Mary Ann and Madonna:
On behalf of the citizens of the State of Indiana, I'd like to apologize to
you for the conditions you have found the cemeteries in which your ancestors
are interred.
Indiana is really a funny state by the way we do things. While we can't seem
to pass legislation that would allow us to raise the necessary funds, and
awareness, of the plight of our pioneer cemeteries, we can still find it in our
hearts to tax the citizenry on the property they own just as we did those very
ancestors who are buried in those pioneer cemeteries over 150 years ago. It
seems we can build multi million dollar buildings to house our state archives
and historical collections, but can't work to maintain and restore our pioneer
cemeteries. And in some situations, we strive so hard to preserve the native
weeds our ancestors fought to kill that we fail to keep their burial locations
from becoming extinct.
I'm sure many thoughts must have entered your minds upon your arrival at the
cemeteries you referred to after seeing them in such deplorable condition.
But rest assured you are not alone, for most, if not all of us on this list,
find ourselves in the very same situation. We, too, share your frustration, but
more importantly, we find ourselves embarrassed at what we have allowed to
happen in this great state. With your help and that of all of those on this list
and around this state, we will continue to right this wrong by continuing to
work for common decency, the decency that comes by the realization that the
blood that flows through our bodies was once that blood of those whom we have
long neglected. Those very same ancestors who are looking down at us now in
shame for allowing such a travesty to occur.
With your help, we'll continue to make progress toward this common goal of
love and respect for those who have gone before us.
Cordially,
Kyle D. Conrad
Brook, Indiana