Daily AncestorG.A.R. star marker
A G.A.R. star marker is a cast-iron star by a grave, from the Grand Army of the Republic; it marks a Union Civil War veteran and holds a flag.
The Grand Army of the Republic was the society of Union veterans, organized in posts. Iron markers that hold a small flag stand by many Union veterans' graves; the common form is a five-pointed star on a stake. One Massachusetts example reads Grand Army of the Republic, 1861 Veteran 1866.
Iron markers break, rust and get moved, so a marker is a clue, not proof. Confirm service in pension files and service records. Each G.A.R. post kept its own files, and most local post records are lost, but some survive in archives and historical societies.
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Daily Ancestor. "G.A.R. star marker." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/gar-star-marker. Last checked 2026-10-15.