Augustus Case remembered as soldier and pioneer

In a quiet cemetery in Plain Township, a weathered gravestone marks the resting place of a man whose life stretched from the birth of the nation to the early days of Wayne County. Augustus Case was not a famous general, but his story reflects the courage and determination of those who helped shape American history.

The Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution continues its series honoring Revolutionary War patriots buried in Wayne County by sharing the story of Augustus Case, a soldier, craftsman and pioneer. Born July 17, 1759, in Morris County, New Jersey, Case apprenticed as a carpenter at age 15, working in the shipyards of New York Harbor. Those skills would soon serve him in an unexpected way.

At 17 he enlisted in the New Jersey Militia, serving from 1776 until war’s end. Though records show only one skirmish and no major battles, his service was far from ordinary.

Because of his experience as a carpenter and boat builder, he was assigned to operations targeting British ships in New York Harbor. In one daring mission, Case and fellow soldiers built small flatboats filled with scrap wood, soaking them in turpentine. Under cover of darkness, they guided the rafts into the harbor and set them ablaze among British vessels. Some accounts say the rafts were fitted with iron hooks to catch onto the ships, turning the harbor into a weapon. It was a risky tactic that relied on skill and nerve.

After the war Case married Elizabeth Bell in 1794. They had 10 children, though only six survived to adulthood. Like many veterans, he sought new opportunity in the West. In 1814, after years living in Western Pennsylvania, Case and his family set out for Ohio, where he had purchased 80 acres in Wayne County.

Family tradition holds they began the journey Jan. 1, traveling by wagon drawn by oxen and a horse. Nearly four months later, they arrived in Wooster. The journey was long and difficult. The family slept in the wagon at night while Case and his older children often walked beside it, guiding the animals through rough terrain.

In Plain Township, where he purchased land, he began building a new life. Case spent the rest of his long life farming and building a home in the wilderness of Wayne County. Case died March 12, 1852, at the age of 92 and is buried in Plain Township. His lineage descends, likely to this day, in Wayne County. In fact, he was the great-grandfather of Lura B. Kean, a revered Wayne County educator and a 34-year Wooster High School principal. Her namesake, Kean Elementary School, operates to this day in Wooster.

Editor's note: The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Wooster-Wayne Chapter is submitting a series of articles about Revolutionary War patriots buried in Wayne County. This is the second of the series.