To the Editor:

Last Saturday, Sept. 7, a historic marker to commemorate the graves of the American Revolutionary War patriots buried in the New Scotland Cemetery was dedicated. The marker was funded by a grant by the Pomeroy Foundation awarded to the Sons of the American Revolution.

Tim Middlebrook, vice president of the Capital Region Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended the ceremony. Mr. Middlebrook read a letter from Bill Pomeroy of the Pomeroy Foundation, an organization founded by his father and dedicated to making the funding of historical markers a priority. The New Scotland Historical Association thanks both these organizations.

The honoring of these Revolutionary War patriots is long deserved. At the ceremony, “Lest we forget that these were all once ordinary New Scots who did extraordinary things,” New Scotland Historical Association President Alan Kowlowitz read off the names of these patriots, giving a brief description of their service and also mentioning their wives “who had to suffer their absence during the conflict that saw the birth of our nation and helped their husbands deal with any impact of their military service.”

The soldiers who so bravely served and who are buried in the New Scotland Cemetery are:

— William Allen, 1739-1805, who served under General Willet in the Tryon County 3rd Regiment, which served on the New York frontier in the later stages of the war;

— James Bell, 1761-1850, who served in the 3rd Albany Regiment which served in the Helderberg region, primarily rooting out Tories;

— Lot Ferguson, 1755-1822, who served as a private in the 2nd Westchester Regiment under Major Thaddeus Crane;

— Gershorn Fuller, 1752-1837, who served as a private in the 5th Regiment Albany County Militia under Col. Van Den Burgh. This regiment participated in the second Battle of Saratoga;

— John Furbeck, 1760-1840, an impressed Hessian who originally served with the British during the Burgoyne Campaign, who was captured before Burgoyne’s surrender. He was put out to work for a farmer, but then enlisted in the Connecticut Line as a teamster in 1778. He transferred to the New York Line and served two years;

—Robert Hall, 1753-1825, who served in the Levis, under Col. Weissenfels, which fought in the New York frontier late in the war, including the Battle of Sharon Springs and Johnstown in 1781;

— John McMillan, 1724-1806, who served as a private in Charlotte County Militia;

— Jacob Moak, 1720-1795, who served in Col. Schuyler’s 3rd Militia Albany County Militia;

— John Moak, 1768-1848, who served as a private in the 3rd Regiment Albany County Militia;

— John Patterson, 1758-1833, who served as a private in the Charlotte County Militia;

— John Ramsey, 1758-1849, who served in the 2nd Regiment of the Westchester County Militia;

— Anthony Waine, 1745-1832, who served as a private in the 3rd Regiment Albany County Militia. An immigrant from Derbyshire, England, he was a butcher in Albany who supplied meat to the Continental Army before actually serving in the war;

— James Wands, 1762-1827, who served in the 3rd Regiment Albany County Militia under Col. Schuyler; and

— William Warren, 1760-1836, who served in the 3rd Regiment Albany County Militia under Col. Schuyler.

Such a rich part of our national heritage entombed in this one burying ground is now memorialized by this beautiful and so well-deserved historical marker.

The patriots buried here along with their wives may be honored to know that several of their descendants came to witness this dedication.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, “Amazing Grace” was played on the bagpipes by President Kowlowitz, a fitting tribute to the brave New Scots resting here.

The New Scotland Presbyterian Church and the New Scotland Cemetery are located at 2010 New Scotland Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159.

Judy Kimes

Publicist

New Scotland

Historical Association