Patriot John Hamilton & his wife’s original grave BEFORE restoration by Allen Sellers, David Moore, and Danny Danahe.
Patriot John Hamilton & his wife’s original grave AFTER restoration by Allen Sellers, David Moore, and Danny Danahe.
AUGUSTA — Honor Revolutionary War Patriots at Sharon Cemetery in Augusta on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. Join the Simon Kenton Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution with the Captain Philip Buckner Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Bracken County Historical Society in remembering Patriots and performing a proper burial ceremony for men who either served as soldiers and aided the war effort.
The ceremony will include “taps, musket salute, folding of the burial flag, benediction, and things of that nature,” according to Stuart Martin, president of the Simon Kenton Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution and one of the main organizers of the event. All information about the Patriots honored, including pictures of their headstones and coordinates, is recorded and entered in their databases after such ceremonies so that patriots can always be located.
According to Martin, many Revolutionary War Patriots were never honored for their service and most were forgotten to the world entirely. The purpose of this work is to pay homage to those who never received it and to make it possible for the world to know them. Martin shared that many descendants of these patriots will be in attendance at the ceremony, some coming all the way from Massachusetts, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and more.
“It’s important to descendants to see that their Patriots are honored,” stated Martin.
The patriots being celebrated include Isaac Day, Andrew Dillman, John Hamilton Sr., William Harrod, Edward Poe and Stephan Taylor. Of these six Patriots, five were Revolutionary War veterans and one, Isaac Day, paid a 1783 government supply tax which helped finance the war, therefore making him a patriot.
According to Carol Boney, registrar for the Captain Philip Buckner Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and President of the Bracken County Historical Society, Edward Poe and Andrew Dillman were confirmed as serving at Valley Forge. Because of this, the two will have an additional medallion placed on their gravestones from the Society of the Descendants of Washington’s Army at Valley Forge.
Patriot and veteran, Stephen Taylor, will be receiving a headstone from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Part of what the VA does is ensuring that all veterans can be honored with proper headstones, no matter how long ago that veteran may have passed away.
The Ceremony will also include a roadside marker for Sharon Cemetery, which will indicate to visitors and those passing by that there are patriots buried there, allowing for respects to be paid. This roadside marker will be provided for free by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
This event is made possible by dedicated individuals, their volunteer efforts and donations. When Martin was asked why such services are so important he responded that, “we don’t know where everyone is buried at so when you find one, hallelujah, we know this man is buried here and we can mark it for posterity so in the future people will always know where this person was buried. This was his final resting place.”
Coordinators of this event would also like to give a special thanks to Bracken County Historical Society member, Allen Sellers and his helpers, David Moore and Danny Danahe. These three volunteers have worked tirelessly to restore upward of 65 gravestones in Sharon Cemetery and have previously worked to restore Augusta Hillside Cemetery and Payne Cemetery, which, according to Boney, both contained broken, buried and forgotten graves.
Come out to honor patriots and support the organizations that are making this event possible, Saturday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m. at Sharon Cemetery. Address: Corner of Asbury and Dutch Ridge Rd, Augusta, KY 41002. Coordinates: 38.70203, -83.98918.
