OAK HILL— The Oak Hill Area Chamber of Commerce will conduct a dedication ceremony for Revolutionary War Ordinal Sergeant James W. McDaniel on Thursday, July 4, at 11 a.m. at the Central Memorial Park in Oak Hill. A short program will be followed by light refreshments.
Ordinal Sergeant James W. McDaniel was the son of Henry McDaniel, Sr. and Mary Ann (Porter) McDaniel. Henry McDaniel was born in 1730 and emigrated from Ireland. Ordinal Sergeant James W. McDaniel was born in Halifax, Virginia on December 26, 1755. During the Revolutionary War he served as a bodyguard to General Washington. He married Rebecca Lewis in 1789. They had four children: James Jr., Nancy, Levi, and Enoch.
Ordinal Sergeant James W. McDaniel served as an Indian Spy from 1790-1792 and as a Private in Captain Isaac Butler’s Company of Ohio Militia in the War of 1812. He came to Ohio and settled half a mile below Oak Hill in 1819. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace in Jefferson Township and his knowledge of books caused his neighbors to ask him to start a school. For many years after he taught school in a log hut. He died in Oak Hill, Ohio in August 1847. His grave is in an abandoned graveyard (McDaniel East Cemetery) in the eastern part of Oak Hill.
Special thanks to James G. Coleman for getting it all started, Jane McCain for fund raising, and the following contributors: Adkins Carryout, VFW Ladies Aux 8402, VFW Post 8402, Main Express Oak Hill, Walters Junk Yard, K&M Auto Sales, Debbie Quality Hair Care, Adkins Flower Shop, Boggs Tire Shop, Clark’s Giovannis, Harber Auto Repair Shop, H&H Retreading, Stan Lewis, American Legion Post 371 Wellston, Cup O’Jo, BabyCakes Bakery & Bistro, Cross and Sons, Disabled American Veterans, Party Barn Plus, Best One Tire and Service, Disabled American Veterans Aux 45, American Vets Post No 84.