Well now, I live in Memphis Tennessee and you are in Chicago. I travel to Barbour County at least 4 times a year and have relatives that live there and I got involved with this HOT new genealogy thing 26 years ago. I have to disagree with you. There is not only a big problem in Barbour County but other counties and states as well. You are right in the fact that the land was bought but wrong in the fact that there are no descendents that care the fact is that many descendents cannot find the cemeteries because they are now on private property, over grown and cannot be located. YOU would think that the person owning the land would have enough respect for those that had gone before him to at least cut the grass, since they knew the cemetery was on the property when they bought it. What about those cemeteries now on Meade one of the biggest paper manufacturers in the world. Some are even behind locked gates so there is no access for family. I have to disagree with you there are many, many cemeteries in this condition. I am still trying to find where my Glover family is buried they were among the first settlers to come to Barbour County. Besides all of that if it were one cemetery it is one too many. Some of these cemeteries are so bad that I would not dare go there in the summer, too snaky, will only attempt it in the winter. My cousin was snake bite cleaning an old cemetery. Margie CC Barbour County ----- Original Message ----- From: <cfurth@ibm.com> To: <ALBARBOU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 9:56 PM Subject: [ALBARBOU] Cemetery Preservation > > I have read the conversation about the cemeteries in Barbour Co with > interest. I don't think the problem of untended cemeteries is as > widespread as the picture that is being painted. > The people who live in Barbour County are generally attentive to > the cemeteries in which their relatives are buried. The cemeteries > associated with active churches are well tended by church members. > In smaller churches, everyone helps unless they are physically unable. > The larger cemeteries (& many smaller ones) have committees - people > from the associated church, supported by public donations, who care > for them. Periodically, you will see a notice in the Barbour > newspapers reminding people to send in their donations. I also know > of family cemeteries on private property that are being well > maintained by descendants today. > The problems occur with small family cemeteries where there are > no family members living nearby to provide care and with the > cemeteries associated with a church which is no longer active. The > number of family cemeteries on private property increased as land was > sold out of the family. As roads and transportation improved during > the 1900s, the number of inactive churches increased with people > moving memberships to the larger churches. In some cases these > cemeteries became overgrown because there were no descendants who even > knew of their existence until genealogy became a hot hobby. > Care of these specific untended cemeteries is a real problem, > primarily because there is no one to assume the responsibility there. > It seems to me that would be a good project for a genealogical society > to oversee. Clearly, the responsibility will be more effective if it > is assumed by an organization that will exist 25,...100 years from > now. > Claire > Chicago > > > ==== ALBARBOU Mailing List ==== > Got a complaint, contact me not the list margie@majorinternet.com > >