Correspondent photo / Karla Dines The Braceville Historical Society and the Mary Chesney Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution hosted a bench memorial ceremony for American Revolutionary War veterans on Sunday at the Braceville Cemetery. Karen Andrus of the DAR talks about the history of the two patriots honored at the ceremony, Rufus Allen and Samuel Stow, and explained why many soldiers at that time relocated to the area. At right is Janice Kistler, Braceville Historical Society Founder and DAR member.

BRACEVILLE — Sunday was Flag Day, a day that marks the birth of the Stars and Stripes, a symbol of national unity and freedom.

Sunday was also the day chosen by the Braceville Historical Society and the Mary Chesney Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to host a bench memorial ceremony at the Braceville Cemetery.

The DAR dedicated a bench to the 18 Revolutionary War veterans buried there. The day resonated at both the national and community levels, linking the ideals of the American Revolution with the enduring respect for those who fought and died in its service.

Janice Kistler, founder of the Braceville Historical Society and a member of the Mary Chesney Chapter of the DAR, said the bench memorial ceremony took place this year because of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Kistler said that she, along with Karen Andrus and Pastor Dave Luther, spent two hours in the heat on Wednesday marking graves. Kistler also thanked Andrus, Carol Olson and Marilyn Kegarise for cleaning the headstones of two Revolutionary War Patriots, Rufus Allen and Samuel Stow.

Andrus said the headstones were carved by a very well-known carver, Elijah Stokes. Andrus then explained the headstone cleaning process.

“We did a very gentle wash with distilled water and liquid Ivory soap. We used copious amounts of water to clean them off. We then did a final wash with the D/2 Biological Solution, which is used at Arlington National Cemetery for all of their gravesites,” said Andrus, who also provided background information on the two soldiers honored by DAR markers.

Rufus Allen was born in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, on Feb. 6, 1762. He was only 14 when he joined the Revolutionary Service. After his time in the service, he married Lydia Brooks. They had nine children and relocated to Braceville. Two of their children owned a store at the corner of what is now state Routes 82 and 5, in what is now known as “The Center of the World.”

Samuel Stow was from Middletown, Connecticut. He was a surveyor of highways in 1779. He was a Teamster who transported firewood, food, gunpowder, medicine and heavy cannons during the war. He married Lucretia Rockwell. They had six children. After the war, they moved to Braceville.

Many of the patriots were from Connecticut because these gentlemen worked for long periods without being paid. At the end of the war, they were asking where their money was.

The states did not have the money, and the federal government did not want to give it to them. But the government had these tracts of land and said, “We will give you X amount of property if you want to go.

“A lot of the men from Connecticut ended up with land from their service,” Andrus said. “All of the Revolutionary War patriots who are buried here have a documented history of positively serving our country. Ohio has one of the richest histories of Revolutionary War patriots because of the Connecticut Western Reserve area, because of the Connecticut soldiers being given land.”

The Newton Falls Honor Guard presented the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the national anthem, led by Trumbull County Auditor and DAR member Martha Yoder. Pastor David Luther provided the invocation.

Mahoning County Sons of the American Revolution member John Opre, of Boardman, read the names of the 18 soldiers buried in Braceville Cemetery. Members of the Civil Air Patrol placed flags on the graves and Luther gave a benediction. The Newton Falls Honor Guard closed the ceremony.

Rick Nelson of Braceville, a member of the Newton Falls American Legion Post 236, said he became interested in history as a Boy Scout growing up in the area. Pastor John Pratt at one time asked Nelson to document the veterans in the cemetery. He also placed the 492 flags on the graves there.

As a part of America250-Ohio, the Ohio District Preservation Society, the DAR, and the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) local chapters are identifying, documenting and mapping graves into a state database. With a GPS, people will know how to get to a patriot’s grave, Andrus said.

There are 7,000 Revolutionary War patriots buried in Ohio, with 54 cemeteries in Trumbull County and at least 200 patriots buried in those cemeteries, she said.

A reception followed the ceremony at the Braceville African American Heritage Museum.