Victor Cuno Stempel, born in 1844, was a wealthy Missouri farmer and prominent citizen who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. At that time, Missouri was a border state and had dual (and dueling) Confederate and Union governments.
By the end of the war, more than 110,000 Missouri residents had served in the Union Army and more than 30,000 in the Confederate Army.
Mr. Stempel married, had three children and in 1901, moved to Florida, where he worked as a photographer. He passed away 20 years later at the age of 77.
His tombstone is one of over 1,500 cleaned and restored by Andrew Lumish, also known as “The Good Cemetarian.