Program

Patriot Burials®

Subject

Cemetery

Location

1319 W Temperance St, Ellettsville, IN 47429, USA

Lat/Long

39.23903, -86.630431

Grant Recipient

Indiana Society of Sons of the American Revolution

The origins of the American Revolution can be traced back to 1775, when the first shots were fired between colonial and British forces at the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Soon after, the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. As the newly formed United States went to war with Great Britain, hundreds of men across the Thirteen Colonies joined the fight. These men came from different walks of life; some were farmers, others were tradesmen, lawyers, doctors and merchants. Despite their differences they desired the same thing: freedom and independence. Colonial forces faced severe challenges, including lack of supplies and military training, however in the face of obstacles they were undeterred. After nearly eight years the colonies defeated Great Britain and successfully achieved their independence. It is important to remember the lives and sacrifices made by those who fought for American freedom.

The Presbyterian Cemetery is the final resting place of many of the region’s early residents. Among those buried there is first Sergeant George Parks, who served in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

George Parks was born in Amherst County, Virginia, and grew up in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where he entered the Revolutionary War as a teenager. He served multiple tours, helping build and defend frontier forts like Fort Defiance and Fort Carter, and later spent eighteen months as a mounted rifleman pursuing British forces across the region. Parks marched toward major engagements, including Kings Mountain, arriving close enough to hear the fighting even when his unit couldn’t reach the battlefield in time. After the war, helived in North Carolina before moving west, eventually establishing himself in Monroe County, Indiana, where he spent the final years of his life.

Originally buried in a family cemetery, Parks was later reinterred at this site around 1860.