I agree that it is better for the original stone to remain. I do like
adding a legible stone, though, so the information is not lost.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Private" <goaliema4ever(a)yahoo.com>
To: <INDUBOIS(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 8:20 AM
Subject: [INDUBOIS] Replacing Gravestones
First of all -- this is not directed to anyone in particular -- it's just a
plea in an attempt to prevent something that happened very recently to a
gravestone in our family. So please accept my apologies for being a little
sensitive to the subject of gravestone replacement.
My family has been recently "victimized" by some unthinking, selfish people
who -- without permission of family members or the township trustee (who was
the legal caretaker) -- removed a large gravestone from a cemetery that had
an entire family's information inscribed and decided to have it re-worked.
This is NOT in Dubois Co, but in a neighboring co.
This was a VERY large stone and was not broken. It had remained in its
original location for over 100 years and had aged appropriately -- meaning
that the lettering was becoming a little hard to read - but not impossible.
The stone was completely wiped clean of the original information, which was
RAISED lettering and then engraved with whatever was deemed "correct" by the
perpetrators. They might have gotten it right, or maybe they didn't. Who
will ever know? Furthermore, future generations may never realize that this
stone has been altered from the original. Regardless, they defaced an
historic and original secondary source that actually contained the only
record of one person recorded on the stone and totally disregarded the
wishes of family members - even when the "do-gooders" were contacted about
it and asked to return the stone unharmed.
This spring, these same perpetrators have ADDED new and separate gravestones
for the people memorialized on the original stone. Why destroy the original
stone?
Please, please ... if you are going to replace a stone, DO NOT remove and/or
change the original stone that still exists! My personal opinion is that it
isn't wrong to ADD newly engraved stones to a cemetery to help make the
information readable to others, but don't DESTROY the original stone!
Again, my apologies - not meant to offend anyone but only to maybe prevent
another heartbreaking incident. Thank you.
DCraig
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