Sharon,
Thank you for the good ideas. I have contacted the township trustee and am
waiting for a reply. I hope I find the same situation you did with your
grandparents' grave.
Debbie
mills wrote:
Debbie,
I found a big shrub leaning over the gravestone of my grandparents in
Delaware Co IN. This large cemetery is almost always attended by a
caretaker. He needed only to establish that the next of kin of the
deceased, in this case my aunt who was with me, wanted the offending
vegetation gone.
An uncle had planted the shrub about 20 years ago, and he has been gone at
least ten years.
It took almost two months but it finally was gone. The caretaker actually
appreciated not having to mow around it any more. We could see that some
staining had already occurred on the stone.
This is a cemetery I visit several times a year, and I leave a check with
them about once a year for maintenance. I have tons of family there.
I suggest you call the local Chamber of Commerce, library, township
trustee, or other individual who might know who is responsible for these
cemeteries. If this is a small community, call a business and ask. Or go
to the county's Genweb page, ask the coordinator, or place a query.
Good luck!
Sharon Mills
At 08:10 PM 07/10/2000 -0500, you wrote:
>I am brand new to this mailing list. I signed on because I care deeply
>about preserving pioneer cemeteries in Indiana. I live in Texas, but my
>ancestors are from Brown, Jackson, and Lawrence counties in Indiana.
>Last fall, I visited the cemetery of some of my ancestors for the first
>time. I was amazed at the wonderful condition in which I found it. Only
>one thing disturbed me. Growing next to the stone of one ancestor was a
>huge pine tree. I am afraid that with time the tree will cause the
>headstone to topple over and break. I am also concerned about breaking
>the headstone with any attempt at removal of the tree. The cost of such
>a venture is unknown to me as well. Does anyone have any advice about
>this problem? One last question if I may - since I found the cemetery
>in such good condition (no underbrush or overgrowth) is it probable that
>some individual or organization is acting as a caretaker for the
>cemetery? How would I go about finding out who is caring for the
>cemetery?
>
>Debbie
>
>
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"Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have."
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)