Revolutionary War Veterans with Graves in Illinois
General Bartholomew
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While campaigning on horseback, our namesake for the GJB SAR Chapter, General Joseph Bartholomew, aggravated a chronic inflammation of the bladder. He returned home where he died the next day, November 3, 1840, at age 74. He was buried in the cemetery in the village of Clarksville, McLean County, Illinois. Bartholomew County, Indiana is named after him as is the Bartholomew Trail in Indiana.
Four Patriots Buried in Northern Illinois
In the first half of the 19th century, four Revolutionary War soldiers, already in their mid-70s or 80s, found their way to the prairies of the northeastern Illinois region. Two of the men, Abner Powers and Israel Putman Warner, were young boys present at the Battle of Bennington on Aug. 16, 1777 (Vermont). They are buried in the Big Woods CemetaryThe decisive defeat of the British forces is seen as a turning point in the war for independence. Two others, Aaron Miner and Eli Skinner, are both buried in the small Elk Grove Cemetery, nestled in the shadow of the tollway and Arlington Heights Road. They are the only two Revolutionary War soldiers known to be buried in Cook County. The Fox Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution has compiled histories of the four soldiers on their website, www.foxsar.org/Patriots.html.
Abner Powers was at Valley Forge with George Washington's army. Serving as a drummer boy at the famous battles of Bennington and Saratoga, he later signed up as a soldier and was present at the final battle, Yorktown ([email protected], 2016). Powers was born in Springfield, New Hampshire, on Dec. 15, 1760. At age 15, he enlisted as a drummer boy with the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, and was present at the Battle of Bennington and the Battle of Saratoga. He came to Illinois, settling in Kane County in 1844, where Abner lived with his son and his family. He died at age 91 on Sept. 25, 1852, in Virgil Township and buried in Lily Lake Cemetary. Israel Putman Warner. Born May 27, 1768, in Bennington, Vermont, Warner was named after Israel Putnam, a popular figure who served with Roger's Rangers during the French and Indian War, and later in his early 60s, fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Warner started his military career early, serving as a military courier at age 9 in the Battle of Bennington. He carried a critical message from his father, Seth Warner, a co-founder of Vermont's famous Green Mountain Boys, on horseback to the commanding general to bring reinforcements. His son, who joined the army in 1777, served the entire duration of the war as a messenger boy and scout, rising to the rank of private before his honorable discharge at age 15. In 1853, Warner moved to Illinois to be with his daughter and her husband living in Warrenville. Warner died four months shy of his 94th birthday.The posting on the Sons of the American Revolution's website notes that the graves of Israel and his family "are in a row in the Big Woods Cemetery." Aaron Miner. Revolutionary War veterans Eli Skinner and Aaron Miner are among the 25 military service members honored during the Wreaths Across America program last December at Elk Grove Cemetery (Marie Wilson/[email protected], 2019). Aaron Miner, born on March 17, 1757, in Brumfield, Connecticut, served multiple short-term enlistments during the Revolutionary War, often to reinforce the companies of regular troops. In his first enlistment starting in May 1775, his regiment joined the army of Brigadier General Richard Montgomery in October for the successful attack on Fort St. John and Montreal in Canada. Returning to his hometown in Woodbury, Connecticut, that November, he reenlisted six months later in May 1776, and his regiment joined the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, in the Battle of Long Island and Battle of White Plains in September and October of 1776, respectively. After his discharge in December 1776, Milner served four more two-month terms, with the last one in 1780. After living for years in Connecticut, he later moved to Vermont with his wife, Hannah. In 1833, Milner, in his mid-70s, and his wife moved to Illinois setting up a home with their son near present-day Arlington Heights and Algonquin roads. He died here on March 29, 1849, at age 92, and was buried at Elk Grove Cemetery, established on a small knoll of the Miner farm. Decades later, Miner was made the namesake of a local chapter of the Children of the American Revolution. Eli Skinner. Born on July 30, 1760, in Colchester, Connecticut, a 13-year-old Eli Skinner later moved with his large family to Shelburne, Massachusetts. After the British marched on Lexington and Concord in May 1775, the 14-year-old signed up in the state militia for an eight-month enlistment, where he served as a fifer. After another call for troops in December 1776, Skinner enlisted for another three months, performing garrison duty at Fort Ticonderoga, before returning to his home in Shelburne and later moving to Vermont. In 1848, he followed family to Cook County in Illinois. His homestead was built near the corners of present-day Algonquin and Arlington Heights roads. He died on July 2, 1851, less than a month before his 91st birthday. He is buried in the Elk Grove Cemetery. His grave was marked by the General Henry Dearborn Chapter of the DAR in 1931. In 1991, the Eli Skinner DAR Chapter rededicated his monument in honor of the 100th anniversary of NSDAR and the 45th anniversary of the chapter. *Adapted from "Learn about the Revolutionary War veterans with graves in Illinois" by Chris Gerke, Daily Herald 1 July 2020 |
Illinois Memorials to American Revolutionary War Patriots Found Around the State
Note: we encourage others to send links to add to this collection of patriots buried around Illinois. Click on images to see full display. See also the Illinois Sons of the American Revolution Patriot Cemetery listing and the HMdb.org Historical Marker Database.