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Hi All
Please go to
http://clubs.excite.com/welcome/main?cid=.r7QqoJ9f_JN&aid=22&auth=
to see photos of Rose Hill Cemetery Wind Damage. When you get to this page
click of Photos in the left column, then click on Rose Hill Damage Ablum.
Photos say it all. Many, many stones broken.
For those of you who came to workshop. Remember those majestic Pines around
the old Fountain area. A storm with high winds blew them down and damaged
lots of old gravestones.
Good place for a cemetery restoration workshop.
Ron Baldwin.....in Bloomington
Thank you for your responses. Let me clear up a few things first. My boss
is on my side and wants to see that it is handled properly. He is on the
State Board of Registration for Surveyors appointed by the Governor and is
held in high esteem and considered a leader in education and registration
in the surveying field by more than just his staff and fellow surveyors.
In Indiana, it is not considered a conflict of interest to be both a county
surveyor and have a private business. My boss has been county surveyor for
16 years now and he has never conducted one ounce of private business out
of the county office. Anyone who calls and asks for referrals is told to
look in the yellow pages and to call several for their prices vary with
their schedule. Sorry, don't mean to sound defensive, but I didn't realize
I cast him in a bad light. Primaries or not, he has the best interest of
the county and county surveyor's office at heart at all times. Not all
counties here even have a county surveyor. Some are county surveyors who,
for a smaller salary, operate the duties of the county and their business
from the same office. This saves the tax payers money. Our county is one
the most progressive in the state when it comes to our office. Columbus is
booming with housing developments (too many for my taste). Our office is
utilized daily for our section corner records, GPS points and GIS data. We
have computerized most of the plat maps and our GIS system not too far from
up and running for the public to use through the internet.
In Indiana, cemeteries are not yet protected completely. The office has a
staff member as a part of the county Plan Commission, who oversee all
developments. This specific project has sent plans through a few times
already and had them rejected for various reasons I believe.
At a special request by the commissioners recently, we are surveying all
township cemeteries as a result of the main city cemetery running out of
room for pauper burials. I don't like the reasons, but at least they will
be surveyed and with experts like Donna Kuhlman and the Genealogical and
Historical societies involved, they will be well documented and watched over.
No, the cemetery was never deeded over to the township, it was farmed over
probably a hundred years ago. The wife of the former owner is in a nursing
home and she recalled that they used to plow up stones and pieces of
pottery and stuff and would stack them up by the barn. I drove out and
checked, the barn is still there but has been cleaned up and remodeled. I
spoke to the mother (next door) of the owner of the barn and she was the
one who let me copy her abstract put together about 40 years ago. I gave
he my card and asked her to call me at any time if she or her son
encountered any more evidence that there had been a cemetery there.
The archeologist hired looked over my research and Donna Kuhlman and the
county surveyor were there at the time. He said he was going to recommend
to the developer that they should hire the ground radar survey to be done
on one acre of land. Based on the scar that kept appearing on the aerials
and the 1900 map Donna found, he and I believe it was in the center of the
property. Donna and my boss think the map from the lady's abstract was
more accurate that it was off to the side near the fence. He said he would
sit down and talk with them about trying it in the center first, and if
nothing was found to try along the old fence line. This project has had so
many hold-ups through the plan dept. that it hasn't begun any actual work
at the site. Few even know the land was sold. It has not been put to any
crop, but it is not obstructed by anything now, fence rows and trees were
taken out years ago for farming so it is easy to keep an eye out for any
movement on their part.
To Kyle Conrad, we are related. The Lewellens (over 150 variations of the
original spelling of Llewellyn) of Henry county were descendants of Meshach
Lewellin, another brother of my Joseph and this Thomas. One more brother,
Shadrach, was a pioneer in Washington county, Indiana. Descendants of
either Meshach or Shadrach went on the Oregon Trail and established the
vineyards and orchards of the west coast, even invented the Bing Cherry!
Again, thanks for your help and advice. I will keep you informed of any
progress, though as I stated earlier, I don't think anything will happen
soon. Crossman's is a well known and reputable company here and I don't
think they will try to anything less than what should be done, I hope. I
simply think people with our personal interest in history and preservation
need to keep up on what can and should be done. Hearing similar stories
through this email listing has helped me a great deal. Thank you.
Cris West
This was just received from John Martin, the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer who
did a really good story about the vandalism at Grandview Cemetery in So.
Indiana.
