The General William Maxwell Chapter and the Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, marked the grave of Revolutionary War Patriot John Barber on April 29 at the Greenwich Cemetery in Stewartsville.

John Barber’s descendent, Judy Newell Mason, State Regent of Wisconsin DAR, donated the plaque. Mason, NJDAR State Regent Karen Stroever, and members of the General William Maxwell Chapter performed the ceremony. In attendance were NJDAR state officers and several members of Mrs. Mason’s family, the General William Maxwell Chapter and the Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church.

During the war, John Barber was appointed one of three Commissioners of Forfeited Estates for Sussex County (before the formation of Warren County from Sussex County).  In this role Barber heard complaints from Tories whose lands had been confiscated by their patriot neighbors.  This was an important and challenging assignment as it pitted neighbor against neighbor, loyalist against revolutionary.  On December 13, 1777, John Barber died.  It is claimed that he may have been shot by a Loyalist, unhappy with one of  his decisions. Barber’s service as a commissioner for the newly-formed American government deems him a DAR Patriot. The grave marker honors the sacrifice and service of John Barber and NSDAR’s commitment to celebrating patriot ancestors.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 177,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations.  DAR members are committed to volunteer service having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world during the past three years.  To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media at facebook.com/TodaysDAR, twitter.com/TodaysDAR and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.