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A new marker for Revolutionary War patriot Johan Simon . Clar has been placed in the yard behind St. John’s United Church of Christ in Bedford beside a collection of tombstones from the 1880s. A graveyard was located on the property at that time. A dedication ceremony for Clar will be held Saturday.Dedication for patriotJohan Simon Clar was born in 1732 in Mimbach, Germany, and died in 1812 in Bedford, and on Saturday, a gravesite dedication ceremony will be held for Clar, an emigrant, indentured servant and captain in the York County militia.The ceremony is sponsored by the Blair County Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution as part of the effort by that organization and the Daughters of the American Revolution to mark and dedicate gravesites “of patriots who by their efforts brought this United States of America into existence ”The gravesite is behind St. John’s United Church of Christ on West John Street, where a number of 19th century tombstones are located. Grass has been cut from around the stones, which were placed flat in one location some years ago, and a new one for Clar has been placed beside them as part of the dedication.The public is invited to the ceremony, which beings in the church at 1 p.m. with a presentation of the colors by the Glades Rangers. E. Merle Glunt, president of the Blair County Chapter of the SAR, will make the dedication remarks.A historical profile of Clar will be presented by Bernard Smith,secretary of the Blair SAR and a descendant of Clar. Other descendants also will be recognized and remarks made by Flora Mason, regent of the Bedford County Chapter of the DAR. Patriotic songs are included in the program.The ceremony will move outside for placement of a wreath at the marker and a musketry salute.Larry D. Smith of Roaring Spring RD 1, a descendant of Clar, performed the research and wrote a biography of Clar — as the name on his baptismal record, is spelled, but who also was a pro-^ genitor of many of the Claar,; Clare, Clair, Klahr;and other family names in the state.The biography is being published by the Blair County Ge-'? nealogical Society, and Smith will be another participant in the ceremony. ( ,Johan Simon Claar resided in, York County and served in the Revolutionary War militia from' 1778 to 1785. His first wife died in 1795 and he moved to Bedford with the youngest five of their 12 children, acording to Smith’s re-, search.Claar purchased a log buildingf on the corner where Trinity Lutheran Church now stands. He married Eva Catherine Lingenfel-. ter, whose family came form the* Woodbury Township area, andj they had one child. He apparently worked at a number of trades, including farming, saddler, comb-’ maker and woodsman, during his life.
Newspaper Details
Bedford Gazette
Bedford, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Sep 18, 1991
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Reta E.
PA, USA 23 Jun 2020
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