----- Original Message -----
From: Martin, John <jmartin(a)messenger-inquirer.com>
To: 'Lois Mauk' <LoisMauk(a)home.com>
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 12:36 PM
Subject: RE: Vandalism at Grandview Cemetery
> Ms. Mauk,
> Thanks very much for getting in touch. Late Thursday night the local
> sheriff's department arrested three juveniles in the case, and there will be
> a follow-up story in Saturday's paper.
> Again, thanks for the info and the link.
> John Martin
>
Jayne,
I would need to see the stones to be sure, but I believe what you are describing
are "foot stones"; small stones with initials only, usually, and placed at the
foot of the grave of the deceased.
"-- a stone placed at the foot of a grave, to denote the position of the body in
the grave: opposed to headstone. --" [Webster's New Universal Unabridged
Dictionary, second edition; 1983.]
Sometimes small stones will mark the corners of grave lots. A grave lot will
usually contain more than one grave. The few that I have seen have been in
"turn of the century" graveyards and not "family/pioneer cemeteries".
Sam Cline
----- Original Message -----
From: Jayne Hoffman <jhoffmn(a)pressenter.com>
To: <INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 7:11 PM
Subject: [INPCRP] tombstone help
Greetings,
I am new to the list and glad to find other who share in the interest of
preserving cemmeteries.
I am curently involved in trying to document and preserve a small pioneer
cemetery. One question my students and I have is, we are finding a number
of small tombstones with initials only (approx 5 inches wide). Many
initials seem to correspond with the tombstones with inscriptions. Could
someone enlighten me as to what these
tombstones are? Most are loose and laying scattered around. Any help or
advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Jayne
==== INPCRP Mailing List ====
Quote from William Gladstone (1809-1897), three-time Prime Minister of England
and Victorian contemporary of Benjamin Disraeli:
"Show me the manner in which a nation or community
cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical
exactness the tender mercies of its people, their
respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty
to high ideals."
There are 'headstones' (containing name, dates, inscription, etc.) and there
are 'footstones' (containing only initials). One will also notice this at
graves in pioneer cemeteries marked only with sandstones (bigger one at the
head and smaller stone marking the foot of the grave).
Greetings,
I am new to the list and glad to find other who share in the interest of
preserving cemmeteries.
I am curently involved in trying to document and preserve a small pioneer
cemetery. One question my students and I have is, we are finding a number
of small tombstones with initials only (approx 5 inches wide). Many
initials seem to correspond with the tombstones with inscriptions. Could
someone enlighten me as to what these
tombstones are? Most are loose and laying scattered around. Any help or
advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Jayne
Crossman Communities has a development that will begin soon on ground that
apparently once contained a graveyard for the Lewelling/Lewellen family. I
happened upon this through my boss, whose company was hired to survey the
ground. In deed research, it was found that a quarter acre of land in the
north section of this ground (non-descript as to exactly where) was set
aside for the burying ground of the Lewellen family. He knew that I knew a
lot about cemeteries and that Lewellen was my middle name, so he asked me
about it. My Lewellen's (Joseph & Francis) came from NC and settled in
1840 in Jennings county, where our Lewellen cemetery is. The Lewellen that
came to Bartholomew County was Thomas and wife Temperance, Thomas was a
brother to my Joseph. I engaged the help of Donna Kuhlman, the local
cemetery expert. I think Crossman's first idea was that since there was no
apparent cemetery left there and the wording in the deed never said there
were actually graves there, that no one was ever buried there. Donna found
a cemetery mark on the property in the 1900 atlas near the center of the
ground in question. I visited an elderly neighbor there who showed me her
abstract that had a drawing of the property with the grave set off to the
side of the ground.
Crossman's hired an archealogist to look at it and I showed him aerial
photos of the ground in 1937 and 1949, as well as 1999. There is a scar on
the ground near the middle. My theory is that they set one headstone off to
the side so they could plow up the rest and never moved anything. This man
was going to suggest that the developer has a special survey done that
would show any ground disturbances, even pre-1860 graves. So far, there
has been 2 weeks of silence. I gave him documentation that descendants of
that family (which left for TN shortly after 1860) have it recorded in
their history that Levi Lewellen, son of Thomas, died in 1844 and was
buried in the Lewellen family cemetery in Bartholomew County. Thomas died
in 1860 after three of his married sons died. I'm guessing that all four
men, at least would have been buried there, possibly a few wives and children.
My question now is, what can I expect Crossman's to do? This messes up a
lot of plans for them I believe, especially if it is found to be located in
the center of the property. What can I do, without creating a ruckus or
problems for my boss. Remember, he put me on the trail of evidence they
might not have found. That particular Lewellen family left IN for TN just
after the father died. THere are no known descendants around here today.
