-- Two years ago, Melanie Flanagan Elliott of Huntsville was going through a box of genealogy papers her father had collected before his death in 2000.

The papers piqued her interest, and she began a trek that unearthed many surprising finds.

Her two-year journey culminated on Memorial Day with a Civil War Headstone Dedication Ceremony at the Webb Cemetery in the Trenton community of Jackson County. About 40 descendants, including Elliott and her family, of five Civil War veterans attended the ceremony.

Elliott was surprised to learn the five Civil War veterans from Jackson County, including her third great-grandfather William A. Flanagan, were not Rebels, but fought for the Union Army.

She spent countless hours clearing and cleaning the Webb Cemetery (formerly Old Bottom Cemetery), where her Civil War ancestor is believed to be buried. He died of small pox in December 1864 in Stevenson following his military service with the Union Army.

In honor of Flanagan and the names of the other four Civil War veterans she discovered, Elliott purchased and placed headstones in the cemetery.

"I have relatives that fought in every war back to the Revolution," said Elliott. "I wanted to honor those who were not recognized for their service. They are heroes to me."

When she started her quest, she joined Ancestry.com and its affiliate, FindAGrave.com. That's where she learned her great-great-great grandfather, who owned slaves, and three others -- 1st Lt. John W. Williams, Pvt. Henry A. Webb and Pvt. Andrew J. Flippo -- were part of the Union Army's 1st Tennessee and Alabama Independent Vidette Cavalry Company A. The fifth veteran, Pvt. Francis M. Flippo, was part of Company H.

"I ordered his (Flanagan's) military records and pension files from the National Archives and it was definitely worth the money," said Elliott. "The papers included a physical description as well as personal affidavits concerning his death from smallpox at the Union Fort Harker (in Stevenson )

"It served as the original community cemetery for the Trenton area from the 1800s to about 1900," said Elliott.

But the cemetery was more like an overgrown forest. It took a massive effort to clear the land, which had not been touched in three decades, according to property owner Curtis Humphrey.

After 12 Jackson County inmates performed the labor-intensive work for two weeks, Elliott spent hours cleaning up the existing headstones and digging up others that were covered by dirt. One was still in good shape, but she decided to order four headstones for the others, including her ancestor. The 200-pound stones arrived quicker than she thought possible and remained in her garage for more than a year.

Elliott then turned to a national organization, Sons of Union Veterans (SUV), for help. Officials there referred her to Geoffrey Hintze of the Huntsville area group. Huntsville School Board member Topper Birney is one of about a dozen members of the group.

Hintze, Birney and other local SUV members were happy to help Elliott with the dedication ceremony. Despite near-record high temperatures on Memorial Day, a Civil War reenactment group wearing wool Union uniforms provided a realistic backdrop for the solemn occasion.

"I couldn't have done it without them," said Elliott, who also praised the work of the 12 county inmates who cleared the cemetery last summer, right after clearing debris from the April 27 tornadoes.

In addition to her father's papers, which she organized by family and individuals, Elliott found a book he owned, "The Paint Rock Valley Pioneers." It featured hand-drawn maps that included unmarked graves that were identified by relatives and local residents.

During her ancestry search, she was also able to trace her father's family back to Ireland and her mother's roots to Germany. She has turned a front room in her southeast Huntsville home into a Heritage Room, where she has pictures of her family dating back to the 1800s hanging on the walls.

The year-long search began to consume her as she spent most of her time researching her family's history while her two children, Michael, 10, and Lauren, 5, were in school, and her husband, Michael, was at work.

But after it was over, she was happy she helped restore dignity to the historic cemetery while finding her ancestors at the same time.

"After I got started, I could not stop," she said. "I hope it inspires other people to trace their family's history."