by ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — As the nation paused this Memorial Day to remember its fallen heroes, two eighth-grade students from Albion, New York, reached back more than 150 years to make sure one forgotten Civil War veteran finally received the recognition he earned.
Mary McCormick and Kendall Peruzzini were exploring a local cemetery during summer break when they stumbled upon something that stopped them in their tracks: an unmarked grave. That moment would set them on a journey to uncover the life and legacy of Union soldier Daniel Walterhouse.
“It was really sad,” Kendall said. “For everything he did for our country, the least he deserved was a headstone.”
The students’ discovery was sparked further when a researcher from Michigan contacted one of their teachers at Albion Middle School, asking for help learning more about Walterhouse. The Union soldier had been captured by Confederate troops, stabbed during his service, and later lived out his final years in the Orleans County Alms House—where he died without a marked grave.
Mary and Kendall dove headfirst into the research.
“We were digging through death ledgers with thousands of names,” Kendall explained.
“We went through census records, old books, and handwritten documents from the era,” Mary added. “It was nothing like school. It felt like we were in a museum—touching tattered papers and reading letters written over a century ago.”
Their investigation revealed that Walterhouse had never received a proper burial. Determined to right that wrong, the girls reached out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and successfully requested funding for a headstone. They then petitioned county officials to allow it to be placed at the almshouse cemetery.
“We had to speak in front of the county legislature,” Mary recalled. “We had to explain why it mattered and ask for permission to install the headstone on their land.”
Now, after months of effort, a formal ceremony is planned to unveil the headstone and give Daniel Walterhouse the full military farewell he never received.
“If you’d told me a few months ago that we’d be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Kendall said. “It just wasn’t on my radar.”
“But it feels amazing,” Mary added. “I’m proud we could do this for him. He truly deserved it.”
Their story has inspired others—even in places as far as Wyoming—where educators and community leaders have taken note of their determination. The project is being held up as a powerful example of how young people can preserve history and honor those who served, no matter how much time has passed.
