The cemetery has a long and unfortunate history over the years. The IOOF
sold it many years ago and the new owners neglected it and defaulted on
payments, and the IOOF got it back. It then took several years to find
someone else to buy it. It is now the Historic Estates of Serenity, owned by
the Marion Cemetery Corporation. The sexton's name is the ONLY name we can
find associated with the cemetery. There is supposed to be a board of
directors, but we can find no record of their names, locally or with the
Secretary of State's office. Newspaper articles dealing with the transfer
around 1999-2000 mention only the sexton/caretaker/manager that I spoke with
and a lawyer.
I will give them credit, they came into a bad situation and have been trying
to repair years of neglect of a cemetery with 30,000+ burials dating back to
the start of the county in the 1830's. They have little funding, permanent
endowments set up decades ago had disappeared, along with most of the
records. However, it doesn't take any more time or money to do the repairs
right the first time, then to use 5 minute epoxy and have it fall apart in a
few years. The sexton/manager is also the local monument dealer so he
believes he "knows" how to take care of headstones, treating marble and
limestone the same as granite.
I will keep trying to track down the board of directors, I have an interest
in this cemetery as my grandparents, great grandparents, and great great
grandparents are buried there.
Thanks for all the replies!
Rhonda Stoffer
----- Original Message -----
From: <KidClerk(a)aol.com
To: <INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 5:35 AM
Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Any advice?
Sharon kind of touched on this....Rhonda you said you have been in
contact
with the sexton of the cemetery. Is that the caretaker? If so, go to the
people that make the decisions...the cemetery board, and explain your
position to them. They are technically the ones who call the shots, and
might have a better understanding of why you are concerned.
-Kyle
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If you know of some good cemetery related links, send them to
LoisMauk(a)usa.net.