In front of Dover City Hall (288 Central Ave., Dover, NH) stands a Spanish-American memorial. A similar sight can be found in many New England towns. Although largely ignored by passersby, the inscribed plates on the statue base contain quite a lot of information of interest to genealogists, including a list of Dover residents who served in this conflict, as well as their ranks. I am not aware of this information being online anywhere else, so I am providing this transcription to make these names more readily available to other genealogists.
Plate on front of statue base with town seal
CITY OF DOVER INC. 1855 TOWN SETTLED 1623
Text on ribbon in seal
INDUSTRIA ET COPIA
Plate on reverse with dedicatory inscription
DEDICATED BY THE CITY OF DOVER TO THE HONOR OF HER SONS WHO SERVED IN THE ARMY AND NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION AND CHINA RELIEF EXPEDITION 1898 1902 NOT A WAR FOR CONQUEST OR FOR MILITARY GLORY, BUT A RIGHTEOUS WAR FOUGHT BY AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS TO SUCCOR THE WEAK AND OPPRESSED AGAINST FOREIGN TYRANNY AND TO GIVE TO CUBA AND THE PHILIPPINES A PLACE AMONG THE FREE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH. "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS."
Plate on left side of base
PRIVATES NELSON E AVERILL OLIVER BOUDREAU WILLIE BOUDREAU JOHN J BRENNAN JOHN BURLEY GUY M COURSON BENJAMIN R CANNEY JOHN CARNEY ELMER CHEVALT FRANK CARREGHER EDGAR A DAVIS HUGH DONNELLY JOSEPH DROUIN JAMES F DUFFY PETER J DUFFY THOMAS J DUFFY PEARL FOSS FRANK H GLIDDEN OWEN E HANRATTY HERBERT E HILL R ARNOLD HILL HENRY HUGHES JOHN P HUGHES FRED O JACKSON WILLIAM J MAHONEY JOHN J MCCOOEY JOHN F MCDONALD ARTHUR H MERCHANT RICHARD MANNIX OWEN J MOONEY CHRISTOPHER MORLEY EDWARD M MURPHY FRANK O NASON CARROLL E PINKHAM JOHN W ROGERS JOSPEH W SAVOIE FRED W STEUERLAND JAMES SUNDERLAND ALBERT A TALYLOR CLARENCE R TUTTLE CHARLES W VICKERY CHARLES G WALDRON WILLIAM G WEBBER IRVING L WHITEHOUSE HENRY R WOOD GEORGE W WILLEY
Plate on rear base
MONUMENT COMMITTEE OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT HON. JAMES P. KEENAN — MAYOR CARROL G CROUCH — ALDERMAN MARK J PILGRIM RAYMOND B PEABODY } COUNCILMEN [bracket around all three names] JAMES P KIDNEY
Additional plate in front of statue, with personified liberty, mourning, wearing Phrygian (liberty) cap, one arm outstretched, the other holding shield with Union Shield emblazoned
IN MEMORIUM U.S.S. MAIN DESTROYED IN HAVANA HARBOR FEBRUARY 15TH 1898 THIS TABLET IS CAST FROM METAL RECOVERED FROM THE USS MAINE © 1913 Jno. Williams Inc N.Y.
Plate on right side of monument base
CAPTAIN FRANK E ROLLINS CAPTAIN QM. HALDIMAND P YOUNG LIEUTENANTS FRANK H KEENAN LEWIS E TUTTLE SERGEANTS JOHN H GAILEY 1ST JOHN SUNDERLAND JR. JOSEPH T CRONIN FRANK F DAVIS JOSEPH CONNELL HERBERT C GRIME QM. CORPORALS JOHN R MALONEY FRANK E RUSS EDGAR M FOSS CASSIUS B ROBERTS ALEXANDER MCCABE JAMES J MCNALLY CLARENCE H WHITEHOUSE JOHN KIDNEY HARRY E BROOKS MICHAEL J TRAINOR FRANK H SWAIN ALRIC W RAMSEY EDMUND W CORDES COOKS JOHN E CARROLL JAMES RODDEN ARTIFICER AUSTIN E SANBORN WAGONER JOHN P MINITER MUSICIANS JOHN B HEBERT EDWARD DOHERTY WILLIAM ROSSITER