In early September, the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable held its 613th meeting marking the beginning of its 60th year of scholarship and study of the American Civil War. Starting in 1956, the Roundtable meets on the second Wednesday of each month from September until May.
Over the last decade, Civil War Roundtables around the nation have slowly dwindled in membership, and some have disbanded. However, the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable continues to strive with an average attendance of 70 members and guests and a total membership of 130.
On August 8, 2026, the Roundtable was named the recipient of the 2026 Civil War Roundtable of the Year Award by Emerging Civil War, a national organization dedicated to advancing public awareness of the American Civil War through accessible historical scholarship and the active mentorship of ascending voices in the field. The award recognized the organization for its continued growth, public programming, educational outreach, and efforts to expand Civil War history beyond its monthly meetings. The Roundtable’s current President John Syroney traveled to Virginia to attend the Emerging Civil War Symposium and accept the award on behalf of the organization.
My involvement in the Roundtable goes back to the early 2000s when then Cleveland Municipal Court Magistrate and now Common Pleas Court Judge William Vodrey invited me to a meeting. As I recall, I was the only woman and the only person of color in attendance. Eventually, as more women started to attend—including many spouses joined and the organization has become more diverse.
I worked my way up through the ranks of offices, becoming President for the 2018-2019 term. Unfortunately, after that, Covid struck, and we had to cancel several meetings.
But through the years it has been a labor of love. I planned the 2018 annual field trip, which was to Springfield, Illinois, where members and guest of members visited the historical site associated with President Lincoln, including his home, grave and the very impressive Lincoln Library.
With the help of Immediate Past President (Retired) Judge Charles Patton, we worked to add more speakers who dealt with slavery, the involvement of African Americans in the War and the United States Colored Troops in the Civil War.
Annually, speakers cover a variety of topics. This year’s season started out with a presentation by author and journalist John Banks who talked about his visits to little known Civil War sites, and his book A Civil War Road Trip of A Lifetime. This was a subject that did not strike me as particularly interesting when I first saw the schedule, but it turned out to be fascinating.
One of the highlights of last year’s presentation was a lecture by Dr. Curtis Fields, long-time student and impersonator of President U.S. Grant. Fields portrayed General Grant at the 160th anniversary of the surrender of the Confederate States of America at Appomattox in April 2025, sponsored by the National Park Service.
In connection with Dr. Field’s visit to Cleveland, Executive Committee member Steve Pettyjohn and the staff at the Westlake Porter Library arranged for “General Grant” to speak at six area schools, the Westlake Porter Library, and at several other venues, including the Rutherford B. Hayes Library in Fremont, Ohio, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and other northern Ohio Civil War Roundtables. His lectures encouraged the study of the Civil War and gave recognition of one of our Ohio Presidents to a wide range of citizens and to a new generation of scholars.
Many of the members of the Roundtable volunteer for National History Day sponsored by Western Reserve Historical Society, where students present their scholarship on various historical topics. Winning students are invited to attend the Roundtable meetings.
As result of attending Roundtable, I have developed an entire circle of friends—all of them Civil War buffs. My participation got me involved with the Woodland Cemetery Association, one of Cleveland’s treasures. I had driven past Woodland Cemetery for decades without knowing about the Civil War Veterans, especially members of the United States Colored Troops, and other famous Clevelanders who are buried there.
My library of Civil War books has expanded, since at each meeting, there is a raffle of Civil War books and it’s hard to leave without taking away at least one more book. New members are always welcome to take a book as a welcoming gift.
I would encourage my readers to check out the upcoming schedule of speakers for the year and consider attending a meeting and joining. Dues are $60 a year for individuals or $80 for a family. The price of dinner at the meeting is $40, but if you just want to come and hear the speaker, you are not required to dine. Reservations are required.
The next meeting is Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the Rockside Holiday Inn at 6pm. The speaker will be Steve Magnusem, who will discuss “The Dawes Brothers”—Rufus and Ephraim, Ohio natives who served with distinction in the Civil War and make substantial contributions to Ohio and America after the war.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she is a former member of the Board of the Ohio History Connection, and past president of the Cleveland Civil War Round Table, and is currently vice president of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.