Salem, and a resident there when he enlisted on 14 Aug 1862, aged 23. Mustered in as a private on the 28th of Nov '61. Captured 18 Jul 1863 at Fort Wagner, he died of disease on 3 Jan 1864 in Richmond, VA (Confed Gen. Hosp). He is buried in Richmond National Cem. 
George Whidden Co. B 7th NH Vols
Records show him in Co. D, and was born in Londonderry, NH. Credited to Salem when he enlisted on 14 Aug 1862, aged 29, and mustered in on the 21st as private. Wounded 14 May '64 at Drewry's Bluff, VA, he died as a result of his injuries on 25 June at DeCamp Gen Hosp on Davids Island, New York. His body was returned home, and buried in Sunnyside Cem, Londonderry.
David Bartlett Co. C 7th NH Vols
Company shown as B in records, he was born in West Newbury, MA and a res of Salem when enl on 23 Sept 1861. Must in as pvt on 1 Nov '61, he re-upped on 27 Feb '64. He died from disease in Wilmington, NC on 3 June 1865.
Benjamin W. Cluff Co. D 8th NH Vols
A Salem native, and brother of Isaac below, he enlisted at age 25 on 30 Dec 1861, and must in the following day as a private. He died from typhoid at the St James General Hospital in New Orleans on 29 Dec 1862.
John Robinson Co. C 9th NH Vols
Born in Londonderry, he was in Salem when enlisted on 4 June 1862, aged 25, and must in on 22 July as pvt (later appointed corporal). Wounded at Fredericksburg on 13 Dec 1862, he died on 2 Jan '63 at Washington, DC.
John G. Bodwell Co. E 11th NH Vols
born/res: Salem; enlisted, age 20, on 15 Aug 1862. Must in 29 Aug as pvt. Died of typhoid on 28 Dec 1862, at the regimental hospital in Falmouth, VA.
Isaac N. Cluff Co. K 15th NH Vols
Brother to Benj'm (in the 8th NH), and Salem native, enlisted 11 Sept 1862 and must in as pvt on 16 Oct. He died of disease on 2 Aug 1863 in Memphis, TN.
Edward B. Mosher Co. K 15th NH Vols
Born in Temple, Maine, he was a res of Salem, aged 44, when enlisting on 8 Sept 1862. He was mustered in 16 Oct, a private, and served until being killed in action at Port Hudson, LA.
Henry Percy Co. K 15th NH Vols
This name not found in the rolls of the 15th NH, or in pension index.

​Notes: 
While attempting to find out who "Henry Percy" was, I noticed there was another Salem resident in Co K, 15th NH, who died while serving, and is not on this memorial. He was:
William F Mansfield
Born in Lynn, MA, and res of Salem when enlisted on 15 Sept 1862, aged 18. Must in as pvt on 16 Oct '62, he died from disease on 27 Mar 1863 in Carrollton, LA, from typhoid fever.

​Sources:
- Ayling's Revised Register
- U.S. Register of Deaths of Volunteers (on Ancestry)
- Muster out Rolls on Family Search (NH Service Records)
- Photo of memorial was taken on 28 May 2018, during a Memorial Day service held by members of the Gilman Sleeper Camp #60

In Peterborough, NH, on Thursday, June 7th, 1894, the New Hampshire Division of the Sons of Veterans gathered for their 12th annual encampment. It opened at 1 p.m., followed by a banquet at 6 o'clock. That evening, a grand concert and ball was held. The above item is a "dance card", courtesy of the Charles L. Fuller Camp, No. 33. It belonged to Daisy Gray Caldwell, the daughter of the late Charles B. and Josephine (Gray) Caldwell. He had served in Co K, 60th Massachusetts Infantry. They were from Bennington, NH.

​On the inside, an "order of dances" is listed, with a spot for the dancing partner to sign their name or initials, with the attached pencil. While it may be difficult to determine who belongs to each signature, there are a few possibilities:
​"E.H.Bailey", or "E.H.B" may have been Elizabeth H Bailey of Peterborough
"W.H.B." could be Captain Will H Bellows of Bennington [he was a Son, his father William Franklin Bellows perhaps served in the Navy]
"A.M.W" is probably Annie M. Woods of Bennington, who would marry the above Will Bellows in 1895.

The encampment continued on the following morning, with a parade through the streets of Peterborough at 9 a.m. Members of the local GAR post also gathered for the event, and joined the Sons for their march through town. The business meeting began at 10:30.

Sources:
Peterborough Transcript, 7 June 1894, pg 2
Peterborough Transcript, 14 June 1894, pg 2
"Dance Card" - from personal collection of S. Dow