By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Liam Opie hates to see gravestones of veterans cracked, deteriorating or fallen over and forgotten.

So, he does something about it.

Cemeteries, Liam says, are a great source of history. In his spare time, Liam often walks through cemeteries, especially the older sections, and looks over stones placed a hundred years ago. While in the South Harrison cemetery off Edes Falls Road a few months ago, Liam came upon a cracked, fallen stone marking the grave of Moses Fogg. He died in 1861, so Liam was curious if Moses had fought in the War of 1812.

“I had visited the cemetery because I was curious to explore it for old veterans and other names that may have peaked my interest. I had found Moses Fogg’s original gravestone from 1861 shattered by the elements over the years. I decided to research his name, and found out that he had served in the War of 1812,” said Liam, who searched out Moses’ background using Ancestry.com. “Thus, I ordered his replacement stone from the VA (Veterans Administration).”

What Liam discovered was that Moses Fogg was born in 1782, and died in 1861. One of his sons was Jonathan Fogg, who was involved with the Bridgton Tannery.

Moses Fogg served from Sept. 7, 1814 to Sept. 20, 1824, in Captain Comston’s company of Scarborough, in Colonel Burbank’s Regiment. The company saw service in the defense of Portland, at the city feared in attack from the British.

After the war, Moses moved to Harrison. He worked as a farmer. He married Sally (Brackett) Fogg. They are buried next to their sons, Arthur and David. David Fogg married Maria Fitch, who was the daughter of Squire George and Mary Fitch of Narrimissic Farm in South Bridgton. Many of their descendants lived and were buried across Harrison and Casco. 

Sunday morning with the help of cousin Nolan Horton, a junior at Lake Region High School who is enrolled in the vocational center’s Law Enforcement program, and fellow American Legion Post 67 member Bob Downing (who at the age of 87 is appropriately is the “moral” officer at the Post because of his witty stories and overall good nature), Bridgton resident Liam Opie paid tribute and honored Moses’ service by installing a new granite gravestone. After digging a new hole in front of the old marker and placing the new stone, Liam and Bob placed temporary American flags to the left and right of the marker. A permanent flag stand will be placed near the stone in the spring.

If anyone has a veteran family member in need of a headstone, contact Liam Opie for assistance in getting a free of charge, VA government marker. He can be reached at: liammropie@gmail.com