This marker has been erected under the countywide initiative by the Sons of the American Revolution to commemorate the patriots of the American Revolution buried at the cemeteries in Chautauqua County. Though it was a cold and snowy day, members of the community gathered in large numbers to celebrate the occasion on Veterans Day.

The ceremony kicked off with Paul Fardink, SAR master of ceremonies, giving a brief introduction to the agenda of the event. Fardink introduced Tom Bemus, as the first guest, to perform the invocation. Bemus is a descendant of one of the patriots buried in the cemetery, and one of the first to own land in Ellery, William Bemus. The village of Bemus Point would even be named after William Bemus eventually. Bemus took the stand and led the group through a prayer. Bemus’s prayer was a special acknowledgement of the veterans buried in the cemetery, and all the sacrifices that they made in their lifetimes.

Following the invocation, and the pledge of allegiance, Chautauqua County SAR President Jeff Crossley spoke for a bit on the importance of remembering those that served, and on the marker program as a whole. Crossley stated that this is an important celebration of the brave people that fought for the independence of this country. Crossley noted that the program has been responsible for the installation of fifteen markers so far, with five more already planned for next year. Not only will more markers likely be planned soon, but the organization looks to continue to recognize these important patriots anywhere they are present in the county, said Crossley.

Ellery Town Supervisor Larry Anderson gave a few words about the importance of veterans, of both the past and present, as well. Anderson remarked of how pleased he was to see such a wonderful attendance at this event. While the weather was cold and foul, the event held such a large importance to so many that people pushed themselves to endure the weather, said Anderson.

The Veteran of Foreign War Post 557 in Bemus Point performing the honor guard rifle salute. P-J photo by Owen Reed

After these brief speeches, Ellery Historian Cherrie Clark and Bemus began to remove the banner that covered the marker. The marker has the same colors and dimensions as most other installations, and lists out the names of the six American Revolutionary patriots buried in the cemetery. These veterans include W. Bemus, L. Bacon, J. Rice, J. Babcock, L. Barney, and B. Parker. The sign also states that all of these patriots had passed, and were buried in the cemetery, by 1844.

The unveiling preceded an honor guard rifle salute by the Veteran of Foreign War Post 557 in Bemus Point. The ceremony was concluded by Clark, who gave the roll call of the patriots buried in the cemetery. This roll call stated the veteran’s names, and gave some brief information about their lives such as where they passed away, when they served, when they married, and how many children they had.

Sons of the American Revolution Master of Ceremonies Paul Fardink (left) and Chautauqua County SAR President Jeff Crossley give some brief speeches before the unveiling. P-J photo by Owen Reed

Tom Bemus and Ellery Historian Cherrie Clark remove the banner from the marker. P-J photo by Owen Reed