City Of Marlborough Reinters Revolutionary War Veteran

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Nearly 200 years after he was laid to rest in Marlborough's Wilson Cemetery, Robert Earnes, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and the French and Indian War, was reinterred Monday after his tomb was damaged by years of tree and vegetation overgrowth, poor mid-century preservation techniques and vandalism.

The Marlborough Department of Public Works, with the help of restoration specialists, restored Earnes' burial tomb inside and out. In addition, more than 140 Wilson Cemetery monuments were cleaned, repaired and straightened.

During the reinterment ceremony, Sudbury Militia & Minute members in full Colonial period clothing acted as pallbearers and flag bearer, the Community Advocate reports.

At age 19, Earnes joined others from Marlborough in the French and Indian War. He enlisted again in 1775, marching to Cambridge and participating in the Siege of Boston. His last enlistment was for eight months in 1777 with the Continental Army.