Revolutionary War-era sailor to be honored at Westbrook Veterans Park in Canton

CANTON − The Canton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will honor Jacob Nagle, a Revolutionary War-era sailor, with a commemorative plaque at the Westbrook Veterans Memorial Park.

The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. May 18, followed by lunch at 1 p.m. at the MAPS Museum in Green.

A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Nagle joined the Revolutionary War effort as a boy and was captured by the British. He later married and started a family in England, but they all died from illness. He then joined the British Navy and was a sailor on one of the first prison ships sent to Australia.

Nagle later moved to Canton to live with his sister and during the 1830s worked for the Stark County Clerk of Courts and Recorder's Office. He died in February 1841. He was buried in the former Plum Street Cemetery (now McKinley Avenue SW), which no longer exists.

However, because he did not have a marker, Nagle may still be buried there.

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Members of the Fellowship of First Fleeters from Australia, Canada and Illinois are expected to attend, as well as family from Georgia and Pennsylvania. The event also includes a proclamation from the Stark County commissioners.

Lunch will feature a presentation by John C. Dann of Michigan author of the book, "The Nagle Journal: A Diary of the life of Jacob Nagle, Sailor, from the Years 1775-1841."

The plaque dedication ceremony is free to attend.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jacob Nagle, a Revolutionary War-era sailor, to be honored in Canton