Dear list members,
I was greatly disturbed to receive this email recently from someone in
Missouri. (I live on the east coast.) I wonder if anyone else on the
list has information about this relocation of the old cemetery?
This cemetery was the resting place of many DRURY and CARRON pioneers of
this part Missouri. Bloomsdale was founded by the Drury and Placet
families. They descend from the Drurys of St. Mary's County, Maryland
and originally Docking, Norfolk, England.
My page of some of the cemetery marker photos from a few years ago is
at:
http://www.genealogysource.com/bloom_cem_index.htm
Tom Stevenson
http://GenealogySource.com
The text of the original message follows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I thought you would be interested to know that the St. Philomena
Cemetery (older section of St. Agnes Church Cemetery) in
Bloomsdale MO has been relocated - actually I think improperly
relocated.
The church, St. Agnes, petitioned the Ste. Genevieve County Circuit
Court to relocate the cemetery in order for the expansion
of the church school. The court authorized, "to disinter and relocate
individual remains within St. Agnes Cemetery" however
the manner in which the remains were disinterred and relocated is what
is in question. From a visual inspection of the remaining
St. Agnes Cemetery only four relocated graves could be found. The
tombstone was moved and the ground appears to have
been excavated to accommodate the relocation of the remains. Less than
a dozen tombstones relocated from the old cemetery
were found scattered around the newer section of the cemetery but it
does not appear any remains were relocated with the
tombstone. Many of the names and tombstones listed on your site could
not even be found.
According to eyewitnesses of the excavation many tombstones and remains
were put into a mass grave at the back of
cemetery which is denoted by the placement of four (4) metal fence
posts. The cemetery Marker (shown on your web site at
the conclusion of the names of deceased in the cemetery) has been moved
and placed in front of the area where the 4 fence
posts are located.
My question is simply does anyone care and what and where can a person
report this lack of respect for the forefathers of this
community?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After I received the above email, I looked up the phone number for St.
Agnes church and called there. A very nice gentleman answered and said
"Church Rectory". I told him I lived on the east coast and descended
from the Drury and Carron families of Bloomsdale. I told him I heard the
old cemetery was relocated and asked if it was still there on the church
grounds or had been moved somewhere else. He said "It's still right
here." I asked if all the tombstones were able to be moved. He got quiet
and said, "Well, I don't know what to tell you about that. There's a lot
of controversy and I had best stay out of it. The Archdiocese was
supposed to handle all of that." I asked if the relocation project was
still going on or if it was finished and he said, "I can't say. I'm
sorry."
I would appreciate any information that anyone has on this. If at all
possible, if this is true, I would like to try to get the Archdiocese to
correct it as much as possible.
Tom Stevenson
--
http://www.GenealogySource.com