Morgan County has been busy since 1995, the formation of the Morgan Co.
History & Genealogy Assn. The first committee to be formed was the
cemetery committee, and we've been working ever since to identify and
survey each of our over 170 cemeteries (most small and abandoned.
What we do: we select a township, pull together everything we know about
it from the library (location, headstone inscriptions, WPA plat, veterans
list), and then schedule visits to each cemetery. During the visit we
document the condition of the cemetery with photos and a written summary -
things such as whether mowed, stones down/damaged, perimeter encroachment
from undergrowth, etc. We check the headstone inscriptions if the cemetery
is small, but the purpose isn't to read the cemetery - there's never enough
time. We get 5-8 cemeteries done in a morning, usually, depending on how
hard they are to find and to reach.
We then go to the auditor's office and, with their aerial photos and maps,
determine the exact owner of the cemetery, or if it's a public,
county-owned piece of land. We then pull from the tax cards the address of
the owner, and we record any deed records listed in the auditor's books.
Then to the recorder's office, where we pull those deeds, print them out,
and check to see if they mention the cemetery - some privately owned
cemeteries have some kind of easement built into the deed, but the vast
majority don't.
Finally we take all this information and write up a summary for the entire
township. We mail it to the township trustee, with copies to each of our
county's libraries. We mail summaries also to the cemetery associations.
Beginning this summer, with the donation of a GPS from WalMart, we've been
taking GPS readings (exact latitudes and longitudes from satellite
telemetry) for each cemetery. We will map the cemeteries using ArcView GIS
software. These readings are a lot more precise than "a quarter mile west
of Farmer Brown's barn." We're revisiting the townships we've already
surveyed right now, getting GPS readings. The GPS readings are accurate to
about 150 feet - close enough for us (they're not more accurate because the
government scrambles the satellite signals).
We''re cleaning up the loose ends on 10 townships, and have four townships
which haven't been started yet. The process is slow because we all work
and donate Saturday mornings as we're able. There are a few cemeteries we
know exist but we can't find. We hope to finish up by next summer.
Good things have come from this effort. Local residents have become more
aware of their cemeteries and in some cases we've seen people adopt the
cemetery - mowing, putting up signs. The township trustee for the largest
township hired a young man who has taken his task to heart - he's mowed and
cleared all of the cemeteries in Washington Township, erected signs and
flag poles. A big difference there - we love Erick Ennis, and recently
honored him at our monthly meeting and gave him a T-shirt, "Morgan County
Cemetery Restoration Crew" (a crew of one, unfortunately).
Two scout troops have adopted cemeteries and are caring for them. We need
to meet with the local council to see if we can get others involved.
What we don't do: we don't actually do any restoration. We wish we could,
and perhaps that will come, but right now we're busy enough just finding
the cemeteries. One reason we're doing this is to have a group of people
who know where the cemeteries are - one of our members had visited all of
the cemeteries in 1991-92 for the IGS cemetery survey, and we're picking
his brain.
Lots to do and not enough workers, but we're happy being able to do something.
Dale Drake
Cemetery Committee Co-chair, Morgan Co. Gen & History Assn.