Marking Revolutionary War Patriot Graves

Genevieve Shishak, DAR Historian

January 31, 2020

The placement of markers is a tangible way for DAR members to honor and connect with Revolutionary War ancestors. It’s also a great way to raise public awareness of the Patriot’s grave and legacy. This effort is especially important now as part of the Our Patriots subcommittee of the America 250 Committee that is working to raise awareness of the Revolution in preparation for the semiquincentennial.

The process of researching an ancestor’s service and life history helps the marker applicant to become better acquainted with the Patriot in a way that brings life to the very real struggles that many Patriots endured so long ago. The physical placement of a marker at a Patriot’s gravesite gives the applicant a tangible way to express gratitude and to contribute to keeping the memory of a Patriot’s life and deeds alive into the future.

Marker placements also serve to help educate the communities in which the markers are placed by highlighting and publicizing the life and service of the Revolutionary War Patriot. Applicants typically work with local community members to prepare a dedication ceremony in which the life of the Patriot is celebrated. DAR marker placements bring people together to focus on the lives of courageous Americans of the Revolutionary War – men and women who may otherwise be forgotten. This is a great way to attain both traditional and social media attention for your chapter.

For many years, Daughters have identified, cleaned, restored and marked the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, Patriots and their wives, daughters and Real Daughters. Does your chapter have a listing of the grave markers they have placed? Does your chapter regularly check on the condition of these markers?

Members are urged to continue the National Society’s longstanding tradition and service of honoring Revolutionary War ancestors through marker placements. Take stock of the markers that your chapter has already placed, make any repairs or replacements that might be necessary and consider marking additional graves. Information about the marker application process is available on the Historian General’s webpage. Note that the process to replace or rededicate a marker is almost identical as that to place an original marker--simply include a photograph of the existent marker and state your intentions in a cover letter submitted with the application.

You can learn more about the procedure and application for placing, replacing or rededicating a Revolutionary War grave marker on the Historian General’s webpage at: www.dar.org/RevWarMarkers.

Questions?

Please know that the Historian General’s office is happy to assist with any questions that you may have about placing DAR grave markers. Contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for honoring the men and women who achieved American independence by ensuring that their final resting places display an approved NSDAR marker.

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