The Lucas family holds
great distinction in the annals of United States military service. T.
K. Cartmell, historian and author of Shenandoah Valley Pioneers
and Their Descendents, says, “The Lucas name is prominently
mentioned in every war period from the Indian massacres to and
through the Civil War.”
The records of the 55th
Regiment of Virginia Militia, Berkeley County, after the Revolution
through the War of 1812 – years 1795-1815 – are replete with
changes of officer assignments. They include the names of William
Lucas, Edward Lucas, Robert Lucas, Joseph Lucas, William Lucas Jr.,
and Edward Lucas Jr. The older men were veterans of the Indian wars
and the Revolution. And, this year special respect will be bestowed
in the memory of John Lucas, War of 1812 veteran and founder of
Lucasville.
Honoring the Bicentennial
of Lucasville, Ohio, the Scioto Valley Volunteers Chapter of The
Daughters of the War of 1812 will commemorate the service of Captain
John Lucas with a Grave Marking Ceremony on June 22 at the historic
Lucasville Cemetery. Captain Lucas rests there in the earliest
section of the grounds with many other original residents of the
town. The free, public ceremony will be a formal recognition of John
Lucas and his dedication to his country.
The United States
Daughters of 1812 is a non-profit, women's organization based in
Washington, D.C., dedicated to serving the fraternal interests of
women whose lineal ancestors served in the civil government, the army
or the navy of the United States" between 1784 and 1815. The
members are committed to promoting patriotism, preserving and
increasing knowledge of the history of the American people by the
preservation of documents and relics, the marking of historic spots,
the recording of family histories and traditions, and the celebration
of patriotic anniversaries.
Recognized as one of the
oldest cemeteries in southern Ohio, the Lucasville Cemetery has
interred veterans of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the
Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean
War, and the Vietnam War.
Captain John Lucas
(1787-1825) platted the town of Lucasville in 1819, and he named the
village in honor of his father and his mother, William Lucas and
Susannah Barnes. His American family roots go far back to his
Great-Great-Grandparents – Robert Lucas (1630-1704) and Elizabeth
Cowgill (1630-1712) of Longbridge, Deverill, England – Quakers who
immigrated to Falls Township, Pennsylvania, in 1679.
John's father, William
Lucas (1742-1814), served in the French and Indian War under William
Darke (later General) and became a first lieutenant in Captain
William Morgan's company of volunteers that reinforced General George
Washington in New Jersey in 1776.
John Lucas volunteered for
service and commanded a regiment during the War of 1812. Upon the
death of his father in 1814, John inherited much of his family's
property in Scioto County, and it was on a portion of this land that
he established the town of Lucasville on August 7, 1819. He and his
wife, Mary Lucas, ran a tavern in Lucasville until his death in 1825.
It is little wonder that
the name of John's brother, Robert Lucas, is indelibly impressed upon
the pages of Ohio history. A strong, self-reliant personality made
Robert Lucas one of the most esteemed pubic servants of his day. Also
a veteran of the War of 1812, Robert became a Brigadier General in
the Ohio Militia and later a two-term Governor of the State of Ohio.
But, it is John Lucas who
exemplifies the Ohio roots of the storied family. John should be
remembered as the man who platted and built the town that bears the
Lucas name. In 1819, John Lucas fathered a community that continues
to prosper and inspire area residents. 200 years have passed since he
initiated his dream of settlement in the Scioto Valley, and during
this long history Lucasville remains a thriving “Valley of
Opportunity.”
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