Periodically, I check eBay in the hope that a new treasure might appear and, from time to time, I find one. Here is my latest purchase:

Calais, Maine Soldiers Monument

This might not look like the most exciting find, but it has special meaning to me. The Soldiers Monument is in Memorial Park on Main Street in Calais and I’ve been there and seen it. However, that’s not why it is special. The maker of this monument was the Red Beach Granite Company, which was owned (with a partner) by my 3X great grandfather, George Rogers Tarbox.

George Rogers Tarbox

The statue was dedicated to Civil War soldiers on 30 May 1893. The base of the monument contains this inscription:

In Grateful Remembrance Of/The Men Of Calais/Who Upon Land And Sea Sacrificed Their/Lives That The Nation Might Be Preserved/And That Government Of The People/By The People And For The People Should/Not Perish From The Earth/1861-1865

The monument cost $3,000, which was  raised by the Ladies’ Memorial Society of Calais, which was a hefty sum of money back then.

Be sure to search eBay periodically for names and places of interest in your own family history. Interesting unique items can often be found.