DAR seeks help from public to find graves of Revolutionary War veterans in local area

MADISON CO. – The Daughters of the American Revolution are seeking the help of hunters, fishers, and property owners in Madison County to identify the graves of Revolutionary War veterans.

The DAR has a list of 40 patriots who are thought to be buried in Madison County but whose graves have not been located. The DAR, together with the Sons of the American Revolution, find, restore, and maintain the graves of Revolutionary War veterans, making them available to the public and memorializing them with official historical markers.

Through historical research, the DAR was able to whittle down a list of 100 missing patriots to just 40. Now, they are asking for the public’s help to find the remaining patriots’ graves.

Many graves are located in neglected cemeteries on private property and are often tucked away in wooded and rural areas. This is where hunters, fishers, foresters, and property owners come in.

“We want their names published and for people who have walked out into different properties, different lands and know where there are gravesites to reinvestigate those and see if there’s any historical gravesites there,” said Carole Albyn, a member of the DAR. Albyn asks the public to keep an eye out for graves with dates 1800-1850. Those are graves most likely to belong to Revolutionary War veterans.

As America’s 250th birthday approaches next year, now is an opportune time to recognize these patriots by locating and restoring their final resting places.

“For me, personally its showing respect for our forefathers and them setting into motion this democracy and fighting for this democracy, and when you respect the very beginning soldiers, you’re respecting all the soldiers, in my opinion,” Albyn explained the why behind the effort.

Interested members of the public are encouraged to reach out to the DAR or the SAR with questions or information. Interested individuals are also welcome to join the Finding the Lost Patriots of North Alabama Facebook group. Albyn warns that these gravesites are fragile and should be left untouched until restoration teams can get on-site.

The patriots whose graves the DAR needs help locating include: Benjamin Adkins Robert Allen Samuel Ayers Richard Bacon William Bell Edward Beville William Campbell Hugh Caruthers Robert Clark William Clifton Robert Cozby George Dickey Benjamin Eddins Williams Eddins Owen Evans John Friend Jeremiah Gogers John Graham Benjamin Grayson Robert Hancock Henry Harris Pines Ingraham Issac Jackson Jeremiah Jaggers Nathan Jones Zachariah Leigh Benjamin Lynn Andrew Martin Soloman Massengale John McCartney James McCracken Daniel McDuff James McILkeny John Milam. Jr. Michael Moulton Mathew Nail William Neel William Parker William Pruitt Joel Rice Joseph Sawyer Reuben Stone Thomas Waiters Hawley Williamson Elisha Winn Galanus Winn