This past Saturday marked the Grave Dedication honoring Private Jacob Reppert, a Revolutionary War Patriot and our Great Great Great Great Grandfather. Under blue skies and balmy breezes, the Gov. Joseph Hiester Chapter Color Guard, dressed in the uniform of the Provost Corps (Military Police) led by Floyd Turner II Presented the Colors to begin the ceremony. Although General George Washington formed a Provost Corps very soon after assuming command of the Continental Army, it went through many changes until 1778 when a dedicated force of Light Dragoons under the command of Captain von Herr was established. Private Jacob Reppert served in the Provost Corps under Captain Bartholomew von Herr. At the end of the war, Washington requested that some members of the Provost Corps be retained after the rest of the army had been furloughed as he could not do without them. Thus, members of the Provost Corps were the last soldiers to be furloughed.
When Private Reppert left the army, he settled back into the Oley Valley. He was married to Margaretha (Schneider) and had ten children.
This special dedication ceremony was organized and coordinated by our cousin, Bruce Reppert. Many members of the Reppert family were in attendance to recognize the contribution our ancestor made to the freedoms of this country. Not only a ceremony to honor Jacob Reppert, this ceremony was a tribute to all military personnel that have served and are serving our country; for which we are thankful.
For additional information regarding this dedication, please read the article that appeared in The Reading Eagle.
What a very special event for your entire family! As a member of the DAR, I understand and appreciate the importance of this recognition of your Patriot ancestor.
ReplyDeleteA fitting tribute to Private Reppert. How wonderful to have this kind of information about your family history. Linda, I am a DAR "wanna-be" ... my Irish ancestor, Shadrach Deen (my maiden name is Dean), came to America (Georgia) and fought in the Revolution, but obtaining the necessary paperwork to back that up has been difficult. Hopefully, one day ....
ReplyDeleteHow nice to know your real family history, so much more than just knowing names and dates.
ReplyDeleteI find it so wonderful that you have this history of your family. It is really special! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteMy 4th great grandfather served in the same unit. Have a copy of his discharge papers signed by Washington. On the back are names of 6 soldiers that excourted Washington back to Mt. Vernon. Jacob Ruppert was one of names on the back. If you would like copy email me at dredddx66@tampabay.rr.com
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