Any ideas? My boss is also the county surveyor (up for re-election and
opposed in the primaries), I am his admin. assistant there, I don't work
for his private land surveying firm.
Christine Llewellyn West "Cris"
cherokee(a)shelbynet.net
Gentle people,
The reference to the pioneer cemetery on the Hickory Handle farm was taken
from the book Murder in Little Egypt. The author could not have known that
Dr. Dale Cavaness, who murdered both his sons, had destroyed ("bulldozed")
the cemetery if someone hadn't spoken of it.
Chalk up another cemetery lost for eternity...
Sue Silver
El Dorado County, CA
----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Guard <jmguard(a)sunline.net>
To: <ssilver1951(a)jps.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2000 5:28 PM
Subject: (no subject)
> Sue,
> Hickey Handle was real.
> It was owned by J. D. Barter before it was sold to Dr. Cavaness.
> I worked for the Barters for 30 years and spent a lot of time on that
> farm.
> I knew Dale very well and was in on several meeting with him.
> If the cemetery was destroyed, it was under catfish ponds that Dale
> built on the farm. I do not remember any cemeteries on the farm.
>
> Maybe it was there, but I do not remember it.
>
> Jim GuArd
>
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Message-ID: <38F9D697.95DCE3D6(a)freewwweb.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 11:04:55 -0400
From: Richard Brock <brbrock(a)freewwweb.com>
Reply-To: brbrock(a)freewwweb.com
Organization: Pittsboro, IN.
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (Win98; I)
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To: "INPCRP-L-request(a)rootsweb.com" <INPCRP-L-request(a)rootsweb.com>
Subject: Legal description
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I've been taking care of the cemetery just west of the Cambridge Estate
neighborhood on US136 west of Brownsburg. The cemetery name is "Big
White Lick Baptist Cemetery", but I do not know the legal address.
There isn't much info on the site and I am trying to help in obtaining
the deed from the church, but we need to have it surveyed first. That
brings up my next question. Is there anyone that can legally survey
this property for the Middle Township Trustee to obtain the deed from
the church at a reduced price? I am willing to help in any way.
Rick Brock
brbrock(a)freewwweb.com
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Amy,
Are you aware of this? [See Article below. "Saving Graves"]
Is there anything the Indiana Department of Natural Resources can do?
Does the 1999 legislation cover this situation?
*********************************************************************
IC 14-21-2
Chapter 2. Cemetery Preservation
IC 14-21-2-1
Sec. 1. This chapter does not apply to the following:
(1) A cemetery owner (as defined in IC 23-14-33-8) in the course of
performing a legitimate function under IC 23-14 in relation to the owner's
cemetery (as defined in IC 23-14-33-7).
(2) The owner of a grave memorial who, for the purpose of replacing a
grave memorial with a different grave memorial, transfers ownership of the grave
memorial to a cemetery, cemetery owner, or grave memorial provider.
As added by P.L.100-1999, SEC.1.
IC 14-21-2-2
Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "grave memorial" refers to a gravestone,
monument, grave marker, or any other type of similar item.
As added by P.L.100-1999, SEC.1.
IC 14-21-2-3
Sec. 3. (a) A person who lawfully removes a grave memorial must file the
following with the county recorder of the county where the grave memorial was
located before its removal:
(1) A precise description of all text appearing on the grave memorial
including:
(A) names;
(B) dates;
(C) references to other individuals; and
(D) mementos.
(2) A photograph of the grave memorial.
(3) A written description and photograph of the location of the site
from which the grave memorial was removed.
(b) A county recorder may collect a filing fee under IC 36-2-7-10 for
filings under this section.
(c) A county recorder is:
(1) not required to obtain special recording equipment for the purpose
of recording the information listed in subsection (a); and
(2) required to record only the information listed in subsection (a)
that the recorder's current recording equipment can accommodate.
(d) The state board of accounts shall prescribe a form for recording the
information listed in subsection (a). The form shall be available to the public
at each local health department office.
As added by P.L.100-1999, SEC.1.
IC 14-21-2-4
Sec. 4. A person may not buy or sell any of the following that have been
removed from a cemetery:
(1) Grave memorial.
(2) Grave artifact.
(3) Grave ornamentation.
(4) Cemetery enclosure.
(5) Other commemorative item.
As added by P.L.100-1999, SEC.1.
IC 14-21-2-5
Sec. 5. A person who knowingly violates a provision of this chapter commits
a Class C misdemeanor.
As added by P.L.100-1999, SEC.1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the 2000 Legislation have covered the destruction of this cemetery if it
had happened AFTER July 1, 2000?
