Some of Ohio’s most remarkable historical resources are the approximately 7,000 Revolutionary War veterans buried in our state.

Many of these heroes rest in well-known cemeteries such as the famous Mound Cemetery in Marietta. Mound Cemetery is the final resting place for more than fifty Revolutionary War veterans and is believed to have more Revolutionary War officers interred there than any other cemetery in the United States. Ohio has many cemeteries whose Revolutionary War veterans’ graves are well-documented and marked.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project has helped draw additional attention to these patriots’ resting places.

The project, sponsored and supported by the Ohio History Connection, Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Terracon Consultants Inc., has done an amazing job documenting gravesites in real time.

The interactive map received its data with the help of Daughters of the American Revolution & Sons of the American Revolution, along with local genealogical and historical societies. The map’s data is impressive; however, the map is incomplete for several reasons.

First, it is a work in progress, and second, some communities were more engaged with the project than others. A significant reason for this is the fact that many Revolutionary War veterans lived in rural Ohio.

Many of these veterans were farmers whose small farms dotted the landscape of rural Ohio. Today, approximately fifty percent of Ohio’s land area is agricultural. So, it should not be a surprise that a great many of these Revolutionary War veterans are buried in small family plots scattered across rural Ohio.

I experienced this firsthand at a Memorial Day program at Brown’s Chapel (Deerfield Township) in Ross County several years ago. I had given remarks on the service and sacrifice of local Revolutionary War veterans while standing in front of six Revolutionary War veterans’ cenotaphs at the Brown’s Chapel Cemetery.

A cenotaph, as defined by the Oxford English  Dictionary, is “an empty tomb; a sepulchral monument erected in honor of a deceased person whose body is elsewhere.”

One of the cenotaphs in this cemetery was for Arnold Norris.

The Daughters of the American Revolution’s Roster of Revolutionary War Veterans Buried in Ohio (Volume III) lists Arnold Norris as “buried in abandoned cemetery on farm of James M. Reeves, about 3/4 (of a) mile SW of Clarksburg, O - Deerfield Twp, Ross Co.”

Recently I was speaking with a farmer, who also serves as a township trustee, about local Revolutionary War veterans’ graves. He was quite knowledgeable referencing several graves including on ground he farms.

Ohio farmers for generations have not only been stewards of the land, but also its history. This is appropriate as many Revolutionary War veterans settled in Ohio for land, which has produced generations of Ohio farmers. If I sound slightly biased, I was raised on a family farm in rural southern Ohio. My love of Ohio history started as a child on the farm. Today’s farmers face a myriad of challenges, yet their appreciation for our state’s history continues.

You have likely seen the bumper sticker “Thank a Farmer.” Ohio’s farmers not only help feed us; they are also important stewards of Revolutionary War veterans’ gravesites.

A native Ohioan, Paul LaRue grew up in rural Fairfield County. Later he earned his B.S. in social studies education at The Ohio State University and his M.S. in history education from Xavier University. Paul taught social studies at Washington Courthouse High School during his career and has been the recipient of numerous local, state, and national awards. He currently is serving as the Education co-chair for the America 250-Ohio commission as well as continuing to work with social studies teachers and create educational content based on local and national history topics.