The Revolutionary War Patriots Resting in Fayette County

CONNERSVILLE — On July 4th, the nation reflects on the grand declarations, iconic battles, and monumental figures that shaped the birth of the United States. Yet, a quiet stroll through the historic burial grounds of Fayette County offers a reminder that independence was also won by the grit of ordinary citizens on the absolute edge of the early American wilderness.

Thanks to recent preservation efforts, the local landscape features newly installed blue and yellow commemorative signs marking the resting places of several Revolutionary War veterans. Among them are four patriots buried side-by-side at Mt. Garrison Cemetery in Jennings Township and a continental soldier at Union Chapel Cemetery in Jackson Township. Their military records detail two very different, yet equally vital, sides of the War for Independence.

The Border Defenders of Mt. Garrison

At Mt. Garrison Cemetery, located east of Alquina, visitors will find the graves of Jesse Pigman, Jr. (1765–1852), Amos Milner (1754–1837), Harrod Newland (1766–1848), and John Huff (1760–1834).

Long before they became early Fayette County settlers, these four men were neighbors in the Monongahela River basin, a rugged territory heavily disputed between Pennsylvania and Virginia. Because the Mason-Dixon line and permanent state borders had not yet been finalized, these men frequently served interchangeably across both the Virginia Line and Pennsylvania Militia. Your theater of war was not one of massive battlefields, but an isolated campaign against British-aligned factions to defend scattered log cabins and frontier outposts.

Jesse Pigman, Jr. was drafted into a militia company commanded by his own father, Captain Jesse Pigman, Sr., at just 15 years old. Early records show he marched directly to Askins Fort on Ten Mile Creek, where his company stood as the sole defensive line for six months without reinforcements. Due to his sharp navigation skills, he was later pulled to serve as an Ensign in a specialized wilderness “Spy Company” to track enemy movements through the dense woods. Pigman’s dedication to service continued well into his later years. During the War of 1812, he and his brother-in-law Harrod Newland marched north together to fight at the Battle of the Thames. Upon moving to Indiana, Pigman became a foundational pillar of our community, being elected to serve a seven-year term as a Fayette County Associate Judge starting in 1826.

Amos Milner dedicated four years of his life as a private soldier securing the river borders before later answering the call to arms again during the Northwest Indian War under General Arthur St. Clair. He lived to the remarkable age of 92, spending his final decades farming the Jennings Township soil.

Harrod Newland was an elite scout whose dangerous wilderness tracking is explicitly preserved in the historic Minutes of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. In 1782, the council issued hard-earned payments to Newland and a select handful of men for their critical role in watching the movements of Indians and protecting the frontiers. Newland’s sister, Lurene, married into the Pigman family, cementing a deep bond forged on the frontier that survived the long migration to Indiana. Like Pigman, Newland served again as a Sergeant in the War of 1812.

John Huff rounded out this tightly knit group of pioneers, braving the early border conflicts before moving his family west to establish a permanent homestead out of the Indiana timber.

The Continental Regular of Union Chapel

A short drive away in Jackson Township lies Union Chapel Cemetery, established in 1815. It is the final resting place of Private James Hamer (1764–1837).

While a regional tourism marker lists his service from New York, Hamer’s weathered headstone and official bronze military footstone preserve a different origin. Born in Monmouth, New Jersey, Hamer enlisted as a private in Captain Ogden’s Company within the New Jersey Regiment.

Unlike his frontier counterparts at Mt. Garrison, Hamer’s unit operated within the structured Continental regular lines of the eastern theater. Following the war, Hamer joined the massive post-Revolution westward migration. He moved first to Mason County, Kentucky, where he married Mary Ann Helm in 1791. After raising his family along the Ohio River basin for two decades, Hamer moved his eight children into Jackson Township to clear land in Everton, where he spent the rest of his life.

Want to know more history? You’ll find a deep knowledge at Historic Connersville Museum on the weekends from 10am to 3pm.