Honoring Heroes One Headstone at a Time
With more than 800 cemeteries scattered across Williamson County, the task of preserving those burial grounds and their history is as vast as the land itself. As a result, many of these graves have been forgotten or threatened by development. Hidden behind weeds and scrub are headstones bearing the names of pioneers who settled this land, prominent figures who blazed trails, everyday citizens who shaped community life, enslaved people who endured unimaginable hardship, and veterans who sacrificed everything. Together, their stories form the backbone of the county’s past, stories at risk of being lost unless someone steps in to preserve them.
Today, a portion of that work is being carried out by a small but determined group of volunteers focused on Revolutionary War Patriots buried in Williamson County. Leading the charge are Linda Mora, Leonora Green Clifford, and Clark Rose. Linda and Leonora belong to the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Old Glory chapter while Rose represents the Sons of the American Revolution’s Lieutenant Andrew Crockett chapter. Together, they have launched the Patriot Project, which aims to locate and clean all known Patriot graves in the county before America’s 250th anniversary next year.
For them, this effort is more than maintenance—it’s a way to honor Williamson County’s fallen soldiers and keep their memory alive. “These people sacrificed everything—their families, their homes, their fortunes—for us here, 250 years later, to be in the privileged position to live in the United States,” Leonora said.
Linda echoed this sentiment: “What we are doing is such a small portion of the appreciation they deserve.”
Although their work is significant, the Patriot Project team is quick to acknowledge the efforts of earlier researchers. “I want to make sure I give credit to the people who came before me,” Clark said. “I am very fortunate that they were willing to share their work.” The roots of this project stretch back to the early 1900s when Susie Gentry, historian and founder of the Old Glory chapter, devoted years to researching and documenting Patriot graves across Tennessee. Her work lives on in a downtown Nashville monument bearing a bronze tablet with nearly 400 Patriot names. Another marker at the Williamson County courthouse lists the names of sixty-five Patriots buried in the county.
While Gentry recorded sixty-five names, the Patriot Project’s current list contains fifty-one. The difference lies in the criteria: The Patriot Project includes only graves that have been located, verified, and marked. To build this list, they drew not only from Gentry’s work but also from several other sources, including research by Lt. Andrew Crockett chapter member Trent Johnson, the Find a Grave website, historian Louise Lynch’s book Our Valiant Men, and SAR and DAR records.
Once the list was finalized, the group rolled up their sleeves and began the hands-on work of cleaning these long-neglected graves. Most of the cemeteries are on private property and require permission to access. The next challenge is braving waist-high weeds infested with snakes, ticks, chiggers, and ground bees just to reach these graves. To clean the headstones, the team sprays D/2, which is designed to gradually remove biological growth such as moss, lichen, and mold without damaging the stone. After scrubbing with a nylon or soft-bristle brush, the solution is left to do its work for several weeks. The difference is striking: The growth dies, the stone brightens, and inscriptions once thought lost reappear.
Not only does this work honor our patriots, Clark pointed out it also aids in genealogical research. “Most of these Patriots are already on file at the archives in the burial index, but I’ve been to some cemeteries where there was a grave that hadn’t been listed yet, so I was able to make that correction. Somebody’s ancestor would have been forgotten.”
So far, the Patriot Project has cleaned twenty-nine graves. Seventeen headstones on their list had already been cleaned by unknown hands, leaving only five remaining. They plan to finish after the first frost once the underbrush and wildlife are less of a threat.
The group takes pride in knowing their efforts are part of a chain that began generations ago and, with time, will continue long into the future. “Look how far it’s come—from Susie Gentry, who started it, to us who are continuing it, and hopefully to others who will keep it going,” Linda said.
“All we can do is set the table for those interested in our history,” Leonora said, “and there are plenty of seats for anyone who wants to learn.”
