The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: CT
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
The stone is a very large sandstone monolith which is fully legible and in good condition.
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
The Cemetery is located at 35 Gult Street ( Main Entrance) The cemetery can also be accessed from Prospect street from the Freelove Baldwin Stow Chapter house of the DAR.
Photo: 1 of 2
Photo: 2 of 2
Author: James Donald Gansemer
Stephen Stow was born on 22 May 1726 in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Samuel and Esther (Mould) Stowe.
He married Freelove Baldwin of Milford, Connecticut, in about 1752. She was born on 5 December 1728 and died on 11 December 1805 in Milford. They had the following known children:
Stephen Jr was born in October 1758 and married Mary Beardsley.
Jedediah was born on 1 January 1756 and married Sally Clark.
Samuel was born in 1756 and married Sally Green.
John was born on 10 March 1760 and married Sarah B. Gillett.
William was born in 1763 and married Elizabeth Baldwin.
Phineas was born in 1771 and married Mary Platt.
Esther was born in 1769 and married John Stone.
Stephen and his wife, Freelove, purchased what is today known as the Eells-Stow House, a colonial house that is well-preserved to this day. The DAR Chapter of Milford is named for Freelove Baldwin Stowe, in recognition of her efforts and sacrifices during the Revolutionary War.
He was a Colonial American sea captain and merchant of Milford. He is best known for his civilian service during the American Revolutionary War, which earned him the nickname "the Martyr."
During the night of 31 December 1776 or early morning of 1 January 1777, as many as 200 sick American prisoners of war were left on Milford Beach by the British. The Stow house is located in view of the beach, and family legends tell us that some of these sick soldiers were feebly able to approach his home. Some in the group were found to be so desperately sick that they were unable to travel, and these were brought to the town hall so they could be given medical attention. Few in the small community were willing to help. Despite the dangers, Stephen wrote his Will and stayed with the sick. Although it is unlikely that he was the only one who helped, he is the best remembered because he died as a result of the service. His support of the revolutionary cause is clear. Four of his sons eventually fought for the revolution.
The Patriot died on 8 February 1777 in Milford, Connecticut, of smallpox. He was buried in a mass grave with 46 others, nearly a quarter of those who had been left on Milford Beach. In 1852, a brownstone Soldier's Monument was erected in the Milford Cemetery to remember those who died in the Revolution. The east face of the obelisk bears an inscription memorializing Stephen Stow for his service.
Author: Lt Col Gary Owen Green
Inscription on monument to Revolutionary War soldiers who were Prisoners of War of the British. They were dumped on the beach near Milford, CT and were tended to by Capt Stephen Stow; he also succombed to the Small Pox they had.
IN MEMORY OF
CAPT. STEPHEN STOW
OF MILFORD
WHO DIED FEB. 8, 1777 AGED 51 YEARS
To administer to the wants and soothe
the miseries of these sick and dying soldiers
was a work of extreme self denial and danger
as many of them were suffering
from loathsome and contagious maladies.
Stephen Stow voluntarily left his family
to relieve these suffering men.
He contracted disease from them.
died and was buried with them.
He has already given four sons to serve
in the war for Independence.
To commemorate his self sacrificing devotion
to his country and to humanity
the Legislature of Connecticut
resolved that his name shall be inscribed
on this monument.
Patriot biographies must be the original work of the author, and work submitted must not belong to another person or group, in observance with copyright law. Patriot biographies are to be written in complete sentences, follow the established rules of grammar, syntax and punctuation, be free of typographical errors, and follow a narrative format. The narrative should unfold in a logical manner (e.g. the narrative does not jump from time period to time period) or have repeated digressions, or tell the history of the patriot's line from the patriot ancestor to the author. The thinking here is that this is a patriot biography, not a lineage report or a kinship determination project or other report published in a genealogy journal. The biography should discuss the qualifying service (military, patriotic, civil) of the patriot ancestor, where the service was rendered, whether this was a specific state or Continental service, as well as significant events (as determined by the author) of the patriot's life. This is the entire purpose of a patriot's biography.
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Send your submission1, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, to patriotbios@sar.org for inclusion in this space 1Upon submission of a patriot biography, the patriot biography becomes the property of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, and may be edited to conform to the patriot biography submission standards.
