Groups Honor Revolutionary War Veterans Across Oswego County

Revolutionary War patriots across Oswego County are being honored with burial marker signs by the Syracuse Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and the Ontario Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence.

The markers are provided by William G. Pomeroy and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, modelled on the early New York State roadside marker program.

Oswego County Historian Debra Allen, chair of the Oswego County 250th Commission and a member of the Ontario Chapter of the DAR, submitted the applications for the patriot marker program.

“The patriot burial marker program is managed in cooperation with the Sons of the American Revolution,” said Allen. “Each application requires extensive documentation. We are working to compile a full list of patriots (and loyalists) who served in the American Revolution and later lived in Oswego County. This has been an ongoing project for many years by many people.”

Allen, along with Shawn Doyle, secretary of the Syracuse SAR chapter and president of the Half-Shire Historical Society, and other local historians, conducted extensive research on Revolutionary War patriots and documented the graves of 640 Revolutionary War patriots, buried in 61 cemeteries in Oswego County.

“Records that have become available from national and state governments, the SAR, DAR and other sources have broadened the list of known servicemen who passed through Oswego County and in many cases helped found our communities,” said Doyle. “Alas, many of these brave patriots lie across the nation in unmarked or deteriorated graves, in forgotten locations.”

Allen, Doyle and the Oswego County 250th Commission are also compiling a collection of patriot biographies which is already more than 700 pages long!

In June, patriot burial signs were dedicated at Pleasant Lawn Cemetery in Parish, Arthur Cemetery in Mexico, and Sand Hill/Daysville Cemetery in Richland. Additional dedication ceremonies are in the planning stages and will be announced soon.

Patriots recognized in the Parish cemetery include:

• Nathan Franklin, who fought in the battles of Bennington and Saratoga, and served for two years and 11 months;
• Timothy Rider, who enlisted at age 15 as a drummer in Massachusetts; and
• Tunis Vrooman Jr., whose family was attacked in Schoharie by a party of Tories and 73 Indians led by Joseph Brant in 1780. Vrooman and his brothers were taken to Fort Niagara and Montreal as prisoners. He eventually moved to Constantia and is buried in Herkimer. His wife Betsy is buried in Parish.

In Mexico, the ceremony recognized the following patriots:

• Isaiah Keeler Jr., enlisted in 1780 and served in several engagements on Lake Champlain including Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Edward and Fort Stanwix. He was taken prisoner and was eventually released from Montreal “after suffering everything but death itself.”
• Ebenezer Ormsby, enlisted in 1776 in the 11th Rhode Island Regiment and later in the Connecticut Line. In 1777, he was injured in the thigh during the Battle of Fort Montgomery. He continued to serve for 2-½ years, eventually settling in Mexico, N.Y.

The dedication at the Richland cemetery honored:

• Rufus Price, who enlisted in Connecticut following the battles of Lexington and Concord. He was awarded rank of lieutenant and, according to family records, was an aide to George Washington. Later, he attained the rank of colonel in the NYS militia. Col. Price eventually moved to Richland where he and his sons purchased land on the Salmon River at the location of Douglaston Manor. Several descendants, including NYS Assemblyman Will Barclay, remain in the area.

“It is a great honor for us to recognize these patriots and to be a part of this countywide celebration,” said Shirley Jensen Hanley, Regent of the Ontario Chapter of the National Daughters of the American Revolution. “An important part of the DAR’s mission is to conduct educational programs that emphasize our national heritage. Our chapter is also very involved in supporting veterans and active-duty military. We are grateful to the 250th Commission for including Oswego County’s DAR in the dedication of the patriot burial markers.”

In addition to Allen, Doyle and Hanley, community members who participated in the June sign dedications included Assemblyman Will Barclay; Evelyn Stelmashuck, president of Parish Town Historical Society; Mexico Town Historian Susan Vaughn; and James Hotchkiss, president of Mexico Historical Society. Jasper Molnar, a member of the Watertown-based Children of the American Revolution, dressed as General George Washington and unveiled the signs.

Doyle and Allen extended a special thanks to Grave Geeks and Ontario DAR Chapter members Paula and Tasha Molnar for headstone cleaning and research.

Twenty-four patriot markers across Oswego County were approved by the Pomeroy Foundation. Additional markers will be dedicated later this year in Redfield, New Haven, Palermo, Orwell, Mexico, Phoenix and West Monroe. 

William G. Pomeroy Foundation patriot markers were previously dedicated at Pineville and Maple Lawn (Dugway) cemeteries in Albion; Carley Mills and Hillside cemeteries in Hastings; Caughdenoy Cemetery; Mexico Village Cemetery; Pulaski Village and Riverside cemeteries in Pulaski; Sixteenth Cemetery, Volney; and Fairview Cemetery, Williamstown.

For more information about the patriot marker program, contact Oswego County Historian Debra Allen at historian@oswegocounty.com

The following websites also have more program information: Ontario Chapter DAR at Contact Us | OntarioChapter DAR; Syracuse Chapter SAR at Syracuse Chapter Sons of the American Revolution; William G. Pomeroy Foundation at www.wgpfoundation.org; Grave Geeks of Oswego, Jefferson and Lewis Counties at New York | GraveGeeks.

To learn more about Oswego County history and visitor information, go to https://visitoswegocounty.com.

All photos by Janet West Clerkin, Ontario Chapter DAR.

Ontario Chapter DAR Regent Shirley Jensen Hanley dedicates the Pomeroy Foundation patriot burial marker for Isaiah Keeler Jr. and Ebenezer Ormsby at Arthur Cemetery in the Town of Mexico.

Syracuse SAR Secretary Shawn Doyle and Oswego County Historian Debra Allen discuss their research of 640 Revolutionary War veterans in Oswego County.

Jasper Molnar, a member of the Watertown-based Children of the American Revolution, dressed as George Washington to unveil the Pomeroy Foundation patriot signs.

Assemblyman Will Barclay, a direct descendant of Col. Rufus Price, greets visitors at the Sand Hill/Daysville Cemetery dedication in the Town of Richland.

The Ebenezer Ormsbee headstone in Mexico was cleaned by DAR and Grave Geeks members Paula and Tasha Molnar.

 
 Syracuse SAR Secretary Shawn Doyle addresses the gathering honoring patriots at Pleasant Lawn Cemetery in Parish.