Group searches cemeteries, cornfields to honor Revolutionary War patriots

Thomas Urban and William “Bill” Richardson have walked through cornfields, looked under weeds and pored over cemeteries all over Sussex County in search of patriots.

Not just any patriots, but those who could be considered heroes of the Revolutionary War.

“It’s important to recognize as many of these men and women who fought or contributed to the cause for freedom,” said Richardson, who does this volunteer work as the historian of the Caesar Rodney Chapter of the Delaware Sons of the American Revolution.

The group recognized and honored the work and sacrifices of five heroes on Saturday at a graveside ceremony in Lewes.

These patriot heroes were people who fought in the war, of course, but also those who stayed home but supported the cause in different ways — by feeding troops, sending goods or helping the wounded, the group explained.

One such man was Joshua Hall, a former river pilot and blacksmith from Lewes who provided piloting services in the transportation of goods for the revolutionaries. The ceremony on Saturday placed a Sons of the American Revolution star marker at his gravesite.

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The other men honored at the ceremony included David Hall, a colonel in the Continental Army; Joseph Hall, a surgeon who served in the militia as a physician; Matthew Wilson, also a physician who became a pastor; and Arron Marshall Sr., of Milton, who served in the Lewes militia.

The Sons of the American Revolution is a national organization whose members carry out patriotic, historical and educational activities to perpetuate the memory and sacrifices of ancestors who fought or aided in the Revolution. Members of the group must be able to trace their ancestry directly to a man or woman who served in the Continental Army or aided some way in the cause of freedom.

Marking of graves is one of the group's educational activities.

“We’re honoring the people who founded this country and fought for it,” said Richardson, on why he and his group go to all the trouble to track down, confirm, and study these graves and past lives.

“It’s affirming our faith in the principals of liberty.”

Every ceremony and every meeting reminds Richardson and his compatriots of how honored he is to be part of this country that people sacrificed to build, he said.

In keeping with that honor, the ceremony included a presentation of colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the national anthem, brief biographies of the people being honored, the unveiling of the star and a laying of wreaths. Members said they would like to put stars on all graves that qualify, but simply can’t afford to.

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While the whole ceremony was designed to remind those attending of the seriousness of the work done by those they were honoring, it was the biographies that brought the revolutionaries to life.

Collecting the stories of the patriots has been one of the pastimes of Urban, vice president of the group and a former professor of philosophy. He spends hours online and at the Delaware State Archives building, finding and confirming information on the people they identified.

“When you find someone, you find a story,” he said. “The idea is to put some meat on these bones. These were people.”

The stories Saturday were abbreviated for time, but fuller biographies were scheduled to go online at the Delaware and national Sons' websites with the registry of these graves.

Those stories included how Matthew Wilson came out against British Colonial rule early on. He advocated a boycott on tea, going so far as to even print a broadsheet listing 17 herbs and vegetables that could be substituted for tea.

Aaron Marshall, on the other hand, was confirmed for his patriotic service by the letters he wrote after the war, asking the government for an increase in his military pension of $8 a month.

The ceremony on Saturday was relatively short, especially in comparison to the weeks of research that went into every name addition.

“Some cemeteries have great records … some don’t,” said John Barlow, president of the chapter. There are a lot of cemeteries in Delaware, he said.

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The group started investigating names years ago, using a list made years earlier of patriots and where they were buried. They also got tips from people of where different graves could be found.

Sometimes the finding was relatively easy, like the many they’ve found in the Presbyterian graveyard. Sometimes, it was practically a study in forensics to locate, not just the graves, but the cemeteries themselves.

Walking through cornfields, people’s backyards, and overgrown grounds where cemeteries were supposed to be were all too common stories for Urban and Richardson. Their hunting kit included cameras, papers and pencils and even scrub brushes at times, to help them find, identify and catalog the graves.

Sometimes, though, even finding the graves ends in disappointment.

Urban studied the life of one man whose grave someone recommended, only to end with a note that the person went AWOL from the Continental Army, meaning he didn’t qualify for a star after all.

“They were like us,” said Urban. “Maybe they had different challenges, but they were here. This is what was going on here 200 years ago.”

MORE INFORMATION

If you qualify and are interested in joining the Sons of the American Revolution, or have information about a patriot’s grave, go to the Delaware chapter’s website, www.dessar.org, for more information. The site will be updated shortly, said Richardson, who asked that people check it often for the most relevant information.