Meet Uncle Sam's 4x great granddaughter at Oakwood on Saturday

Helen Painter

Terrace residents, if you're interested in local history, the upcoming Saturday (September 10) event at historic Oakwood Cemetery should interest you. 

The Veterans of Lansingburgh Inc. will host the annual service in Oakwood at 10 a.m. to commemorate the 256th birthday of Uncle Sam. A flag-raising will be performed by the Troy Detachment Marine Corp League. A wreath will be presented by the Disabled American Veterans. 

This year’s guest speaker will be Helen Hambuchen Painter of Conway, AR. She is a great-great-great-great granddaughter of Samuel Wilson, the Civil War era meatpacker who is widely believed to be the forerunner of the Uncle Sam character.

The graveside ceremony is a rich tradition. Each year since September 13, 1958, a group of veterans and citizens have honored Samuel Wilson at his graveside. Originally sponsored by the Tibbits Cadets, the ceremony now is sponsored by the Veterans of Lansingburgh, with assistance from the staff of Oakwood Cemetery. 

For those unfamiliar with the Uncle Sam character, Wilson was known to have stamped barrels of meat shipped to federal troops during the War of 1812 with "U.S." They became referred to as provisions from "Uncle Sam," and artists based their characterizations on him.

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