Lon Fink, I changed computers and lost your E-Mail address. On Thanksgiving
and Friday , we probed over the hill and found some partial stones. Also 1
complete unbroken stone buried about 18 inches. The question I have for you
is, we found a partial stone with the name "John Fink" could he be a
relative. I thought you said you had no Ancestors buried here, but I wanted
to let you know. Also thought you might like to know we have found, besides
the Stone in the memorial and the one unbroken stone and base we found
Thursday, we now have 17 bases, and 19 complete, or partial names and dates
to verify that there are definately 19 buried there. Out of The stones we
have only one fits any of the bases, so that indicates there are, 9not
counting fieldstones we have found),at least 36 burials. And I am not done
yet. We definately are beginning to come together, as far as becoming a
viable cemetery again, as far as knowing some of those buried here.
Jack Briles
For those of you who've recently joined us on the INPCRP, the Old St. Peters
Cemetery that Jack Briles wrote about earlier today is one which was bulldozed
in the mid-1960s by a Catholic priest, because it was too much trouble to mow
around the old stones found there. The stones (which dated back to the
mid-1850s) were literally pushed over the hillside, many of them buried under
earth dumped on top of them, most of them busted to smithereens in the
process.
It's truly unbelievable, but it happened! Though there was talk back in the
1960s of erecting a monument listing the names of all those buried there,
apparently the list of internments was lost and the priest eventually died.
The cemetery was forgotten and ignored. A few months ago, Jack Briles
organized a massive clean-up effort to clear the site of some 30 years of
vegetation. In the process, Jack found all the pieces of an infant's stone,
repaired it and installed it beside a memorial he had made to the unknown dead
buried there.
A good number of members of the INPCRP have lent a hand in the reclaimation of
this tortured site and, this past Thanksgiving weekend, Jack Briles, Betty
Briles, John Walters and Micki Walters were able to retrieve the stones and
pieces Jack described in his latest report.
Jack, let me take a moment to commend you for tackling what most anyone else
would have considered a "lost cause". This site was so totally destroyed by
an intentional act that it could easily have never been recognized as a
cemetery. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, you have perserved. You are
a treasure!
And to every single man, woman or child who has ever lent a hand to the
efforts to reclaim Old St. Peters Cemetery or any other beleagured, tortured,
neglected burial site anywhere else on the planet, you have my utmost respect,
admiration and thanks.
Very truly yours,
Lois Mauk
Jack Briles:
I noticed earlier that you wanted to know about any persons probably
buried in Old St. Peters Cem.
My husband's ggrandfather is likely to have been buried there. He died
in 1880 in Harrison County and we haven't been able to find his grave.
His name was Frank Brown.(Francis Braun) We strongly suspected St.
Peter's before reading about your work. He was not of the more common
Brown family in Harrison County, but believed to have come from
Alsace-Lorraine. There may have been some Peffer or Pfeffer also.
We haven't been to Harrison County for several years, but have been
anxiously following your activity.
Ellyn Kern