The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution – Horseshoe Prairie Chapter, Hamilton County invites the public to attend the Commemoration Ceremony of Davis Whelchel at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 14 at the Whelchel Cemetery, located east of 116th Street and Olio Road.
Photo provided
In honor of Davis Whelchel’s service and sacrifice for our country’s freedom, the local DAR chapter has installed an official bronze plaque at the site to acknowledge this American Patriot.
Davis Whelchel was born in 1752 in Virginia and enlisted in the army in 1775. He served as a Major, Lieutenant, Private, Ranger and a Spy out of South Carolina. He fought alongside his father, Dr. Francis Whelchel, and brothers at the Battle at Kings’ Mountain, forcing the British out of South Carolina.
Under the command of Colonel Steen, he was often called to scout the British and Tories before going into battle. Whelchel was a Lieutenant in the Company of Captain John Thompson, and later replaced Major Jolly, filling that rank until the British troops left South Carolina after Cornwallis was taken at Yorktown and the end of the war.
Soon after Indiana became a state, Davis and his wife Nancy Barnes brought their family to settle in Fall Creek Township in Hamilton County. Davis Whelchel died on Sept. 4, 1833, and is buried in Fishers.
The 50th Anniversary Committee of the NSDAR Hoosier Prairie Chapter works diligently to identify and locate possible patriots like Davis Whelchel who are buried in Hamilton County and provide the recognition their service deserves. This takes various stages of research to verify patriot records, including locating where the patriot is buried and receiving permission to properly clean the headstones and installing commemorative plaques.
About NSDAR
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890.
If you are interested in learning more about DAR membership, visit dar.org.
It is a great Honor to finally see that Davis Whelchel is finally getting Thanked for his service in the Revolutionary war I found his grave in 2001 along with my Aunt Verna Whelchel Downam whom sadly passed away August 5th 2021 So it is with great sadness yet mixed with pride that I will come and be a part of this celebration Thank you to the late Joe Burgess for helping me get a headstone for Davis my 4th great grand father.