PETERSBURG — Upper Township’s Revolutionary War hero Henry Young will finally get the recognition he deserves with a historical marker on his grave in the family cemetery.
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation historic marker dedication of the Ensign Henry Young Family Burying Ground is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge at 144 Tyler Road in Petersburg. The foundation, based in Syracuse, N.Y., is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history.
The historic marker series, which commemorates patriot burials, is an opportunity to recognize those who fought in or were involved with the struggle for American independence, according to the foundation.
The Patriot Burials Marker Grant Program provides Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) chapters, working with community organizations, the opportunity to apply for historic markers to be placed in locations where Revolutionary War patriots are buried.
According to Paul Sutton, adjutant of the Aaron Wittkamp Colwell American Legion Post 239, this is the second and final step in the renovation of the burial ground.
Two years ago, Sutton said when he took over his duties for the post in 2020, he learned it was responsible for placing a flag on an obscure grave “in the middle of nowhere.”
Sutton said he was “advised to not go out there in tick season and not to go specifically on Memorial Day, but get there when you can.”
He said it is a family graveyard on the highest point of the land that the Youngs once owned, 1,600 or 1,700 acres stretching all the way to Route 9.
Sutton said he first went to the Young Family Cemetery off Tyler Road in November 2021 and found “this is not some ordinary veteran.”
Sutton recognized Young’s grave was from the Revolutionary War era. He did some research and found the county had no information and that “his grave has never been recognized in any way, shape or form.”
That changed May 6, 2023, when members of the post, Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution and others gathered to officially mark the grave.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff