Name/Title
Democrat Messenger - Article - Remains of Revolutionary War Soldier and Wife, Buried Nearly Century Ago, Moved to New Plot (21 September 1934)Entry/Object ID
2018.1.125Scope and Content
"Remains of Revolutionary War Soldier and Wife, Buried Nearly Century Ago, Moved to New Plot" article, Democrat Messenger, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, 21 September 1934, page 1.
Transcribed by Candice Buchanan.
"Remains of Revolutionary War Soldier and Wife, Buried Nearly Century Ago, Moved to New Plot
The remains of the two oldest persons yet to be buried in Greene County Memorial Park now lie in the two graves which will mark the final resting place of Thomas and Ann Ralston Kent, early settlers of this county.
The remains of Thomas Kent, Revolutionary soldier and those of his wife, were reinterred last Tuesday after having been removed from the old Methodist Episcopal cemetery in East Waynesburg. The new graves will later be marked with bronze tablets, placed level with the ground, a design now popular in the newer cemeteries. Thomas Kent will be the only Revolutionary soldier interred so far in the Greene County Memorial Park.
Thomas Kent was born in 1748 and died in 1835. His wife, Anna Ralston Kent, was born in 1759 and died the same year as her husband. The remains, therefore, when removed from the old cemetery plot, had been buried for 99 years.
Thomas Kent was one of the pioneer settlers in Greene County. Before the Revolutionary War, he, together with Billie Rafferty, Josiah Inghram and Thomas Smith, settled along Smith Creek and engaged in farming until they were driven out by the Indians. Kent then went back to Cecil County, Maryland, and enlisted in the war for independence, serving under General Washington. After the war Kent returned to this locality with his wife and helped build old Fort Jackson. He was the father of fourteen children: William, Mary, George, Thomas, Nancy, Katherine, Elizabeth, Sally, James, Rebecca, John, Jesse, David and Delilah.
The remains found in the old graves upon excavation proved to have been buried in walnut coffins. Interred along with the remains in Greene County Memorial Park were the old sandstone tombstones, the inscriptions on which were nearly obliterated by time.
The Kent clan, which reunes each year, plan to conduct a memorial service at the graves at their 1935 reunion."Collection
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Search Terms
Cemeteries--Tombstones, Kent family, Military, Morgan (Greene County, Pa. : Township)--Cemeteries--Greene County Memorial Park, Ralston family, Veterans--American Revolution (1775-1783), Waynesburg (Pa.)--Cemeteries--East End Cemetery, Waynesburg (Pa.)--Cemeteries--Hookstown Cemetery, Waynesburg (Pa.)--Cemeteries--Methodist Church CemeteryArchive Details
Creator
Democrat MessengerDate(s) of Creation
Sep 21, 1934Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Kent, Thomas [1747-1835]Person or Organization
Ralston, Ann [1759-1835]Provenance
Provenance Detail
Democrat Messenger - Publications CollectionNotes
Source Citation: "Remains of Revolutionary War Soldier and Wife, Buried Nearly Century Ago, Moved to New Plot" article, Democrat Messenger, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, 21 September 1934, page 1; item no. 2018.1.125, Publications Collection, shared by Candice Lynn Buchanan, Greene Connections Archives Project (www.GreeneConnections.com).