Sam Cline
********************************************************************************
***************
Saving Graves
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brainer/Braner Cemetery
Jackson Township, Sullivan County, Indiana
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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State Information
Land Type: Private
Owner: Black Beauty Coal Company
Cemetery Location
Jackson Township, Sullivan County, Indiana
Description
A small cemetery with very few stones left and they are barely readable. There
is supposedly about 15 Civil War Veterans buried in there.
Problem
The Coal mine has hired a logging company to log the woods beside the cemetery.
The heavy equipment ran right over the top of the stones and destroyed them. Now
the coal company wants to move the the graves to another site. According to a
legal notice on April 4, 2000 in our local newspaper the Sullivan Daily Times,
heirs have at least 30 days to challenge the request.
Previous Contacts
Civil War Roundtable of Indiana, Wally King, an investigator for the Sullivan
County Prosecutor's Office. Sullivan County Cemetery Board, Hymera American
Legion, Sullivan County Veterans Administration
Note by Saving Graves - Contacted the Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restoration
Project for assistance.
Current Status
Presently trying to find Indiana protection laws for pioneer cemeteries. Also
trying to find heirs to the people buried there. We don't have a complete list
of burials and do not have any of the Civil War names.
Submitted by:
name: Donna K. Adams
Email: dadams(a)sullivan.lib.in.us
Found a story in the Owensboro, KY newspaper (Messenger-Inquirer) about the
vandalism at the cemetery in Grandview, IN (Spencer Co.).
Full story at:
http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/spencer/1465570.htm
It's a very detailed story, which includes the following quote:
"The Indiana criminal code has a felony charge of cemetery mischief. The
charge is applicable if more than $2,500 damage was done to a cemetery.
Grandview's devastation will exceed that figure."
Some really disheartening pictures on the Messenger-Inquirer webpage.
If you want to write to the reporter who did this story, his address is:
jMartin(a)messenger-inquirer.com
I've sent him a message asking that he pass on to those involved our website
address and e-mail address. I'll let you know what I hear from them.
BTW, do we have anyone in the group from Spencer County? I don't have an
INPCRP County Coordinator or County Contact on the list for Spencer Co.
Lois
Bill Spurlock <w.spurlock(a)worldnet.att.net> of "Saving Graves"
http://www.savinggraves.com> was kind enough to pass on the following report
submitted to him. Does anyone on the list know anything about this site? It
appears that the graves are about to relocated, following the reported
destruction of the stones by a logging company.
> name: Donna K. Adams
> Email: dadams(a)sullivan.lib.in.us
> address: 8422 W. Phillip St. Merom, IN 47861
> phone: (812) 268-4957
> Cemetery_Name: Brainer/Braner Cemetery
> Land_Type: Private
> Owner: Black Beauty Coal Company
>
> Cemetery_Location: Jackson Township, Sullivan County, Indiana
>
> Description
> A small cemetery with very few stones left and they are barely readable.
> There is supposedly about 15 Civil War Veterans buried in there.
>
> Problem
> The Coal mine has hired a logging company to log the woods beside the
> cemetery. The heavy equipment ran right over the top of the stones and
> destroyed them. Now the coal company wants to move the the graves to another
> site. According to a legal notice on April 4, 2000 in our local newspaper
> the Sullivan Daily Times, heirs have at least 30 days to challenge the
> request.
>
> Previous_Contacts
> Civil War Roundtable of Indiana Wally King, an investigator for the Sullivan
> County Prosecutor's Office. Sullivan County Cemetery Board Hymera American
> Legion Sullivan County Veterans Administration
>
> Current_Status
> Presently trying to find Indiana protection laws for pioneer cemeteries.
> Also trying to find heirs to the people buried there. We don't have a
> complete list of burials and do not have any of the Civil War names.
>
>
FYI: I finally got the quote on a 55 gallon drum of glycerin
1 x 55 gallon drum = 551 lbs. Net @ $1.12/lb. Delivered
($617.12) which comes down to just over $11.22 per gallon.
Anybody want to bankroll a purchase??
-------------------------------
Parchem Trading Ltd.
30 Highridge Road
New Rochelle, NY 10804
Tel. 914-637-7060
Fax. 914-636-3056
Email. info(a)par-chem.com
www. par-chem.com
--------------------------------
Debby
Saturday, June 9, 2000 -- The Gibson County INPCRP and the Princeton Library
Genealogy Department are co-sponsoring a Cemetery Preservation Workshop
(details, agenda, speakers, etc. to be announced soon).
(FYI: Princeton and Gibson Co. are near Evansville.)
