Dear Sandy, you wrote:
I am trying to formulate a "plan of attack" on how to
approach this
project, and I am wondering if I should try to determine the cemetery
ownership first, by the deed records. I'd appreciate hearing your
experiences and guidance as what not to do, or what to do first.
I'm offering help if you want it. I will be glad to send you a computer file
that was used for recording information from our Area Plan Commission. It
covers a great deal of information and it includes all our cemeteries.
They printed a book from this file this year. The public and county
employees loved having this available to them, not to mention all us
genealogy folks. Sharing this with everyone in your county will help
educate and protect the too. Hopefully! Every cemetery has one page with
all the info on it. Making this one nice small book. We have 133 verified
cemeteries in our county.
Our gal from Area Plan began this study started in 1988, she was a
professional genealogist then. (I feel making this especially valuable form
a history lover's point of view) She made visits to each cemetery in the
county and collected an amazing amount of material. She also worked with
our local genealogy society and both places have copies of deeds and
materials found. The society holds the burial records and misc. information
that would not be important to Area Plan, and they hold things like Topo
maps and other items that would not be of use to a genealogy society. But
it is all noted in one small file. Amazing to me.
The fields covers all of the items you mentioned and more. The deed
research articles on the INPCRP page are written from her. Here is the list
she covers in this file: (just titles)
NAME-AKA, CARETAKER, TOWNSHIP, OWNERS, LAND KEY NUMBERS, TOPO MAP REFERENCE,
VERIFIED, BOOKS PUBLISHED, BURIAL LIST, MAPS, SOURCES, HISTORY, LOCAL
HISTORICAL SOCIETY LISTING AND HOLDINGS, Ind STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY NOTES,
LOCAL SURVEYS, DEEDS FOUND, VETERANS, MISC INFO, CONDITION, RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATIONS, CEMETERY DEEDS FOUND, TRIVIA NOTES-like earliest burial,
AERIALS, PHOTOS, PLATS, IND.PIONEER CLASSIFICATION, AND LASTLY, DIRECTIONS
FROM OUR COURTHOUSE.
She has township books in her office with documentation one each cemetery in
the county and is always updating this file. She is know as our cemetery
lady and we are lucky to have her. Several have been saved because of her
knowledge. Many builders and land owners trying to subdivide have been
upset by having this info available. :-( See the advantage now!
This file is in Microsoft Access97. She has given her permission to share
the file already, an older version. If you don't have Access, maybe someone
else can receive a copy for you. I fell this is really a great file to
share. And would love others to see if they could help improve on this.
Are we not all in the same boat here? Maybe Jeannie could share her
thoughts on this too.
I will be attending the workshop in Madison and can bring the printed copy
with me.
Lou Ann Terry-Clugh
Tippecanoe County Pioneer Cemeteries Group Coordinator
See our cemeteries at:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~intippec/tcem.html