SHREWSBURY, NJ — As part of the nation’s America 250 celebration, the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) sponsored a gravestone cleaning on the morning of July 19.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War.
The Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter (STMC), headquartered in Shrewsbury, was joined by volunteers from the Presbyterian Church of Shrewsbury and Christ Church for the tombstone cleaning.
The churches (located on Historic Four Corners at Route 35 and Sycamore Avenues) have many Revolutionary War soldiers buried in both cemeteries, officials said.
JoAnn Slocum-Mazzucca, a resident of Shrewsbury and Chapter Historian, has spent the past two years researching the Revolutionary War soldiers buried in these cemeteries.
Through her research, officials said several new patriots were added to the NSDAR patriot database.
"It is so important to maintain the names and information on these and other tombstones,” Regent Kathleen Mazzacco said.
“As people drive by cemeteries, we want them to remember that each of these stones represents a real person who had a life and, in the case of Revolutionary grave sites, sacrificed for the freedom that we enjoy today," Mazzacco continued. "We are thankful that we can play a small part in remembering them."
This project was planned and carried out thanks to the chapter’s Historic Preservation Chairman, Karen Allas, officials said.
To prepare for the gravestone cleaning, Allas ordered all the supplies provided by STMC, including D2 solution, brushes, gloves, spray bottles, and more for volunteers.
In addition to ordering supplies, officials said Allas has relentlessly explored cemeteries all over Monmouth County on a mission to find the graves of unmarked Revolutionary War soldiers and patriots.
For Fall 2026, the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth chapter is planning an event to mark each of the 18 NSDAR-approved Revolutionary War patriot graves with an official DAR marker purchased through DAR-approved companies.
The Shrewsbury chapter places only DAR-approved grave markers, officials said.
Today, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) hosts over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad.
Since its founding in 1890, over one million members have joined the organization and annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to local communities across the country and world through projects that promote historic preservation, education and patriotism.
To learn more about the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter or DAR membership, you can visit the chapter's Facebook page or contact Chapter Regent Kathleen Mazzacco at [email protected].