Franke: Our Revolutionary War Vet
by Mark Franke
With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and all, the number of patriotic events and ceremonies seems endless. I’m not complaining about that; I think it is a good thing that we are looking back to this important founding document and its timeless truths. We need its encouragement now more than ever.
So it was no surprise when my wife, who is an active member of the Fort Wayne chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, received an invitation to the Patriot Walk event at Lindenwood Cemetery. What was a surprise was the ceremony that concluded the walk — the dedication of a marker designating Lindenwood as the final resting place of a veteran of our War for Independence.
Since the city of Fort Wayne likes to date its founding to the fort built by General Mad Anthony Wayne in 1794, my math challenged brain couldn’t work out how we had someone who was in the Continental Army in the 1770s. The answer was quite simple once it was explained at the dedication of the marker.
Col. Alexander Ewing was a founding father, if you will, of the city of Fort Wayne but had served in the Pennsylvania militia during the war. He also served in the War of 1812. He kept moving west until eventually settling in Fort Wayne. His family’s wealth came from land speculation, both in Fort Wayne and elsewhere and from a very successful fur trading company. Ewing Street downtown is named for him as is Ewing Park.
After Lindenwood Cemetery was opened in 1860, Ewing’s remains were reinterred there.
Lindenwood’s Patriot Walk included going to Ewing’s grave for a brief memorial and the tradition of placing pennies on the gravestone. But that was just one of six graveside stops on the walk. The general manager of the cemetery had researched national and cemetery records to find five other veterans who were Fort Wayne natives and now buried at Lindenwood. Each represented one or more of our modern wars.
Lt. Paul Baer, the original namesake for Fort Wayne International Airport, was the World War I representative. He was the American army air service’s first recognized ace in that war, meaning he was the first to shoot down five or more enemy planes.
Joseph Foy was the World War II designee based on his Coast Guard service.
Then things got interesting for me personally. Each of the Korean, Vietnam and War on Terror representatives has a personal though indirect connection to me. The Vietnam veteran, Karl McComber, was the older brother of a friend of mine from high school. The Korean veteran, Jay Cameron, was the father of a longtime friend from church. The War on Terror representative, Kevin Pape, was a former student of my wife’s. Kevin was the only one of the six killed in action so his selection for the Patriot Walk seemed most appropriate.
I had no idea that three of the six would prove personal but then this is the Midwest where people still know other people based on long term residency and connections through families, neighborhoods, churches and schools. I find it sad that these relationships are disappearing as we become an uprooted, less anchored society.
The conclusion of the walk was the dedication of the Alexander Ewing patriotic marker. The Sons of the American Revolution coordinated the event and included a color guard from the Wayne High School Air Force JROTC program. There were three Alexander Ewing descendants present for the ceremony but I was not able to discern if they are current residents of Fort Wayne or traveled here for this.
Colonel Ewing’s roadside marker is placed at the entrance to Lindenwood and can be seen by traffic driving by on West Main Street. It resembles the historical markers one can see along roads in the eastern states. Since history is my avocational interest, I pay attention to these and must repress the urge to pull over to read each one as I drive by.
The cost of the marker was funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation as part of its goal to identify and commemorate burial sites of Revolutionary War patriots. The Sons of the American Revolution is a partner organization in this project.
Modern society has contributed to short memories and even shorter attention spans among us. Now as the hubbub of July 4 passes, will this sudden surge in patriotic fervor dissipate or will it leave a lasting commitment to the ideals of the Declaration? For me at least, I will be reminded every time I pass the Ewing marker or these six other gravesites as I drive through Lindenwood on the way to my grandparents’ graves.
Some things are worth remembering.
Mark Franke, M.B.A., an adjunct scholar of the Indiana Policy Review and its book reviewer, is formerly an associate vice-chancellor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Comments...