Honoring Westlake’s Revolutionary War Connection

The City of Westlake has a Revolutionary War connection within Evergreen Cemetery located at 29535 Center Ridge Road.

At rest in the cemetery are the remains of six Revolutionary War veterans – men who battled the British 250 years ago to establish American independence. After the war, they made their way west to the area known as the Western Reserve and a township known as Dover (now Westlake) in the territory that became the State of Ohio in 1803.

Saturday, April 19, Patriots’ Day, also happened to be the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

In honor of this anniversary, the Western Reserve Society Sons of the American Revolution hosted a Patriot Grave Marking at Evergreen Cemetery.

Honored were Jedidiah Crocker. Joseph Porter, Abner Smith, Jonathan Smith, Sylvanus Smith and Jasher Taylor.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first major military campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in an American victory and outpouring of militia support for the anti-British cause. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County in the colonial era Province of Massachusetts.

“A little more than 250 years ago, the six men we are here to recognize were at home, living their lives as British subjects in the American colonies. Three in Massachusetts and three in Connecticut. But soon we would be at war with Britain, and all would answer their new country’s call to service,” said Matthew Smith, President, Western Reserve Sons of the American Revolution, in his opening remarks.

“The six men we remember today were fortunate enough to survive the war. Had they fallen in battle, they would have been buried where they fell or in mass graves near the battlefield. This would have happened without ceremony, and without official or public remembrance.

“If anyone said a prayer or stood for a solemn moment, it was unrecorded and unexpected. Any grieving among surviving comrades in arms was done privately. Most of the locations of these graves have been lost to time. But not so for these six. They would continue with their lives and build their families moving west to the frontier of Ohio known as the Western Reserve.”

Recognizing and honoring the service and memory of America’s first veterans is one of the most visible and moving ways to realize the WRSSAR mission of educating and inspiring future generations about the founding principles of our country. Since 1892, the Western Reserve Society Sons of the American Revolution (WRSSAR) has been honoring the service and sacrifice of our patriot ancestors.

“It has been said that everyone dies twice,” concluded Smith. “The first time is at the moment of actual death. The second time is when people stop saying your name and you are forgotten. For these six today: Jebediah Crocker, Joseph Porter, Abner Smith, Jonathan Smith, Sylvanus Smith and Jasher Taylor it will not be that second time.”

Jedediah Crocker – Born June 26, 1761 in Falmouth Mass. Served as a sergeant in the 12th Massachusetts Battalion. Died July 8, 1841 in Dover (now Westlake) Ohio.

Joseph Porter – Born 1760 in Ipswich, Mass. Corporal with the Connecticut State Troops. Died on June 4, 1844 in Dover (now Westlake).

Abner Smith – Born April 1, 1754 in the Connecticut Colony. Served as Captain in the Connecticut Militia, Dies Jan. 20, 1821 in Dover.

Jonathan Smith – Born May 6, 1754 in E. Hampton, Conn. Served in the Connecticut Militia. Died on March 23, 1813.

Sylvanus Smith – Born Feb. 24, 1759 in Chatham, Conn. Served in the Connecticut Militia and was present at Lexington Green the morning of April 19, 1775. He became Lieutenant and finished his career in 1782 as a Quartermaster Sergeant; Died on Dec. 9 , 1829.

Jasher Taylor – Born Jan. 22, 1753 in Harwich, Mass. Served as a Private with Lt. Samuel Barret’s Company Massachusetts’s 8th regiment and was also present at Lexington Green the morning of April 19, 1775. Died on Aug. 6, 1827 and was buried at Clemens Farm and later moved to Evergreen Cemetery. Jasher is third cousins with Abner, Jonathan and Sylvanus Smith.