Yountville Pioneer Cemetery veterans remembered
By Denise Ratterman Jackson
Guest Columnist / Yountville Historian
In commemoration of Memorial Day, I want to take a moment to honor the veterans interred in our pioneer cemetery. Due to my work researching Napa County Library’s historical newspaper archives, my veterans book authored in 2016 had to be expanded in 2017 to include additional individuals. Our veterans fought in the American Indian wars, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I (WWI), World War II (WWII), the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Ernest “Ernie” Matthias Alten served in the Army as a sergeant during WWI. He was a professional baseball player in 1920 and pitched for the Detroit Tigers.
Peter Bardessono served in the Army from 1943 until 1946. He was also employed by the town of Yountville in the public works department and retired as the department director following 29 years of service.
Robert Barker served in the Navy during WWII. He served in the Asiatic/Pacific theatre. After discharge, he took a job with the Department of Forestry as a truck driver and later worked as a fireman and truck driver at Mare Island for 17 years.
Charles Bingham served in Company B, 16th Illinois Infantry, in the Union Army during the Civil War. All Civil War records regarding our cemetery are found at www.deanenderlin.com. Dean was able to put together a fabulous website about Civil War veterans in our cemetery, once I was able to identify who those veterans were! I’m proud to have contributed to his website.
Dr. Thomas Brannick served in the Navy during WWII in both the American and European theatres.
Glenn Gordon Browne served in the Navy during WWII. He was a fiscal agent for the Farm Credit Banks of the SA and deputy governor/director of Land Services, FCA Washington. Working on behalf of the U.S. State Department, he was a special consultant to various foreign governments in the area of credit, which included South Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal and Egypt. He spent five years in Korea as assistant program director for economic policy and chief of the Investment Finance Division of AI.
During the Civil War, while serving as a captain in the Union Army, Reverend Nickerson “Nixon” Buckner was a member of Calistoga’s Governor Morton Post No. 41, GAR, and served as post chaplain for a number of years. He was a corporal in the 21st Illinois Infantry during the Civil War and was later captain of Company I, 79th Illinois Military.
Henry Buszdieker was a chauffeur first class in the Army during WWII. He is credited with spearheading the restoration of the cemetery in 1958.
James Byers was in Company H, 50th Illinois Infantry, a private in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Frederick Calden was a private in the Civil War, Company M, 2nd Maine Cavalry.
Reverend John Callison served in the Army Corps in France from 1917 to 1918.
John Capelli served in the Spanish-American War.
James Capito was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War.
James Cassidy served in the Spanish-American War, Battery K, 3rd Artillery.
Elmo Cathcart was a fire controlman in the Marine Corps.
George Church was a private in the Civil War, Company 1, 31st Ohio Infantry.
James Conwell was a second lieutenant in the Union Army during the Civil War, Company B, 5th Cavalry Infantry.
Edmond De Jarnac served in the Army during the Indian War.
Eugene Donaldson was a sergeant in the Spanish-American War, California Sergeant in the 23rd U.S. Infantry.
George “Bud” Dulinsky served in the Army during WWII and was a gunner on a B-29 in Guam for two years.
Nathan Faye served in the U.S. Army during WWII.
George Grigsby’s older brother was Captain John Grigsby of the Bear Flag Revolt and the Grigsby/Ide wagon train, which reached Sutter’s a couple of weeks before the Donner Party. George served in the Mexican-American War.
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