A few weeks ago, someone wrote to one of the lists I belong to, and asked if
anyone had ever left their name and contact info on a family gravestone. It
seemed to me that he/she was hesitant about doing it for one reason or
another. I thought it was a very interesting idea - and a few people
responded to the question. Some said they had, and were contacted. I
thought I kept that email, because I liked the idea, but I can't find it now
- so I'm posting this on all my lists.
I was browsing old "Missing Links" and "Somebody's Links" today
and just
happened to run across the following contribution. I removed the sender's
name, because I didn't contact them - but here's the rest of their message:
MISSING LINKS: A Weekly Newsletter for Genealogists
Vol. 3, No. 18, 1 May 1998
Copyright (c) 1996-98 Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley
SUCCESSFUL LINKS: POPPIES by [name removed]
A few years ago while researching PENNINGTON, SLAVEN, and LOWDERMILK lines, I
traveled across the USA to some of the old and, I thought, abandoned
graveyards. Some were in fields or out in the woods.
On the tombstone I would place a 3x5 card with a note saying who was buried
there and my relationship and address. I would put it in a ziplock bag and
tape it to the tombstone securely.
When we got back to California after a month I had letters from cousins I did
not know even existed. Some saw the message, copied the info down and relayed
it through the community. I really felt that my ancestors played a great role
in my finding info about them.
I also sprinkled seeds of our state flower on the gravesite. I understand at
some locations there are now Golden Poppies growing. When I went back to one
of the sites several years later I easily found the site from the road by the
orange carpet.
[Ed.'s Note: An alternative to the use of tape, which might damage a
tombstone, is to skewer the waterproof bag containing such a note to the
ground beside the tombstone using a stick, such as a stake used to support
plants.]
*****************************************************************
Published in MISSING LINKS NEWSLETTER For Genealogists; Vol. 3, No. 18, 1 May
1998;
http://www.PetuniaPress.com/
And what I thought was a new, interesting and unique idea - isn't, of course.
I guess that just goes to show ya' - whatever we dream up to try, has
probably been done before. And this was done before I even had a computer -
let alone started looking for my ancestors!
Pat Cross Davis - Texas
patdmom(a)aol.com
Burke, Callis, Carrothers, Cross, Martin, Paul, Warren, Wolfe, Word