This certificate documents the founding of the Bailey Post 164 of the Grand Army of the Republic in November 1881. It was named in honor of George Bailey, who organized the Kinney Light Guards, which eventually became the 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.), Company G, also called the Portsmouth Guards. The certificate, which measures 14.5 by 20.5 inches (36.83 by 52.07 cm) shows water damage, presumably caused by a flood of the nearby Ohio River. It lists the twenty original members of the organization. Following the Civil War, numerous veterans' organizations sprang up around the country. The Grand Army of the Republic was one of the largest and most influential.
