A couple of years ago, this message board and Bryan Howerton were instrumental in helping me find out for certain that my 3-great grandfather William Johnson did indeed fight in the Civil War (although I was stunned that he fought on the Yankee side). In October I finally was able to stand before his grave in Big Flat, AR. Only problem is that there's just a small boulder to mark the spot.

Now I'm interested in the process of ordering a Civil War marker for him. I've read the government online instructions for doing so. It says I need copies of his war service records. I can use the ones I ordered from this message board, can't I?

Also, the government online site says the marker is still free (if I read it correctly) but that the expense of having the marker installed is mine (makes sense). Has anyone out there gone through this process? Can you give me an estimate of what the cost would be? Of course, I've waited until I have three kids in college and the recession has kicked in. I just wondered if the cost is a thousand or more. I have no clue. Plus, Big Flat is a tiny town in the Ozarks, and I'd have to contact a funeral home in Mountain Home or Mountain View to install the marker.

Any advice (before I start the garage and bake sales and emails to Johnson kin for donations)?

Sincerely, Connie Parrott