POLO — Descendants of William Reynolds Waterbury, a Civil War soldier who died at Libby Prison, Virginia in 1864, will dedicate a cenotaph in his honor at Fairmont Cemetery on Saturday. Organized by his great-great-granddaughter Kathryn Shaw, the ceremony will also recognize Waterbury’s wife Lydia and his son Aaron and daughter-in-law Cookie, whose graves were recently marked.
“It was just a couple of my sisters and cousins are going to get together and say a few words about William, but it has grown into a pretty fun thing,” she said. “And then Friday, we’re going to have Betty over at the Historical Society and Beth, who’s an adjunct there. They’re going to talk to us about the Waterbury family and the Underground Railroad in Polo.”
The weekend includes a family tour of historic Polo sites, a luncheon, and a gravesite dedication with Military Funeral Honors and the ringing of the Presbyterian Church bell. Waterbury served in Company B of the 7th Cavalry under Polo native Zenith Aplington, and the family plans to read the names of 38 Polo men who died in the Civil War, honoring both William and his comrades. The event is open to the public, beginning at 1 p.m. at Fairmont Cemetery.