Rest in peace Grave of Revolutionary War veteran John Vaughan is officially marked (reprinted by permission of the publisher)
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MURFREESBORO - Folks recently gathered at the family cemetery here on the Braxton Britt Farm in order to honor Revolutionary War Veteran, John Vaughan. A grave marking ceremony was officiated by the Daughters of the American Revolution Halifax Resolves Chapter, slated in correlation with "Constitution Week".
A long ago resident of Hertford County, Vaughan claimed it as his native soil, with records indicating his birth on April 1, 1760. His parents were that of William Vaughan and his wife, Sarah Daniel Vaughan, also natives of Hertford County.
Excerpts from "The Vaughan Family" history, as authored by Benjamin WInborne, reveal that Vaughan enlisted as a soldier in the Continental Army in March of 1779 in the 10th regiment of North Carolina troops, known as Captain Goodman's company, and served until the end of the war.
Vaughan remained unmarried until late in life, but would later marry Miss Sarah Rogers, daughter of Jonathan and Hester Rogers, in the year 1799. Their matrimonial union would result in five children, Elizabeth, William, Sarah, Martha and Uriah.
Vaughan has been documented as "a substantial planter and a man of affairs", where he resided on his plantation about three miles outside of the Town of Murfreesboro on a plot of land he inherited from his father.
Winborne's historical accounts provide that William Vaughan was among the first to clear land for cultivation in Hertford County, settling a few miles from the present Town of Murfreesboro on a tract known today as the Elisha Vaughan plantation. The plot included 183 acres of land, which records indicate were a grant from the first Governor of North Carolina, Richard Caswell.
Vaughan Sr. had two other sons to enlist in the Continental Army, William and Daniel, who was killed in the war, September 26, 1781.
According to Rachael Pittman, with the Daughters of the American Revolutionary Halifax Resolves Chapter, during her ceremonial speech, "The person really responsible for the day's fulfillment is one [page 3] persistent Hertford County native, Braxton Britt."
"He lived on the land we are honoring today," Pittman went on to share Wednesday. "A cemetery and grave markers on this land played an integral part in Braxton's early years. He observed the markers therein and began to wonder about and give meaning to the dates and names he observed."
Pittman went on to share how Britt's interest in the graves on his family's farmland stimulated the National Daughters of the American Revolution to encourage area chapters to look for similar markers, indicating burial sites of soldiers who had participated in the American Revolution.
"One day Braxton and I happened to meet," Pittman explained further, "when he told me that he had become very interested in searching for markers in cemeteries indicating Revolutionary War Veterans."
Britt's interest would lead him to travel into Virginia, where he would visit various cemeteries, read and research their markers, while allowing his fascination to flourish. Soon, a fruitful partnership between Pittman and Britt would result in the long awaited recognition one of North Carolina's very own Revolutionary War heroes.
"I carried Braxton's story to a meeting of the Halifax Resolves chapter of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution," Pittman said, "and Braxton and I hit pay dirt. Today we are observing and participating in the 'rest of the story,' or so say they say."
Following Pittman's speech, Britt stepped up to the marker for the official "unveiling". A patriotic medley of music and a somber rendition of "Taps", topped off the grave marking ceremony with a heroic sendoff.
Prior to the grave marking ceremony, held near Vaughan's original resting-place on the Britt Farm, an honorary reception was hosted by the Halifax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Barnes House Bed and Breakfast, located on Main Street in Murfreesboro. The chapter also participated in "Bells Across America"; a regional observance of "Constitution week."
[A picture of the color guard which attended the ceremony accompanied the article] "The Roanoke-Chowan's Shopper", c) 2002 Roanoke-Chowan Publications, L.L.C.
Thursday, October 2, 2002
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