Contact for additional information: Ernie Lasley at elasley(a)sigecom.net
===========================
Sunday, June 10, 2000 -- Rededication of the newly-restored Little Flock
Baptist Cemetery in Harrison Co., IN.
(FYI: Harrison Co. is fairly close to Louisville, KY.)
Contact for additional information: Art Dillman at dee(a)ccrtc.com
Holly Jenks has some very excited news that she's asked me to share with you:
MESSAGE FROM HOLLY:
--------------------------------------
I revamped the job description of John Walters and our county commissioners
went for it. I couldn't fulfill John's obligations so I wrote my own job
description.
At the April 4th County Commissioners meeting I was made the official LAPORTE
COUNTY CEMETERY PRESERVATIONIST........have use of the commissioners meeting
room on every Friday, free copier available..........permanent room for
library, files, meetings, workshops.......YES! They were ready for the
Preservation and Restoration of cemeteries and liked the community service
part. IT IS ELECTION TIME!
My first day was Friday, April 7th and so rewarding. Got a cemetery map from
1850 on a cloth window shade and a bread box of deeds, burial permits and
records books. I just asked to copy them but got the originals for safe
keeping.
The next Friday, April 14th I got 160 hours of community service help to send
to the cemeteries.
My "Friday Only Office" allows me to have contact with community service,
sextons, public and the persons re transcribing the stones. We have plans to
do it all..transcribe, preserve existing records, write histories, photograph,
repair, and clean the cemeteries. Yes we do have wonderful volunteers too.
Patricia Harris of Michigan City is helping with the transcribing part and I
am working with the community service.
We will are making a "library" to be available to the public every Friday. We
are reading 6 cemeteries at the present. And have lots of "boxes" of donated
cemetery stuff to log in. Alot of business to handle on just Fridays.
Just in case you don't remember me.....I was with the Indiana "A Team" from
Bloomington who attended the Kentucky workshop last April 15-17th. And I was
the person with cemetery interests to show at the Indiana Dunes Natural
Resource hearing to give my 2 cents about cemetery preservation and I gave
them a handout so they wouldnt forget want I spoke about. I was at the
Bloomington workshop in October and now trying to get the first ever STATE
CEMETERY CONFERENCE sponsored for the Fall.
LaPorte County was the one in 1969 who wrote the Pioneer Cemetery Commission
law with the lax word of "may" appoint a Pioneer Cemetery Commission. I
apoligize for the word "may". Our Pioneer Cemetery Commission President, an
attorney, who is 91 yrs old, wrote the law and explained the word "may". They
wanted the counties to "want" to have a commission and not be made to have
one. Maybe you can try again to change the minds of the commissioners by
asking to be on their agenda and plead your case on cemetery preservation. I
did it alone, maybe they got tired of seeing me in their office. But I am the
FIRST CEMETERY PRESERVATIONIST and very proud to make this new step in
cemetery restoration
and preservation.
Are there any other Pioneer Cemetery Commissions in the state formed under the
1969 law? I would be interested in hearing your operations.
Down side: I work my regular job 4 days a week and lost all benefits,
(vacations, insurance, and leader status) to be part time to take on this
cemetery project. And I got poison ivy after a weekend of cemetery cleaning.
But this is an ideal job and I don't have to wait till I older and retire.
Thanks again to John Walters and Lois Mauk for all their help and advice.
Holly Jenks, LaPorte Co. Cemetery Preservationist
c/o LaPorte Co. Auditor
813 Lincolnway
LaPorte, IN 46350
HollyJen(a)csinet.net
=================
Clark County Cemetery Preservation Committee --
Next meeting: Saturday, June 3, 2000, at Clarksville Library
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5881
Clark County GENWEB Project:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inclark
Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp
In a message dated 4/18/00 10:56:23 AM Central Daylight Time,
ssilver1951(a)jps.net writes:
<< We read in a book called MURDER IN L ITTLE EGYPT (1989) that a pioneer
cemetery on a the HICKORY HANDLE farm beyond Herod had been bulldozed by Dr.
Dale Cavaness when he owned the property. Cavaness apparently murdered at
least one of his own sons and spread the ashes of one of them near the old
cemetery site. >>
I don't know whether the term "Little Egypt" is ever used in southern Indiana
or not, but it is very commonly used near Carmi, Illinois--all of the area
south of Mt. Vernon or so is known as "Little Egypt"--and businesses often
have the phrase within their name. The campus of Southern Illinois University
prints the "Daily Egyptian" newspaper for students, whose mascot is the
"Saluki"--an Egyptian dog. I would say this cemetery was in Illinois rather
than Indiana, but it's just a guess.
Carol Bradbury