FARMINGTON — There are no markers left in the old burial ground in West Farmington, believed to contain graves of some American Revolutionary War soldiers.

The proof is almost as sparse as the markers, but members of the local Daughters of the American Revolution want to be sure it’s not forgotten, Connie Hiltz said Tuesday.

With the help of two Boy Scouts, a scoutmaster and a father, a small area was cleared Saturday for a marker of their choosing. It won’t be a DAR marker, not without the proof they’ve searched for, she said.

The old burial ground is between Winter and Starling streets. It’s 66 feet by 25 feet and dates back to the late 1700s. Among the trees and on a hilly section, the years have taken their toll on the plots.

As a community project, Boy Scouts Shem Essman and Michael Voter from Troop 594 with Scoutmaster Eldred Rolfe and Essman’s father, Harold, took down saplings and cleared an area for the marker and a sign. The whole cemetery won’t be cleared but Hiltz would like to designate the four corners.   

The DAR has checked genealogies, used dowsing and followed suggestions from the Maine Old Cemetery Association, but have found nothing at the site. It’s believed people may have taken the stones over the years to use as steps for their homes, she said.

Research indicates some Revolutionary War soldiers, including Moses Starling, came to this area, Hiltz said. A John Austin is believed to have been the cemetery sexton. The soldiers settled in the Town Farm Road area, she said.

The belief is that with no pensions for the soldiers, men were given pieces of land, she said, adding that her relatives in Lubec were given property on Cobscook Bay.

The history surrounding the cemetery may never be known, Hiltz said, but the group would like to talk with and write down memories of local residents who have knowledge of the cemetery, dating and signing the writings for preservation, she said.

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