Commemorations for War of 1812 veteran Pvt. John Bluford Endsley (1790-1873) of Cass County, Texas, were held Saturday at his grave in Beech Creek Cemetery, near Atlanta, Texas.
The honors were done by the Craig Austin Rowley Chapter of the General Society War of 1812 and the Mark Epperson Chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812.
Paul Ridenour, president of the Craig Austin Rowley Chapter, led the ceremonies that included a proclamation from the city of Atlanta and a history of the cemetery by Cass County historian Charles Steger.
Words from William Sekel Jr. were read, and a family descendant, Jana O'Rear, gave a biography of Endsley.
Ora Jane Johnson, librarian national for the Daughters of 1812, gave highlights of the War of 1812.
Drake Peddie, past president of the Craig Austin Rowley Chapter, spoke about the Society of War of 1812. Kay Stephens, president of the Mark Epperson Chapter based in Linden, Texas, spoke of the United States Daughters of 1812.
With the unveiling of the marker, a hymn was played by bagpiper Dr. George English of Texarkana. Memorial wreaths were presented, and an honorary salute was given by volley of firearms from the Sons of the American Revolution, North Texas.
Much of the information on Endsley was compiled in the book "Decendants of John Bluford Endsley" by the late Betty Endsley Boze, his second great-granddaughter.
Endsley was born in 1790 in South Carolina to Captain James Endsley and Elizabeth Miller Endsley. James Endsley's father, Andrew, moved to America from Donegal, Ireland. John Endlsey was 22 when the War of 1812 began.
Often called the "Second War of Independence," the battle between the United States and United Kingdom lasted until 1815, when the Peace of Ghent was signed. The Battle of New Orleans in January of 1815, an American victory led by Andrew Jackson, was fought in January 1815, even though the Peace of Ghent had been signed earlier in December 1814.
Endsley served two tours of duty in the war, starting in the South Carolina Militia. He married Ellender Miller after the war on June 10, 1815, in Laurens County, S.C. After her death in 1856, Endlsey married Mary Elizabeth Wheat on Nov. 29, 1857.
The family came to Texas with two other brothers-James, Joseph and families-following the Civil War. Endsley and his wife, Mary, are buried in Beech Creek Cemetery east of Atlanta. Cass County has several Endsley descendants and dozens attended the ceremony.
The grave-marking ceremony by the two societies encourages the following objectives:
- Collection and preservations of records
- Encouragement of research and memorials
- Caring of graves of veterans of War of 1812
- Cherishing of institutions of American freedom
- Fostering of patriotism and love of country