Bald eagles, bison, mountain lions, and so many more beasts of the land and birds of the air called this sprawling prairie home when William Low and Seburn Hinton set out for the new frontier in the mid-1800s.

For centuries, among these rolling hills of southeast Webster County, native Americans buried their honored dead in mounds that still remain in places now called Dolliver Memorial State Park, Vegor’s Cemetery, and Skillet Creek. In time, Low and Seburn would be laid to rest themselves, atop a small hill in a tiny country cemetery.

Bass Cemetery, sometimes known as Low Cemetery, is a quiet place, surrounded by fields. There’s just a little more than 40 graves here, many of them with aging stones that are difficult to read. Hinton was buried here in 1861; Low in 1865.

It’s impossible to know if the paths of these two men ever crossed in life, but in death they were honored together when The General Society of the War of 1812 came to call at Bass Cemetery, northeast of Dayton. Both men are veterans of that war that served to lift the United States of America from an infant nation to one that would grow rapidly in size and stature.

-Messenger photo by Lori Berglund
The cenotaph marker for War of 1812 veteran Seburn Hinton. Hinton's precise burial location in Bass (Low) Cemetery is unknown. His marker is placed at the flag pole marking the entrance to the cemetery.

“We want to make sure that these men are not forgotten,” said Mike Rowley, a volunteer with the General Society of the War of 1812.

Rowley placed new white, granite markers for the two men whose graves are now difficult to even locate or read. Low’s gleaming new marker was set among the several graves in his family plot. Hinton, whose grave can no longer even be located within the cemetery, received a cenotaph, which is identical to a grave marker but designates that it is placed in memory of the person. His was placed at the flag pole marking the entrance to the cemetery.

Locating precise grave locations is even more difficult because cemetery maps were lost in a fire that destroyed the nearby country school decades ago, according to Yell Township Clerk Lori Ferrari.

The stones were provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides free markers for any veteran. In all, the General Society of the War of 1812 has placed more than 400 markers across the state for veterans whose graves were otherwise unmarked.

“If someone has served, they are eligible for a free stone from the Veterans Administration,” Rowley said.

-Messenger photo by Lori Berglund
The new marker for War of 1812 veteran William Low was placed in the Low family plot in Bass (Low) Cemetery near Dayton. Low's lifespan began shortly before the Revolutionary War and ended after the Civil War.

In a nation that never forgets those who have served, that means that even veterans who served more than 200 years ago are still entitled to be remembered and honored in such a way.

As noted on his new stone, Low was a member of the Ohio Militia. Born in what is now West Virginia in 1772, he steadily made his way west throughout his life. He was a farmer and later owned a sawmill.

Born in Maryland in 1787, Hinton was also a member of the Ohio Militia. Upon heading west, he first lived in Polk County and then moved north to Fort Dodge, where he operated a sawmill and grist store.

It’s fitting that these two men, born in eastern states, would choose to join the westward movement. The War of 1812 put this nation on a new footing on the world stage. It even gave the nation a new hero in First Lady Dolley Madison as she saved the portrait of George Washington from the British as they burned the White House.

This is also the war that gave us “The Star Spangled Banner” and fueled the drive for Manifest Destiny. From just 18 states when the War of 1812 began, the nation would more than double to 37 states by the time of Low’s death in 1865, a few months after the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

-Messenger photo by Lori Berglund
Mike Rowley, a volunteer with the General Society of the War of 1812, stands beside the cenotaph marker for War of 1812 veteran Seburn Hinton. Hinton's precise burial location in Bass (Low) Cemetery is unknown.

Clearly, Low and Hinton lived through some incredible times in the nation’s history. It is Rowley’s hope that the new markers will help tell the story of these men and all veterans for generations to come.

“I think cemeteries are like an historical museum,” Rowley said. “Especially in the smaller towns, where there is so much history here — if people can come and find it. But without a stone there’s nothing to direct them to it, or it’s harder. Now we have the soldier’s name, a little bit about their unit. It makes it easier to follow a trail for future generations.”

While Rowley is not a veteran himself, he comes from a family with a long line of service to country. In addition to the Society of the War of 1812, he belongs to the Sons of the American Revolution and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. He has traced back to find ancestors who have served in each of those conflicts, in addition to more recent wars.

“My dad was a World War II veteran,” Rowley said. “He made it home from the war, which was good, but he died when I was about 8 years old. He had been in a lot of battles, and exposed to a lot of things and developed lung issues. It was after the war, but his death was 100 percent service connected, so I was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. Because of that, I always thought I should give back a little bit.”

Giving back is just what he’s doing as he travels the state placing markers to honor veterans. The physical labor of placing the tall granite markers deep in the ground is the culmination of months, and perhaps years of research. The Society started identifying veterans from the War of 1812 several years ago to make sure that their graves were marked and remained dignified in appearance.

“It started about seven years ago. We went to Camp Dodge and they gave us a list of 39 names,” Rowley said. “It’s now up to 1,100 veterans from the War of 1812 who are buried in Iowa.”

The Society does extensive genealogy work to identify veterans, grave location, and any descendants that may be located.

“We have to go through pension records, civil records, and you piece things together. If we find family, we also get their permission to place a stone,” Rowley said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Sometimes, there’s no one around when he places a stone. Other times, a descendant of the veteran might be able to attend, or sometimes there are just casual onlookers.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done this that someone hasn’t walked away smiling,” Rowley said. “They learned something they didn’t know before, and maybe they realize the possibility to come out again and see what else there is to learn out here.”

Stones in a cemetery tell a story. Rowley is pleased to help the story of veterans who might otherwise rest unknown, with a faded marker or none at all.

“This just means that they are not forgotten,” Rowley said.