City Historic Cemetery Committee Pays Tribute to Revolutionary War Veterans for America 250th

For the commemoration of America’s 250th, the City of Portsmouth’s Cemetery Committee has taken on the project to research and locate the gravesites of all veterans of the American Revolution who are buried in the City’s historic cemeteries. Members of the Cemetery Committee including Susana Polidura and Dee Dee Forte have now placed red, white, and blue markers at these graves in North Cemetery, the South Street cemeteries, St. John’s, Pleasant Street, and Point of Graves. For more on the City’s historic cemeteries, visit: https://portsnh.co/HistoricCemeteries

North Cemetery, along Maplewood Avenue near North Mill Pond, is one of Portsmouth’s oldest burying grounds (established in 1753). The cemetery is the final resting place of dozens of Revolutionary War veterans and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to the history of Portsmouth and the American Revolution. For a directory of all the Revolutionary War veterans’ gravesites across Portsmouth’s historic cemeteries, visit: https://portsnh.co/RevolutionaryWarGravesites

Among the key Revolutionary War veterans buried in North Cemetery are six Portsmouth men who participated in the raid on Fort William and Mary, one of the first overt acts of the American Revolution. Over the course of two days in December 1774, hundreds of men from Portsmouth and neighboring Seacoast communities converged on the fort, removing gunpowder, muskets, cannon, and other military supplies by gundalow before British forces could secure them. For these six men, the raid marked only the beginning of their service in the cause of American independence. Each went on to play additional roles during the Revolutionary War and later helped shape the young nation. They include:

Richard Champney who fought alongside John Langdon in the Saratoga campaign and later became a Portsmouth merchant.

Captain Supply Clapp who served as New Hampshire's Commissary General and was also a prominent Portsmouth merchant.

John Fernald who helped defend Portsmouth through his service at Fort Sullivan and Fort Washington.

John Gaines who served in Col. Pierce Long's 3rd New Hampshire Regiment and fought in the Saratoga campaign.

Edward Hart who returned to Portsmouth after the war, where he owned and operated several businesses.

John Langdon who became one of New Hampshire's most distinguished statesmen, serving as Governor and as the state's first United States Senator.

Last year, the Sons of the American Revolution placed granite markers at the graves of these six patriots to recognize their contributions to the founding of the United States and now they are flagged with the red, white and blue markers placed by the Cemetery Committee.

“We invite the public to visit these cemeteries, look for the markers that identify these gravesites and take a moment to remember the Portsmouth citizens whose service and sacrifice helped secure American independence,” said Sue Polidura, member of the Portsmouth Cemetery Committee, which oversees the city's historic cemeteries who helped organize the tribute.

CAPTION: Revolutionary War veteran’s gravesite in North Cemetery, identified with a red, white and blue marker placed temporarily for the America 250th. (Credit: Sue Polidura)