By Compatriot George Stewart, Chapter Historian
It is hard to believe the Chapter’s Revolutionary War Graves committee had been inactive since the early 1900’s. It was not until 1986, at the urging of Compatriot Charles Edwards, that the Chapter re-instituted the committee. A lot of our continued success can be traced back to Mr. Edwards. The committee soon started showing results.
In 1989 Compatriot Tom Stander and other Reily Township residents believed that the Esker Cemetery on Champion International property constituted a cemetery of significant historical importance to the township. The Cincinnati Chapter wrote letters to Champion, Reily Township Trustees, and Butler County Commissioners urging all parties to remove the matter from politics and work on a plan to preserve the cemetery in the best interest of the community. After long consultations and legal battles Champion International agreed to dedicate the cemetery land to the Reily Township Board of Trustees for protection and preservation.
In 1991 Compatriot Stander with the help of the graves committee worked to protect and preserve the Old Tariff (Jenkins) Cemetery near Okeana in Morgan Township in Butler County. The committee work to obtain signatures on a petition that resulted in saving the cemetery and built a road to the site. The site is also an Indian Burial Ground atop a prehistoric mound. The site has the only Revolutionary War soldier buried in Morgan Township, William Jenkins who also saw service in the War of 1812.
