TOP STORY OF THE DAY - TIMELESS: You’re invited - Julia Martin Lambert Chapter’s 1812 Veteran Recognition Ceremony

The National Society United States Daughters of 1812 is a women’s service organization for descendants of American patriots who served our country in civil, military, or naval service from 1784 to 1815 inclusive. Founded in 1892, the organization is non-profit and non-political and comprises local chapters.

The Julia Martin Lambert Chapter, chartered May 6, 2017, in Terre Haute, focuses on the Wabash Valley. The chapter will hold a veteran recognition ceremony on Saturday, April 27, at 11:00 a.m. at the Clay County Courthouse Rotunda and invites the public to attend.

Peggy Salitros, chairman of the Grave Marking committee, says her involvement in the organization began when, while doing family research, she discovered she was a descendant of two veterans of The War of 1812.

“When the bicentennial of The War of 1812 rolled around, I got to looking at my family tree and wondering, ‘Who did I have serve?’,” said Salitros. “I’m looking at third (ancestor who served in that time period).”

As the chapter is based out of Terre Haute, their research began there.

“We started doing our research into the 1812 veterans that came to reside in the Wabash Valley starting with Vigo County two years ago,” said Salitros. “We started looking at who settled here and who came to settle here because not everybody served in the Indiana Militia. We have a lot of men that served in different states.”

Salitros and the other dedicated members have painstakingly delved into historical records, unearthing sixteen 1812 veterans who resided in Clay County during its formative years, with fifteen interred in the area.

“I started out with three names and basically started going through history books and word of mouth.”

Ten veterans’ burial sites have been found, with documentation of life and service approved by the National Society, US Daughters of 1812. Prior to the ceremony, these graves will be marked with an 1812 veteran marker and a US Flag.

Service for this time dates from post-Revolutionary War, 1784 to 1815 inclusive.

The veterans being honored at the ceremony include Dillon W Bridges, Mark Bruffey, Fielding Carter, David Christy, John Coombs, John Cooprider, Daniel Goble, Peter Helton III, Jonathan Hoch, Samuel Miles, George Persinger, Samuel Rizley, Peter H Roberts, James Stevens, John Wheeler, and George Zenor.

These gentlemen served in militias of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and the US Rangers.

A brief biography of each of the sixteen men will be read during the recognition ceremony, and the ceremony should last around an hour.

The chapter is currently working on a list of veterans in Putnam, Parke Sullivan Counties as the Vigo County list grows.

“Every veteran deserves recognition, living or dead. This ties in an indirect way with what the local DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Chapter is doing with No Veteran without a Flag because I’ll be giving my veteran information to the Eliza Rizley Stacey Chapter for their database.”

If you’re interested in joining the chapter or finding out more, visit usdaughters1812.org or contact Peggy Salitros or President Anita Snyder.