PARK RIDGE, N.J.—As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, Park Ridge officials are planning to honor a Revolutionary War veteran whose service had largely been forgotten for more than two centuries.
Mayor Keith Misciagna said the borough expects to hold a ceremony this fall recognizing Peter G. Haring, a local resident who served as a private in the Bergen County militia during the American Revolution and is buried in the Pascack Reformed Church cemetery.
“The story to me is we have a resident who fought in the American Revolution who was lost to time. We will now correct that,” Misciagna told Pascack Press. “While he was only a private and a child of 16, he fought for our independence. He must be remembered by us for that.”
The mayor said he hopes to invite local officials, representatives of American Legion Post 153, church leaders, county officials and other dignitaries to the ceremony.
The effort began after Misciagna read a March “Back In Time” column by local historian Kristin Beuscher detailing Haring’s Revolutionary War service and documenting his deteriorated gravesite.
“The timing is perfect as the 250th anniversary is here and we did not know about this patriot until just recently,” Misciagna said. He credited Beuscher’s research with bringing Haring’s story back into public view.
According to Beuscher’s research, Haring was born in 1760 in Old Tappan and served in Capt. Abraham Haring’s company of the Bergen County militia during the Revolutionary War. At the time, much of the Pascack area remained divided between Patriot and Loyalist sympathies.
After the war, Haring married Elizabeth Haring in 1784 and established a farm in what is now Park Ridge. Records show he owned approximately 140 acres by 1790. He and his wife later became founding members of the Pascack Reformed Church when it was established in 1813.
Haring died on Oct. 25, 1818, and was buried in the church cemetery alongside his wife, who died three years later. His gravestone, among the cemetery’s oldest, has deteriorated significantly over time.
Misciagna said borough officials hope both to properly commemorate Haring’s service and restore recognition to a local patriot whose contribution to American independence had been largely overlooked.
— With reporting by Kristin Beuscher