Staff photo / Bob Coupland The Bristol Township Historical Society and the Bristol Township trustees honored Revolutionary War soldiers buried at Pioneer Cemetery and other Bristol cemeteries with a flag placement at a rock marker at Pioneer Cemetery. The veterans’ names are listed on a plaque on the rock marker. From left are Trustee Chairman Doug Seemann; Mary Ann Raidel of the historical society and curator of the museum; and trustees Rhonda Snyder and Jeff Waldeck.

BRISTOL — Township officials and the township’s historical society honored soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War and later relocated to the township.

The ceremony took place at Pioneer Cemetery, next to the township hall, where a large rock with a marker on it lists the names of the local Revolutionary War veterans.

A flag was placed by the rock.

Mary Ann Raidel, historian and curator for the historical society’s museum, said the Honor Roll Rock, with footstones surrounding it, honors the veterans from that war buried at the Pioneer or Norton cemeteries in the township.

“There are (seven) men who came to Bristol from Connecticut after the Revolutionary War ended. They were encouraged to come to this area,” Raidel said.

The names on the rock are John Barnes, Gasper Cline, Elias Daily, Jacob Hamman, John Morley, Joseph Talcott and William Wilson.

She said there was also a Hessian soldier named John Cline, who came to America to fight with the British, who is buried at the cemetery.

She said the Revolutionary War rock was originally installed in the cemetery in the 1980s by the historical society.

Trustee Rhonda Snyder said she was impressed by the Revolutionary War soldiers from Bristol who deserve recognition for their service to the country.

“There was an interesting history on each one of them. I learned a lot about the people who served and where they came from,” she said.

At the event, those in attendance took a similar oath of service going into George Washington’s Army like those who served during the Revolutionary War did.

“I was waiting for the United States of America to be part of the oath, but it wasn’t because we weren’t a country yet. Most oaths contain the United States of America in them and this one didn’t,” Snyder said.

MEMORIES OF BRISTOL

After the ceremony, those who attended also heard from older Bristol residents who spoke about life in the township years ago as part of “Memories of Bristol.” They each shared their memories of Bristol, favorite landmarks and hopes for the community’s future.

They included Ed and Clora Revis Hillman, Margaret Wilson Swager and Roger French.

French told how the township’s fire department had changed over the years. He said one of the biggest changes is that there were all volunteers who helped the community serving as firefighters. French said today many fire departments can’t get volunteers.

Snyder said she liked hearing people’s memories of what it was like to grow up in Bristol years ago.

Raidel said inside the museum, located at the township center, is a written history of what the township was like in 1776 and information on the Seneca Indians from the local area.

For the nation’s 250th anniversary, the society and the township co-sponsored an America250 celebration event where Bristol students could make drawings, write poems or write an essay on America250.

“We wanted to get the young people involved in America250. We were excited about the entries we received,” she said.

Raidel said while more entries were drawings from elementary students there were also poems and essays from older students.

The work was done voluntarily out of school with entries submitted in April and monetary donations awarded to winners.

Hayden Hileman, a 2026 Bristol High School graduate, was the winner of the essay contest, “Celebrating Bristolville in 2026: My Community Strengths and Hopes for the Future.”

Raidel said the younger children did a variety of drawings, including one focused on Bristol being an agricultural community.

“This was not a classroom assignment. The students did this on their own,” Raidel said.

Hileman said when he heard the topic he said he focused on how Bristol can be better represented and how if you look up Bristol on Wikipedia it mentions only a few people from here from the 1780s and 1820s.

“I wrote about what our town is really like and what it offers,” Hileman said.

DIFFERENT VIEWS

“We heard from many older residents about the township but it was also nice to hear from the younger generations and to read their poems and essays and see their artwork. It was interesting to see what they were thinking about,” Raidel said.

Snyder said a spaghetti dinner fundraiser took place to pay for prizes.

Raidel said planned for Oct. 17 is to dedicate the Civil War marker at the center.

Trustee Jef Waldeck said it was a wonderful tribute to the Revolutionary War soldiers and happy birthday to America.

Trustee Doug Seeman it was nice the community could come out to celebrate America250.