Buried under a weathered gravestone in Milltown Rural Cemetery in Brewster, New York, lies Pvt. Francis “Frank” Oliver Myers, a Black Union soldier who fought with the famed 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the Civil War.
For over 130 years, historical records showed that Myers was from Paterson, New Jersey. But a Brewster High School senior, Ellen Cassidy, who passes Myers’ grave each day, discovered that his true hometown was Patterson, New York.