Joni,
There are those far more experienced than Merle and I, but I'll offer my
opinion on what to do with stones you have discovered and read in an
abandoned cemetery. I think you already have the "do no harm" approach.
In two years of restoration, we were only approached twice by people who
were suspicious about our actions and motives. In both cases, it gave us an
opportunity to learn more about the cemetery's history, and past
reclaimation attempts. We would be very impressed if a Sheriff stopped,
because it would exhibit a concern we have not seen.
You are right where we were when we decided we had to make a committment to
pioneer cemetery preservation and restoration! In our case, we mapped the
cemetery as we read it, recording the stone in its location as discovered.
If we found fragments, we tried to group them together on the base if we
could find it. Do nothing that will confuse someone responsible for future
restoration or lead to further degradation.
I think it would depend a lot on how much traffic this cemetery sees, too.
In one cemetery which was kept mowed, we returned the markers to their found
location after reading because we knew that we were not going to be going
back to reset the stone, but the groundskeeper probably knew where it was
and was keeping it there for its own safety. In one which was only
occasionally mown, we tried to put them on top of their bases in an obvious
way so that they would not be accidently hit by mowing equipment, and hope
that we will be able to be involved in a restoration before more damage
occurs. In the one we planned to restore, we left them where we found them.
We knew there would be no mowing and very little foot traffic except by us.
I commend you on your efforts in indexing the cemeteries, and on your caring
approach to the project. Hopefully, some of the more experienced listers
will have some helpful advice.
Ruth Cox Schlemmer
SE Indiana
----- Original Message -----
From: Joni <JLCURTIS(a)prodigy.net>
To: <INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 1999 1:32 PM
Subject: [INPCRP-L] Cemetery Questions II
> This last Sat. I called my 11 year old grandson to go with me to a
cemetery while I finished walking it and recording (snip)
Hello,
I have wondered what other people do in this same situation. My sister
and I
have several cemeterys that we are indexing for the Hancock County
Genealogy
Society (IN). Some of the stones are laying face up over the grave
site and are
covered with dirt and mud. Do we leave them as they are and possibly
risk them
sinking farther into the earth or do we clean them off and pull them
up out of
their little "pocket"? We are afraid if we move them to far, they will
not be on
the right plot. We are also concerned that a stone may break as we try
to lift
it up, and then, have we done more harm than good? We are also
concerned that
passer-by people may see us and get the idea that we are taking the
stones for
re-sale and that they could come back another time to do the same. We
did have a
Sheriff stop by at one site. We showed him our notebook and he was
satisfied we
were O.K. What do you on the list suggest? How far should we go when
our intent
is to record the Cemetery? I will wait for your answers.
Thanks, Joni in Indy