I have been a subscriber to this list for a long time, but have not really been a
participant in the email banter. Nearly everything I know about cemeteries I owe to LA.
If it was not for her, I would not be getting dirty nearly every Saturday. Thanks, LA for
all your teaching and support!
My involvement in cemetery conservation grew its roots out of genealogy research, like
so many others. I visited numerous cemeteries in other parts of the country that looked
like so many in Indiana. Fallen stones, vandalized cemeteries, overgrown with weeds,
etc., and wondered why no one was taking care of them. Then one day, I drove to Clinton
County to pay my respects to one set of 4th great grandparents and other family members
only to find the same thing. Again, I thought someone needed to do something about this.
I finally realized that if no one had taken care of the cemeteries previously, they
wouldn't now. That is when I realized it had to be me out there and that was when I
hooked up with LA.
Since then, I have been working in this cemetery pretty much by myself, probing,
digging, cleaning. I drive a little over an hour (one way) every Saturday as I don't
live in Clinton County. I find it a quieting time, a time that God and I share together.
If you drive by sometime, you might even catch me talking to those buried there. Last
year, I joined the Association for Gravestone Studies and attended my first conference
held in Doylestown, PA. I attended the conference this year in Nashua, NH and was asked
to run for the board. So now I am on the board.
I am telling you all of this because I think it is something that many of us share. My
story is no different than anyone else's story. But I need some assistance now with
different things and who else better to ask than those close by.
Everything used in my work is purchased with my own money. I have sought assistance
from the local genealogical society (an endorsement) so that I might have a friend in the
county - some local support, but the society thinks I am after its money. The society is
only 'interested in purchasing books for the library and preserving history.'
Seems a little ironic, don't you think? Isn't conserving these cemeteries
preserving history?
What I need are suggestions as to how to start a cemetery group in a county in which I
am not a resident. How does a 'foreigner' go about raising funds? I need to find
someone who can help me either locate a tripod or build one for me at a reasonable price.
I also need to know if any of you are interested in the AGS. If not, why and would you be
interested if AGS started area chapters? I am looking for good feedback here. I need
some good suggestions, thoughts, ideas, whatever.
Over the past year, I have read some mean emails within this group and I have read some
really positive ones. I would hate to see this group explode and leave no mark. Mother
nature does a job on these places without help from vandals. Let us help each other out
and make good use of this group. Cemetery conservation is too important to our culture
and history.
Thank you.
Cathi Taylor