AROOSTOOK?S PATRIOTIC SONS ? Members of Fort Fairfield?s American Legion and VFW posts, from left, Cecil Estey, Eugene Wilson, unidentified, John Gorman, Valere Beaulieu, Steve Deabay, Maurice White, Paul Rediker and John Barlow, were on hand Aug. 14 to formally recognize the 1827 actions of 13 Aroostook County pioneers, including John Hafford. Staff photo/Mark Putnam Buy Photo

FORT FAIRFIELD — Lt. Col. Kenneth Hayden, retired, had seen many parts of the world during his Army career, but he had never been to Aroostook County. Motivated by childhood stories told by his grandmother, the 81-year-old Arizona man has made two visits to The County this summer and discovered that his family roots run deep in the fertile northern Maine soil.

With the help of his daughters, Sara and Jane, and with moral support from his wife, Carmen, Hayden not only traced his family history but also discovered that his own great-great-grandfather John Rafford was one of Aroostook’s pioneers and a key player in the formation of America’s disputed eastern boundary.

On Aug. 14, a dedication ceremony was held at Riverside Cemetery in Fort Fairfield to honor Rafford and draw attention to the defiant stand he and several of his frontier neighbors made against British authorities in 1827.

Hayden calls his ancestor and 12 other men — Thomas W. Beckwith, John Beckwith, William Dalton, Joseph Arnold, Seth Stewart, Peter Bull, Joshua Christie, Ferdinand Armstrong, Thomas Freeby, William Brown, James Rand and a man known only as Morton — the “forgotten loyal patriot sons of Maine.” He credits their bold opposition to what they saw as unfair confiscation of property — in this case, Arnold’s cow — as helping to strengthen America’s claim to the highly desirable forests and fields of the Aroostook River watershed.

With research help from historian Gary Campbell at the University of New Brunswick, Linda Zapatka at the Aroostook County Genealogical Society and others, Hayden was able to trace his family’s patriotic past. A monument marking John and Olive Beckwith Rafford’s final resting place was unveiled during the recent ceremony, complete with the names of their four sons, who all served their country in the Civil War.

Among those who attended the Aug. 14 affair were several of Hayden’s newfound relatives on the Rafford side, many of whom served or are now serving in the U.S. military. They included retired Cpl. Donald P. Rafford Jr. of Ashland; his son, retired Capt. Clark O. Rafford of Houlton; and his grandson, Warrant Officer II Donald P. Rafford III of Gray. Two other Rafford grandsons were unable to attend — Robert, who is in the U.S. Navy stationed in Maryland, and Andrew, who is a disabled naval veteran living in California.

Special guests included an honor guard from Fort Fairfield’s Paul-Lockhart Post 6187 Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion post; Phil Bosse of Caribou, representing U.S. Sen. Susan Collins; and Campbell of UNB.

“The memory of my grandmother motivated me at age 81 to search the path my ancestors trod,” said Hayden. Thus began months of research that Hayden said led him to “the names, acts and participation of my ancestors and their small number of neighbors in the historic determination of the northeast boundary of the United States with British Canada.”

While the information was available, Hayden said it was “scattered throughout various records, books and archives, [and] these people, individually, had long been forgotten.

“They seemed to cry out to be remembered,” he added.

Hayden, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., now is working on national recognition for Aroostook County’s 13 “patriotic pioneer sons,” as he and his associates are compiling formal documentation to promote the creation of a national memorial in central Aroostook County.

Hayden envisions “a statue of Joseph Arnold’s cow and bronze figures and plaques in the vicinity of Township G Range 2 (Maysville) with the names of all 13 Aroostook settler participants, so the story of their resolve and ultimate success could be resurrected and appropriately preserved.”