REILY TOWNSHIP, Ohio— Dec. 16 was Wreaths Across America Day across the country. 

Reily Township was one of 3,700 participating locations across the country. It was the first time the township took part in the event. The Oxford Caroline Scott Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Reilly Township Historical Society organized it.

“The Wreaths Across America is a national program to honor service veterans at this time of year,” said Sharon Ware, with the Oxford chapter of the DAR. “Our chapter decided to do the Wreaths Across America as a chapter project.”

Previously the Reily Township Historical Society had researched all of the veterans buried in Reily Township and published a booklet. The DAR  chapter saw it. They felt that since veterans had not been honored with any formal service in the past, this would be a good combination project to do with the historical society. They began planning in May for the frigid December Saturday event.

“Our archivist Deborah Gross has been doing the research,” said Danielle Foulk, president of the Reily Township Historical Society. “She spent all the time on ancestry.com, visiting the cemeteries, and interviewing family members to get the information.

“Being a small farming community that started so long ago (it was founded in 1807), and we had so many people that served their country,” Foulk said. “Doing this project together allows us to bring that legacy they left to the forefront. Based on the support we’ve gotten from the community, it shows how much they value the service of those who came before us.”

Volunteers laid wreaths on about 115 graves in three cemeteries, Ware said.

“About 85 veterans are buried at Reilly Cemetery, including one Revolutionary War soldier; at St. Charles Cemetery there are 14 veterans and one Revolutionary War veteran; nine veterans rest in the small Walker Chapel Cemetery,” Ware said. “Most of them died during the Civil War, and the families buried them all together in that cemetery.”

The ceremony began when Reilly Township trustee Nick Schwab introduced representatives from the various branches of the service, who then placed a commemorative wreath on a stand to honor those who have served and are serving. Then the volunteers disbursed to the three cemeteries. 

“We encourage every volunteer who places a wreath on a veteran’s grave to say that veteran’s name aloud and take a moment to thank them for their service to our country,” Ware said. “The Wreaths Across America organization has a saying, “You’re lost when your name is forgotten. This is a way to say their names, and they are not forgotten.”