Private Elijah Stanton - "A Revolutionary Soldier"

 

The Town of Herkimer, Herkimer County, New York Eaton's Bush Cemetery hillside graves of “A Revolutionary Soldier” Private Elijah Stanton (1754-1849, a distant cousin), his beloved wife Lucy (Goodell) Stanton (d.1836), and the badly damaged headstone their youngest child John Warren Stanton (d.1838, lying between) were cleaned and the family grave-site tended per-Memorial Day, 21 May 2026. Elijah's earned American Flag was replaced with a fresh flag and his headstone again treated with the VA suggested Wet and Forget product. During the Revolutionary War, Private Elijah Stanton is recorded assigned to General George Washington's personal bodyguard detail.  He was previously a Connecticut Soldier POW held aboard a British Prison Ship in New York Harbor, his capture likely during General George Washington's Continental Army/Militia troops defeat/retreat in late summer 1776 during the Battle of Long Island.

The exploits of Revolutionary War enlisted men are not typically well documented in official records, as is the case of our cousin Elijah.  What we have are some family-lore written statements and related published news articles sourced by Elijah's youngest daughter Samantha Stanton-Nellis (1810-1919).  We find no record, nothing written in the hand of Private Elijah Stanton.  Cousin Samantha is a charter member of the Astenrogen Chapter, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Little Falls, Herkimer County, New York.  After Samantha's marriage, she and husband John Nellis removed to New York State's Southern Tier.  Samantha died aged 109 years, and there was considerable local interest in her centenarian years by news reporters wherein she proudly related much of her dad's gallant Revolution exploits.  But unfortunatly, none of these period news articles are backed by primary source data. One such news article is attached at the end of this posting.

 

An unsourced DAR Magazine article was published in the Jan-Jun 1910, Volume 36 edition claiming there are fourteen Revolutionary War Veterans interred in this rather small country burial ground "Eaton's Bush Cemetery."  Six of these veterans are verified and known true by this author/researcher.  It's suspected Ms. Samantha Stanton-Nellis is the probable source of the named fourteen Revolutionary War Veterans cited in this DAR Magazine article.  Sadly, no other Revolutionary War Veteran interred at Eaton's Bush Cemetery is properly remembered with an appropiate Revolutionary War Veteran Grave Marker and an earned American Flag. 

    

View more Elijah and family in "DJ Paul Family Tree" at Ancestry.com,  click HERE

       

Note: The now inactive Eatonville Cemetery is kept well mowed by the Town of Herkimer Highway Department, Herkimer County, New York – many thanks!