New grave markers dedicated for Middletown veterans

MIDDLETOWN — More than 50 residents, historians, neighbors and passersby joined with the Daughters of the Revolution and Sons of the Revolution Saturday morning, in dedicating new grave markers on the tombs of two Middletown residents who served in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and are buried in the Locust section of Middletown.

Private John Maxson and Private Joshua Robbins were honored at the Maxson Burial Ground, located at Locust Point Road and Lakeside Avenue, in a dedication ceremony conducted by the Middletown Chapter and Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the NJ Society of the Sons of the American Revolution’s Monmouth Chapter.

The ceremony, which included a color guard presented by Boy Scout Troop 131 of Holmdel, and Taps also included an introduction and brief biographies of the heroes by Michele Donnelly, Regent of the Middletown Chapter of the
DAR and Leslie Clark, Regent of the Shrewsbury-Towne Chapter, who were invited to participate by Jean Posten.

Dedication of the new stones for the graves is part of the DAR’s mission to

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honor all local residents who served in the Revolution, concentrating on recognizing as many as possible before the nation’s 275th anniversary in 2026. Donnelly estimated there are approximately 20 soldiers who have been identified and are buried both in cemeteries including Fairview, as well as family burial grounds in various areas of the township.

There are five Revolutionary soldiers buried at Fairview Cemetery, and at least one at the Middletown Reformed Church.

Saturday’s ceremony also included prayers and the National Anthem with audience participation after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Descendants of the two soldiers were also present for the ceremony and spoke about their ancestors and the roles they played in forming the United States.

Jake Rue of Oceanport, a member and President of the Monmouth Chapter of the SAR, is the great grandson five times removed of Pvt. John Maxson, who served in the Revolutionary War and died in December 1835, as well as a grandson of Pvt. Joshua Robbins who served in the War of 1812 and is a descendant of Pvt. Maxson’s family, as well.

The Rue family was also instrumental in the stone installations on both graves.

Among the neighbors attending the ceremony was Bob Winters, who has lived in Navesink for 31 years and is himself a veteran of every war since Vietnam, having served in the Army 40 years. He was discharged after he was blinded with chemicals while serving in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division.

Winters, who retired as a first sergeant in the infantry, lives across the street from the Maxson burial ground and said, like the veterans both before and after him, he served in the military because of his need to protect the nation, as well as to enable his friends to live in freedom and safety.

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Janine Kimmel was also in attendance for the ceremony, noting the burial ground is situated on part of the tract her family owns adjacent to their own farmhouse, which also dates back to the 19th Century.

Kimmel is a Layton family member, another local name that is credited with helping to establish the Bayshore area, and has lived next to the burial ground since 1999. She also can trace her family’s local roots back five generations and noted some of her family, the sixth generation, still lives in Middletown.

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry was present for the ceremony, citing the importance of remembering the past in order to make decisions for the future.

He praised both the DAR and SAR, as well as the Middletown Historical Society, also present for the ceremony, and those who both protect and research the history of the area and the nation.

Middletown Historical Society President Thomas Valenti and Monmouth County Historical Commissioner Peter Van Nortwick were also present for the ceremony and meeting with descendants and DAR members.

The DAR also thanks Site Specific Landscape of Highlands, for donating the topsoil to enhance the burial ground and Middletown High School South student Frank Rieman who played the national anthem on the trumpet during the dedications.