A special service will be held later this spring at an old cemetery in Scio Township that will commemorate the service of a man who made the local area his home after the American Revolutionary War.
The local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution are planning to hold a ceremony at Popkin Cemetery, 4230 Pratt Road, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, to unveil a new headstone and bronze plaque in honor of Sylvester Richmond to commemorate his service ties and contributions in the Revolutionary War.
The Scio Township Board approved a resolution at its March 25 meeting that formally recognized the ceremony and commemorated the service of Richmond.
According to the background information provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution, during the war Richmond joined with Van Ness’s New York Regiment where he served as a scout during the war. He was born was born in 1760 in Spencertown, Columbia County, New York.
Detailing his service, it’s said Richmond’s regiment was commanded by Colonel Robert Van Ness and it was made up of citizen-soldiers that were farmers, laborers and tradesmen. Their duties included protecting their local communities, conducting reconnaissance, and responding to threats by the British forces.
“This regiment defended territory in upstate New York, particularly around Albany County,” the Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution said in the resolution prepared for Scio Township’s Board. “Their location helped to safeguard the supply routes along the Hudson River and through the Albany region which was critical for moving troops, provisions and communications between the colonies. The regiment contributed to regional stability and support for the Continental forces for the overall success of the Revolution.”
Richmond made his way to Michigan in the 1820s. History says that after the war the availability of new territories, including Michigan, were open for settlement where there was economic opportunity with ample forests, rivers and the Great Lakes in close proximity to support farming, for those willing to make the difficult move westward.
After the passing of his wife, Harriet Covell, Richmond with his three sons, Morris 42, Simeon 24 and Alexander 17, left New York late in 1826 and travelled west to Michigan and settled in the area that is now known as Scio Township. The Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution said the Richmonds did not own land at that time and likely made a friendly connection with James Popkin who settled only nine months earlier in Scio Township.
Richmond passed away in 1832, and Popkin allowed him to be the first buried in Popkin Cemetery.
The ceremony to be held later this spring will see the unveiling of a new headstone and bronze plaque in honor of Richmond, “in advance of the 250 year celebration of our nation and commemorate his service ties and contributions to the freedoms Americans have today.”
8123 Main St Suite 200 Dexter, MI 48130
