Grave Marking Ceremony
Honor War of 1812
Patriot Private Samuel B. Tharp
1796–1885 Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 10:00 AM
Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
5789 Bethel Road, Southport,
North Carolina
On Saturday,
October 24, 2026, Commissioner Charles Gause, Chapter No. 433, North Carolina
National Society Daughters of 1812, will conduct a grave-marking ceremony in
memory of the War of 1812 patriot Private Samuel B. Tharp (1796–1885). Tharp
served in the Third Regiment, Fourth Company, Detached North Carolina Militia.
The ceremony
will take place at 10:00 AM at Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery, 5789 Bethel Road,
Southport, North Carolina. During the ceremony, the National Society United
States Daughters of 1812 will dedicate a bronze War of 1812 veterans’ marker at
his gravesite.
Samuel B. Tharp was born on November 28, 1796, in
Brunswick County, North Carolina, to Charles and Sarah Tharp. Raised in the coastal
plains of southeastern North Carolina, he answered his nation’s call during the
War of 1812 and served as a private in the detached North Carolina Militia.
Following
his military service, Tharp returned home to Brunswick County. In 1823, he
married Susannah “Susan” Hewett (1805–1872), and the couple settled in
Smithville Township, present-day Southport. They raised nine children, leaving
a family lineage rooted in Brunswick County.
Tharp died
on September 2, 1885, at the age of 88 and was laid to rest at Bethel Cemetery.
Four members of Commissioner Charles Gause Chapter No. 433 of the National
Society United States Daughters of 1812 are descendants of Samuel B. Tharp.
The
objectives of the National Society United States Daughters of 1812 include
promoting patriotism and preserving and increasing knowledge of the history of
the American people by preserving documents and relics and marking historic
spots.
