Valley Forge veteran buried in Cape Girardeau

While there are many Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Cape Girardeau County, only one is known to be a veteran of the Valley Forge encampment.

Ron Beasley said his ancestor, Thomas English, served with George Washington near Philadelphia, before moving to Missouri after the war. A veteran of many Revolutionary War battles, English was wounded at Eutaw Springs, S.C., shortly before the war's end.

Beasley said his forefather has significance to more than just his family.

"To me, Thomas English is not just my fourth-great-grandfather. To me he belongs to Cape Girardeau, this area and even Missouri. There's only two people that claim they are descended from Valley Forge soldiers in the state of Missouri," he said.

Beasley said English's final resting place is in a family cemetery on private property on Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau.

While he knew his colonial roots ran deep, Beasley said he did not know how pivotal a role his forefathers played in the birth of the nation.

"I was raised by my grandmother, and she always told me we went way back to the 1790s here in Cape. I got into genealogy and found out we went back to the founders. I take a lot of pride in it," he said.

While there was no battle at Valley Forge, it is considered of major significance. From December 1776 to June 1777, the soldiers endured hunger, disease, harsh elements and a lack of supplies. Between 2,000 and 3,000 men died during the six-month encampment. However, it was there that many experts say soldiers began military training and Washington developed the strategy that helped win the war.

Records at the Cape Girardeau County Archives Center show that English moved to Cape Girardeau from Virginia in 1804. He was a major landowner, owning more than 300 arpents, a land measure slightly larger than an acre.

English was an original member of the Bethel Baptist Church before dying in Cape Girardeau in 1829 at the age of 77.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

243-6635

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield Road, Cape Girardeau, MO