10-forgotten

transcribed and
submitted by
Dianna

WAYNE CO., IL

10 REVOLUTIONARY MEN

Source: Wayne County Press
Dianna note: This published article was in the Wayne County Press so this is not a copyright violation from the copy of it found in Cemetery Book, Volume 6, by Doris Bland.

(Photo that is not clear enough to use)

FOR THE FORGOTTEN: Maple Hill Cemetery Superintendent Chic Mossburger shows Mrs. Doris Bland one of the monuments she secured for the 10 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Wayne County. John Fitzgerald in back helps unpack the stones.

10 Patriots Buried Here

This lady is not waiting for the Bi-Centennial, the nation's 200th birthday. She's already planned her own observance.

Doris Bland, renowned in Fairfield for her publishied works on people buried in Wayne County cemeteries, has deterrmined there are 10 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Wayne County.

She has a pretty good idea in which cemetery five of them are buried. She can definitely pinpoint four of the graves.

But the others? What about the others, buried in obvious anonymity, patriots who who were among the few that fought for our nation's freedom, but now are apparently forgotten, not even having a tombstone.

War Veterans Forgotten

In their behalf, Mrs. Bland, the wife of Elmer Bland Jr., has worked many hours and now, sitting in crates at the Maple Hill Cemetery in crates at which will soon be erected in Veterans Cemetery in memory of the soldiders.

They will all be together, in a place where they can be shown proper respect, even though the bodies of the 10 men are not.

"I remember when I was admitted to DAR (Daughters of American Revolution)," recalled Mrs. Bland, "I had traced my ancestry back to a Revolutionary soldier buried in White County."

"There were about 15 buried there and my ancestor was one of them. Someone had erected monuments in memory of those soldiers and that's where I got the idea." Mrs. Bland said.

After hours of research and writing the Archives in Washington, Mrs. Bland determined that Wayne County became the final resting place for 10 Revolutionary soldiers.

They came from three states --West Virginia, North Carolina or South Carolina -- and they migrated west after the war and settled here.

Their Names

The names of the 10 and where they are buried are:
James Clark, burial place unknown.
George Clark, buried in the Bovee Cemetery, northwest of Boyleston, no marker.
James Gaston, buried in Bovee Cemetery, grave identified.
John Hanson, burial place unknown.
James Lock, burial place unknown.
John H. Mills, buried in Bovee Cemetery, but no marker.
William Simpson, buried Simpson Cemetery, north of Burnt Prairie, grave identified.
James Stuart, buried in Fairfield city limits, maybe in the Curry Cemetery on North First Street across from North Side School.
Thomas Sloan, buried at Bovee Cemetery, grave identified.
Alexander Ramsey, buried at Mt. Erie Cemetery. His grave is too well marked, so a memorial stone wasn't granted for him, Mrs. Bland said.

The nine stones were purchased by the Veterans Administration after Mrs. Bland filled out multiple forms verifying the backgrounds and auhenticity of the project.

They will be set in the Veterans Cemetery by Cemetery Superintendent Charles "Chic" Mossburger as soon as the ground firms up.

"I know there are a lot of people thinking of special observances for the Bi-Centennial next year and I just thought this was a good idea, since it was these men who helped give birth to this country 199 years ago." Mrs. Bland said.