Many of Delaware County’s Revolutionary War Patriots spent their final years with little pay and even less recognition for the sacrifices that defined their lives. Sewell Gilbert, however, was a rare exception: when he died on November 7, 1843, the community honored him in a way few local veterans ever experienced: with a full military funeral held at the courthouse!
To mark the United States’ 250th birthday, the Daughters of the American Revolution has joined forces with America250, the nationwide commemoration of our country’s semiquincentennial, to pay tribute to Revolutionary War Patriots. As part of the celebration, I’ll be sharing the stories of those laid to rest in Delaware County, with help from Kathi Hirons Kesterson -the regent of the Paul Revere Chapter of Muncie’s DAR– over the next several Fridays.
Sewell Gilbert was born on December 9, 1765, in Cavendish, Vermont1. Like many young men of his era, the Revolutionary War shaped Gilbert’s teenage years. At about fifteen, he enlisted as a private in New Hampshire, where he served nine months under Captain Jotham White and Captain Comstock2.
Gilbert’s commitment didn’t end there, though: in 1781, he reenlisted from his hometown of Cavendish under Captain Green’s company3. For someone barely out of boyhood, Gilbert’s service reflected a level of dedication and resilience that would echo through the rest of his life and, eventually, through the early history of Delaware County.
Details of Sewell Gilbert’s military service are sparse, but the battles attributed to him paint a vivid picture of a young man swept up in the Revolution’s defining moments. It’s said that he fought at Bunker Hill, Bennington, Castle Town, Crown Point, Ticonderoga, Fort Anne, and other key engagements4. Those weren’t minor skirmishes! Rather, they were some of the most significant and hard-fought encounters of the war.
From the early defiance at Bunker Hill to the crucial turning point at Bennington, Gilbert’s service placed him at the heart of the Revolution’s Northern Campaign. Though we lack specific records of his individual actions, the breadth of these battles suggests a soldier who saw real combat and endured the grueling realities of a conflict that would shape the future of a nation.
In 1832, at the age of sixty-seven, Sewell Gilbert stepped forward to claim the recognition he had earned more than half a century earlier. From his home in Livingston, New York, he applied for his Revolutionary War pension an extraordinary half-century after his time in service. Unlike many other Patriots whose claims were rejected or delayed, Gilbert’s application was approved, granting him a pension of $60 per year5. It was a meaningful sum for the time and a rare acknowledgment of his contribution to the nation’s founding.
Unfortunately, none of Gilbert’s own words from the application have survived6, leaving us without the firsthand voice of a man who fought for independence as a teenager and lived long enough to watch a young America come into its own. In 1839, he moved west to Ohio7, and by 1842, he’d settled in Delaware County8. Just a year later, on November 7, 1843, Gilbert passed away at the home of his half-brother William9.
Sewell Gilbert’s death was marked by a level of ceremony that few Revolutionary War veterans in Delaware County ever received. His funeral invitation reads almost like a time capsule, offering a glimpse into how the community came together to honor one of its earliest patriots.
“Yourself and family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral of Mr. Suel (sic) Gilbert from the residence of Mr. William Gilbert today at half past 9 oclock a.m.,” the invitation stated. “The funeral sermon will be preached at the courthouse at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Robert Irwin. The deceased will be buried with military honors10.”
Sewell Gilbert was buried in the old section of Muncie’s Beech Grove Cemetery. Today, his story stands out not just for the battles he fought or the pension he received, but for the way his community chose to remember him. In a time when many Revolutionary War veterans faded quietly into history, his funeral was a public event; a collective act of remembrance that echoed through Delaware County. Gilbert’s journey from a teenage soldier in Vermont to an honored elder in Indiana mirrors the broader arc of the nation he helped build: from a fragile idea to a growing, united country. Though his personal words have been lost to time, the reverence shown at his passing speaks volumes.
Sources Cited
1 Beeson, C. (1964). Revolutionary War Soldiers Buried in Delaware County. Daughters of the American Revolution. Paul Revere Chapter [Boston]. Book.
2 (See footnote 1).
3 Builders of a Nation (1910, May 3). The Muncie Star. p. 4.
4 DAR plans dedication of soldier’s grave (1994, July 7). The Muncie Star. p. 11.
5 Vermont, Gilbert, Sewel, Pension No. S.3394,” U.S., Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800–1900, National Archives microfilm publication M804, roll 1070; NARA Catalog ID 300022, Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800–ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775–ca. 1900, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
6 (See footnote 4).
7 (See footnote 1).
8 (See footnote 1).
9 Barnet, B. (1976, July 3). Pvt. Polen Watched Redcoats Quit on Grandest Day in World History. The Muncie Evening Press. p. 35.
10 (See footnote 9).
