Jack,
When doing my Black History programs at Minnetrista Culture Center and other
places, I brought up the subject on pioneer African-American burial grounds
and their upkeep. Not one person at any of these meetings had ever heard of
neglecting their cemeteries for any of the fore-mentioned reasons. I believe
it goes back to the period when times were a little different for the
African-American citizen and their graveyards were not respected by some
folks, so they were neglected.
UEB
Henry County, IN
WWW.HCGS.NET
-----Original Message-----
From: Jackbriles(a)aol.com [mailto:Jackbriles@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 12:59 PM
To: INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Not Cleaning an African-American Cemetery???
In a message dated 2/27/03 11:36:36 AM Eastern Standard Time,
elasley(a)sigecom.net writes:
If I read in a
book, "don't clean up African-American graves, I'll probably find another
book to read.
Ernie
Ernie, I remember the DHPA advised not to clean an African-American
cemetery, citing the writings of a lady from, I believe the Carolina Coastal
area. In that area it may be true. Not in Indiana. I don't care whose
writings are cited, that is not true here. We have had in our family for 5
years a Granddaughter who is married to one of the nicest most polite
African-Americans you would want to meet. I asked him about this subject.
His
mother has Passed. He said he had never heard of anything so idiotic. He
told
me, he would pull saplings, weeds or grass by hand on his mothers grave
before he ever allowed this to happen.
Also he checked with his Grandmother and others and they wanted to
know who started such a story. They were irritated just thinking someone
would let a grave site grow up. So it is not at all common in Indiana, or
Kentucky where his family is from. Now, since I don't clean cemeteries in
the
Carolinas or any other state but Kentucky, I will continue to carry pruners
into all Cemeteries. Incidentally, An African-American (Or Black Cemetery,
as
he prefers to call them, We are White, He is Black) named Westhaven here in
New Albany is kept very neat and clean by the Cemetery Association. If they
let it grow up, they would be replaced quickly.
jackbriles(a)aol.com
Jack E. Briles Sr.
Floyd Co. PCRP Coordinator
PO Box 444
New Albany, In. 47151-0444
(812) 282-6585
==== INPCRP Mailing List ====
THIS IS A CEMETERY -----
"Lives are commemorated - deaths are recorded - families
are reunited - memories are made tangible - and love is
undisguised. This is a cemetery.
"Communities accord respect, families bestow reverence,
historians seek information and our heritage is thereby enriched.
"Testimonies of devotion, pride and remembrance are carved
in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life -
not the death - of a loved one. The cemetery is homeland for family
memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living.
"A cemetery is a history of people - a perpetual record of
yesterday and sanctuary of peace and quiet today. A cemetery
exists because every life is worth loving and remembering - always."
--Author unknown -- Seen at a monument dealer in West Union, IA