Ernie and others,
I must be missing something. We, who are trying to restore
final resting places, cannot probe to find graves, where people
have remove the stones.
But it must be all right if construction completely dig up all remains
and send them to a university. Where is the DNR, when this
happens.
I am sure these acts of destruction did not have any
documentation. Qualifications of individuals involved, etc.)
John P. Dawson
To Ernie and all:
Ernie, I do appreciate your articles - they are terrific and give very
valuable guidelines. I'm passing along what the DNR told me when I called
and asked what types of activities we could legally do. They said,
paraphrased, if the tombstone is visible (i.e. any corner of it) we can dig
it out and reset it. If the tombstone is *not visible at all* we cannot do
anything without the DNR's permission. And we cannot probe to find sunken
tombstones without permission.
I know that the law is aimed more toward prehistoric artifacts, and I too
would like legal clarification of this one. But if you call and ask Amy
Johnson at the DNR, that's the answer you'll get. And Rick Jones refused
our written request to probe for stones because we didn't have enough
supporting documentataion (qualifications of individuals involved, etc.).
Dale Drake
Morgan County History & Genealogy Assn.
Cemetery Committee
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Quote from William Gladstone (1809-1897), three-time Prime Minister of England
and Victorian contemporary of Benjamin Disraeli:
"Show me the manner in which a nation or community
cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical
exactness the tender mercies of its people, their
respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty
to high ideals."