Branson Boy Scout honors Civil War veteran with Eagle project

Thanks to the efforts of a local Boy Scout, visitors and local history buffs can now visit the previously ignored, difficult-to-access grave site of a Civil War Veteran in Taney County. On Thursday, September 3, Aiden Thompson of Branson gathered his friends and fellow Scouts to help with his Eagle Scout Project, cleaning up the gravesite of John H. Crist. 

According to the Find-A-Grave website, Crist was born in 1843 in Herkimer County, New York, and enlisted in the Union Army in 1863 at age 21 in Herkimer. Mustered in as Private, Company F, in January, 1864, Crist served the 16th Regular NY Volunteer Artillery for three years, and mustered out in August, 1865. He married Eliza Comstock Koester in February 1871 in Iowa. The couple had one daughter, Laura, who died sometime around 1900. Crist became a property owner in what was then called Irma, Missouri, in Taney County near the intersection of present-day highways 248 and 160, where Hampton Road off 160 meets Bristol Road. After Mr. Crist’s death, he was buried in the woods in 1910 across the country road from where his house used to be. Eliza died in 1922 and is buried near Carthage, Missouri. 

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First two photos by Cynthia J. Thomas; remaining photos provided by Aiden Thompson

The gravesite had been pretty much ignored for well over 100 years, until Aiden and his dad, Michael, caught a glimpse of an unusually symmetrical stone through the trees and underbrush while taking a walk near their home, and went to check it out. Aiden, who has participated in Scouting since starting as a Cub Scout in second grade, was thinking about possible Eagle Scout project ideas, and he decided he would like to honor this veteran. After getting permission from the current property owner, Kevin Altom, and talking with the Taney County Historical Society, he researched Find-A-Grave and other history sites to get as much information as he could. 

“From what I could find, it appears that [Crist] simply loved the area,” said Aiden. “Since we couldn’t find much information about his daughter or his wife, we are pretty certain he did not leave other relatives or family, so I wanted to help people know about him.” 

An Eagle Scout project is never an easy undertaking, and it follows years of work to meet preliminary requirements and complete merit badges. In addition to making the necessary contacts for details and permission, the Scout must coordinate volunteer labor, secure permits, and arrange for needed financing, usually through donors. In Aiden’s case, the labor was a very challenging part, as he was working through the recent record-breaking heat while nearing the upcoming deadline of age 18 for completion of the project. 

Aiden Thompson attends Branson High School, where he is a dedicated member of the marching band. His future plans include the National Guard, for which he has already sworn in, and a career in the HVAC industry. 

We at the Globe congratulate Aiden for his hard work meeting the challenges and requirements to achieve the rank of Eagle; and we offer our sincere thanks for his appreciation of history and his hard work to bring public awareness to this historical spot.