Descendants On Hand To Honor Revolutionary War Hero

Descendants On Hand

To Honor Revolutionary War Hero

A new roadside marker honoring American Revolution War hero Adam Helmer was unveiled in a dedication ceremony today at 11:30 a.m. in Richfield Springs” Spring Park, with some of his descendants observing the dedication pictured here: Mary Helmer, left, her brother, Bill Helmer, and Marie Skinner Guerra. The roadside marker stands at the approximate location where Hembler crossed Route 20 during a 30-mile “meandering” run after he escaped an ambush led by Chief Joseph Brant on Helmer’s scouting group near South Edmeston. As he ran, Helmer warned settlers about Chief Brant’s party of Mohawk Indians, which earned him the name, “The Paul Revere of the Mohawk Valley,” Helmer is credited with having saved more than 200 settlers’ lives. Marie Guerra is one of Adam Helmer’s direct descendants and recalls her grandfather, Clyde Helmer telling her and her siblings about their ancestor. Mary and Bill Helmer are descendants of George Helmer, Adam’s brother, who was also a Revolutionary War scout. Another descendant, Steve Oldick, 73, was at the ceremony but left before this picture was taken. His mother, Edna Helmer Oldick, was Adam’s great-great-great-great-great granddaughter. Richfield Springs Mayor Robin Moshier and Assemblyman John Salka spoke at the ceremony.(Jennifer Hill/AllOTSEGO.com)

2 Comments Leave a Reply

Hello, I Just found your article about the Adam Helmer’s Run memorial. In about 1980 my aunt Avis Helmer told me this story about our family predecessor Adam Helmer. Aunt Avis, my father Charles, and their siblings Clyde, Jack, John, Maxine, and others were all born in Virginia Minnesota . As I recall their father, that being my paternal grandfather, was also named Clyde Helmer and he had passed the story of Adam’s run down to them. This seems to be quite coincidental, and I was wondering if you could or would pass along the above information to the Adam Helmer descendants that were there at the dedication of the marker in Richfield Springs. My father and his siblings are all deceased so I have no way to inquire of them.

My Dad, Raymond W. Passage, another descendant of Adam Helmer, was born in1907, Weedsport NY. I grew up often hearing the story of Helmer’s Run. I’m in possession of a powder horn that (I was told) belonged to Adam Helmer. Further, I was told Helmer was a cobbler by trade. Supposedly, my Uncle, Richard was in possession of Adam Helmer’s tools.

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