America's oldest war recalled on holiday

When Ron Beasley walks with the Sons of the American Revolution in the Veterans Day parade in Jackson today and again Saturday in Cape Girardeau, he takes a certain amount of pride in putting his family history in motion.

Beasley is related to a Revolutionary War soldier who served with George Washington at Valley Forge.

As far as he knows, there is only one other person who served at Valley Forge who is buried in Missouri, Beasley said. There are many other Revolutionary War soldiers' graves in Southeast Missouri and throughout the state. His relative, Thomas English, is buried in a family plot off Bloomfield Road that is now private land.

"Everybody talks about forgotten vets," he said, and the men wounded and killed during the Revolutionary War are among them.

Beasley, of Cape Girardeau, only recently discovered that English had been part of George Washington's army at Valley Forge. English is Beasley's great-great-great-great-grandfather.

"When you tell people there's Revolutionary War soldiers here, they don't believe you," he said. Since Missouri wasn't one of the original 13 colonies, most people don't make that connection.

Within the past four years, Beasley has traced his family tree and discovered other male relatives -- great-great uncles and their brothers in law -- who served in the war. Through research, Beasley discovered that English was wounded in a battle in South Carolina and that he'd served with Washington at Valley Forge.

That link allowed Beasley to become a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Valley Forge Society.

"But there's a lot of people eligible to join" these organizations, he said. People just don't know their family history well enough to know if they're eligible.

Beasley discovered that his relatives left Virginia, where English was enlisted in the 8th Regiment, and moved east looking for fertile farmland. They settled in Cape Girardeau and were here when Lewis and Clark visited in 1793.

"It's been quite a history lesson," Beasley said. His wife, Patsy, said knowing about family history gives her husband more pride in his country, especially at times like Veterans Day and July Fourth, when the nation reflects on the freedoms and fights won by soldiers.

Several public events are planned in honor of Veterans Day today, including assemblies at 8:30 a.m. in the Tiger Field House at Central High School. Two veterans will be honored with high school diplomas through "Operation Recognition," which grants diplomas to veterans who weren't able to graduate because of military service. Jackson High School will have an assembly at 9 a.m., followed by a reception in the school cafeteria. Notre Dame Regional High School will hold an assembly at 1:30 p.m.

A parade begins at 5 p.m. today in Jackson. The route follows a loop in the uptown shopping district.

Another parade is set for 9 a.m. Saturday. The route will begin downtown and end at Freedom Corner in Capaha Park, at the intersection of Broadway and West End Boulevard.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126