I'm researching the Echols line from England to, well, everywhere. Originally landing in Virgina and spread throughout what would become the USA. My line is the Georgia part of the line.

You can join the conversation at my blog (http://echolsfamilygenealogy.blogspot.com/p/ultimate-end-goal.html)

About "Veteran" Status to memorials I control: (do not ask for "veteran" status to confederate memorials.

The definition of "veteran," as specified by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, does not include Confederate armed forces. Les' A. Melnyk, chief of public affairs and outreach for the National Cemetery Administration, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, provided further clarification:

"While federal law authorizes some benefits for former Confederates, such as the marking of unmarked graves of Confederate service members outside VA national cemeteries, this does not confer U.S. Veteran status for other VA benefits to those affected," Melnyk said.

The claim that Confederate veterans maintain the same legal status as U.S. veterans is FALSE. Confederate veterans' widows and children received pensions after congressional action, but that action in itself did not declare those soldiers to be full U.S. veterans. The very definition of a U.S. veteran never expanded to include Confederate soldiers –– even when they were granted amnesty by President Andrew Johnson.

***My permission is given for any headstone photographs to be used for noncommercial purposes.***