Ben Maryniak Dies At 61;
An Authority On Chaplains
(July 2009 Civil War News)

LANCASTER, N.Y. — Benedict R. Maryniak, a student of the Civil War who portrayed the Rev. Philos Cook, chaplain of the 94th New York Volunteers, died May 25 at age 61 after a short illness.

He co-authored The Spirit Divided: Memoirs of Civil War Chaplains-The Union and Faith In the Fight: Civil War Chaplains, for which he compiled names of more than 2,000 U.S. military chaplains.

Maryniak served as president of the Buffalo Civil War Round Table since the late 1970s when the group was revived.

He also researched and wrote articles for his round table’s monthly newsletter, as well as writing articles and book reviews for Civil War publications. He was known for his sermons in the field and presentations and tours.

Maryniak was a member of the Chaplain P.G. Cook Camp 223, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and was the SUV’s state historian. He was a lifetime associate member of Buffalo Guards Camp 1975, Sons of Confederate Veterans.

As a living historian, Maryniak portrayed the Rev. Philos G. Cook, a prominent chaplain with the 94th New York. The June 25, 1895, New York Times obituary told how Cook went to find his wounded son at Sharpsburg and joined the 94th there, serving as chaplain for three years. In that capacity he was at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and other engagements.

As Philos Cook, Maryniak and his wife, Catherine Curley, attended many Civil War events. He was cast as Father William Corby in the movies “Gettysburg” and “North & South.”

Maryniak was an authority on the 94th New York and the Irish nationalist Fenian Brotherhood and its June 1866 raid on Canada from the Buffalo area. He also was a photographer, guitarist and artist who crafted Civil War dioramas and model railroads.

He was a native of Buffalo, N.Y., and resident of Lancaster, where he was town historian.

Maryniak graduated from Canisius College with a degree in sociology in 1969 and had a long career in human services. He worked for a variety of social service agencies, retiring in 2006 from the Erie County Home and Infirmary.

He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Memorial donations may be made to the Buffalo Civil War Round Table, 5559 Broadway, Lancaster, NY 14086.