Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-10-04
BURIED IN BURLINGTON
Grave of Joseph Barron, Jr.
Opened in Elmwood Cemetery.
Body Of tAr snrntogn's Pilot Found
wrapped In well Preserved Blank
cts Of a Heavy Weave-A
Controversy settled.

To settle the controversy which has
been carried on between members of
the Vermont Society United States
Daughters of the War of 1912. on tho
| one hand. and the New York Society
| Sons of the War OF 1912. on the other
| as to whether the grave of Joseph Bar
| ron. Jr.. pilot Of the Saratoga, Com
| modore McDonough's flagship. was in
| Burlington or across the lake in Platts-
burgh the supposed grave of Barron
| In Elmwood Avenue cemetery has been
opened. The opening of the grave
seems to settle beyond n doubt that
the gallant pilots remains rest In this
city
The uncovering Of the grave was
brought about by the Vermont Daugh
ters of the War of 1872 through state
president. Mrs. C. +. r. Jenne OF Brat
tleboro. and the State historian, Mrs.
l.. r. Lord of this atty who arranged
to have the task accomplished while
the annual conference of the Vermont
| Daughters of the American Revolution
was in progress.
Joseph Barron was killed on board
| the Saratoga by stray shot fired iust
after the close of the battle of Lake
Champlaln, Sept IL, 1914. Palmer's
History of Lake Champaign relates
that Barron, with others meeting
death In the same battle was buried
in Flattsburgh and this was, without
doubt. the case. His widow, Ida Bar
ron, with their two children. is known
to have resided In Burlington after her
husbands death, but tho end Of either
the widow or the children Is not
known. There are no stones in Elm
wood Avenue cemetery to tell whether
they were buried there.
Present when the grave was opene ed
beside Mrs. Jenne and Mrs. Lord, wer.
Gen. T. s. Peck, Health Officer j. W.
Courtney, Superintendent NJ. Collins
OF the city cemeteries and DR.. c. H.
Beecher who examined the bones
found beneath the stone. The bones
discovered were buried in a very deep
grave. The laborers faltered, before
all of the bones were uncovered but the
patriotic ladies' who were resolute in
their determination to settle the ques-
ton of Barron's grave for all coming
time. insisted that tho search be con-
tnued until the whole skeleton was
revealed
The bones were found wrapped in ono
or more blankets of a very heavy weave
The blankets were we'll preserved that
large portions of them were taken away
as souvenirs. Within the blankets were
found pieces of uniform and several brass
buttons. The skull was examined by DR..
Beecher. who found an unmistakable oval
bullet hole in the parietal bone. The
position Of this bullet hole comedies with
the stories Of the wound which the death
bullet inflicted in the back of Barron
lhaod xu,ith ha
buttons would seem to prove beyond ques-
ton that the remains are those of the
pilot. Several photographs We're made of
the skull
| At what time or under what circufn-
stances Barrons body was brought to
Burlington is not known. AS the widow
resided here. It would have been a very
natural thing for her, following the close
Of the War of 1872 to have had the re-
mains brought to the Elmwood cemetery
and reinforced. Their condition. when ex-
humed. showed that the transfer must
have been made within a few years of the
original burial or before the casket in
which they were inferred had decomposed.
The stone which has stood in Elmwood
Avenue cemstery so many years was the
evidence upon which the claim that Bar
ron was buried there rested
Palnler's History OF Lake Champlain"
is authority for the statement that Barron
was buried In Pittsburgh and 1t contains
plan OF the graves there Of soldiers of
the War Of 1912 and an account OF the
dedication of markers to their memory in
ls43. A stone was dedicated to Barron's
memory and placed above his supposed
grave in the Pittsburgh cemetery at that
time. This account has been made much
Of by the New York controversialsts
The bones found were reverently placed
in burial case provided by General Peck
and renterred in the same grave. bunch
OF asters, which Mrs. Lord had carried
to the cemetery. were placed az the head
which rested on the same feather pillow
upon which II was found to be lying when
the grave was uncovered.
There Is only one other known gravc