Local historian and author Larry Kidder is set to lead a presentation about Revolutionary War veterans who are buried in the Ewing Church Cemetery.
He will present at an Ewing Township Historic Preservation Society meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. Nov. 10 at Ewing Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall, 100 Scotch Road. .
Kidder plans to tell the story of a local militia regiment, which most of the veterans buried in the Ewing Church Cemetery served in. Additionally, he will explain why George Washington referred to N.J. militiamen as “a people harassed and exhausted.”
Following the talk, Mr. Kidder will lead attendees across Scotch Road to visit the gravesites of several of the men mentioned in the talk, including Captain Israel Carle. Carle organized a troop of militia light cavalry at age 19 and continued to serve his country into the 1790s.
At least 39 veterans of the Revolution are buried in the Ewing Church Cemetery.
Kidder is a retired history teacher who taught for seven years in Ewing Township and 32 years at The Hun School of Princeton. For the past 25 years, he has been a volunteer interpreter and historian for the Howell Living History Farm in the Pleasant Valley section of Hopewell Township.
His interest in local history connected with the Pleasant Valley led to the publication of his first book, The Pleasant Valley School Story: A Story of Education and Community in Rural New Jersey, which won the 2013 scholarship and artistry award of the Country School Association of America.
Kidder’s talk is set to include content from his second book, A People Harassed and Exhausted: The Story of a New Jersey Militia Regiment in the American Revolution, which is slated for release soon.
Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear for walking on the uneven ground in the cemetery.
