Regional Chapter Of Historical Organization To Adopt Hatch Gravesite
The Daughters of the American Revolution’s Cape Cod chapter will be adopting the headstone and gravesite of Jonathan Hatch, one of its chapter’s namesakes, and maintaining its upkeep as part of its historical preservation efforts.
The Captain Joshua Gray-Jonathan Hatch Chapter of the volunteer service organization, which recently hit a milestone of 1 million cumulative members over its 130-year history, has been given permission to maintain the gravesite of the Revolutionary War patriot buried in the East End Burying Ground.
Tara Baker, the current regent of the Cape Cod chapter, said that a nonlocal descendant of Mr. Hatch reached out to the chapter to see if there was any interest in adopting the site. When he last visited, he said it was in disrepair and was hoping the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) would be willing to maintain it.
“I thought, ‘Yeah, why aren’t we doing that? That’s a really good idea,’” Ms. Baker said. “So I started putting a plan in place and reached out.”
DAR has more than 3,000 chapters worldwide, Ms. Baker explained, and the Cape Cod chapter actually comprises two groups that combined back in 2009—the Jonathan Hatch Chapter in Falmouth and the Captain Joshua Gray Chapter in Yarmouth.
Chapter records recognize four Jonathan Hatches, but the Hatch family history spans across Cape Cod. The original Jonathan Hatch, one of the founding members of Falmouth, came in 1661. The Jonathan Hatch that the Cape Cod chapter is named for is likely his great- or great-great-grandson, having been born in 1741 in Falmouth. He died in 1796. He served as a private in a company commanded by Captain Ward Swift of Sandwich and as a sergeant in Captain Joseph Palmer’s company. Ms. Baker said he was even sent on a secret expedition to Rhode Island in 1777.
“The reason our chapter was named after him, I can’t be sure because I’ve never actually seen it written down… but I know that the name was historically a very big deal in Cape Cod,” Ms. Baker said. Back when the Falmouth chapter was being organized, in February 1934 under organizing regent Adelaide Rand Howe, records show that four of the 19 organizing members were direct descendants of Mr. Hatch.
The organization will be adopting the gravesites of both namesakes, a project that Ms. Baker said the chapter is very excited about. The location of the gravesite is in Hatchville behind the East End Meetinghouse, which is now used by the Falmouth Jewish Congregation. She spoke with representatives there and visited the burying ground, and then reached out to the town to get approval for the gravesite adoption.
“I think it’s important that we adopt the headstone and the gravesite and make sure that there’s a flag there, that the headstone is clear and legible, that the weeds around it are picked up,” Ms. Baker said. “Just basically that it’s beautiful and clean and our way to honor and remember our chapter namesake patriots.”
Cleanup at the gravesite is expected to start Memorial Day weekend, as the chapter wants to have the site cleaned up before the holiday on Monday. The next step in the project, Ms. Baker said, is to get a bronze marker for the grave, which will be fundraised for and approved by the national Society of DAR.
“We’re lucky that it’s a public cemetery and the Town of Falmouth has given their blessing for us to adopt this,” Ms. Baker said. “I wish we had done it sooner. I’m really glad that [a Hatch descendant] brought this to our attention. Our chapter is more than happy to adopt this headstone for one of our chapter namesakes. We’re really excited to start the project and can’t wait to see how it turns out.”