I am a son of the Revolution. My great-great-great-grandfather Henry B. Bray fought in the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771. The early date is due to a collection of rebellions in North Carolina over taxation and colonial control. These rebellions or battles were dubbed the War of the Regulation. Many consider this to be part of the early birth pangs that would become the American Revolution.

I am a son of the Revolution. My great-great-great-grandfather David Crews (1740-1821) served as a soldier in the French and Indian Wars, and then in the American Revolution. He was sent with troops from Bedford County, Virginia, in July 1778, to defend the Fort at Boonesboro, Kentucky. The battle lasted from September 7-18. He fought alongside Daniel Boone, the settlement’s namesake, and they successfully won against the British and Shawnee.

I am a son of the Revolution. My great-great-great-grandfather Benjamin Brown received more than 6,000 acres in Albemarle, Virginia, from King George II. The area became known as Brown’s Cove. However, the kingly land grant did not force his loyalty when war broke out. By the end of it, seven sons, as well as three grandsons, fought for independence.

You may also be a son or a daughter of the Revolution. Whether or not, we are all beneficiaries of the sacrifices made during this fragile time, a time that sat on the edge of the old and the dawn of the new.