Hello, All. I thoght this was such a good post that I wanted to forward it to all those folks who are searching, sometimes in desperation, for ancestors burial spots. Ruth in GA ----- Original Message ----- From: <BONEMAN275@aol.com> To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 12:25 AM Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] Obscure Graveyards > I would offer a suggestion to those visiting old cemeteries, particularly > small family plots which may be threatened. Record the GPS coordinates of > the headstones. A hand-held GPS with excellent accuracy can be purchased for > about $100 now. Since Clinton turned off selective availability in May, > these devices are accurate to within about 50 feet just about anywhere on the > planet. This means, that even if an old cemetery is flattened (something we > don't want to see, but yet it still happens), at least future generations > will know where the graveyard (and actual stones) once were. I use a GPS on > all my X-country drives to locate gravestones, cellar holes, old homes, etc. > Just something else to consider. > > The first course of action should remain to keep this cemetery protected > during the development phase. I know since there were concerns a few years > ago regarding the Vliet Cemetery off Persons Road, near Rte. 173 in > Bloomsbury. This cemetery was threatended by development, but it looks like > it should be safe for now. This is where my 3rd and 4th great grandparents > are buried, namely Maj Gen Garret Vliet and wife Lydia Eckman and Capt Daniel > Vliet and 2nd wife Charity Blackwell. > > Glenn Van Vliet in OKC > > In a message dated 9/16/2000 09:14:07 AM Central Daylight Time, > bmcdon@ptd.net writes: > > << Subj: [NJHUNTER] Obscure Graveyards > Date: 9/16/2000 09:14:07 AM Central Daylight Time > From: bmcdon@ptd.net (Beverly G. Kirby-McDonough) > To: NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com > > Thank you, Andrew, for your response. > > I will take the advice and begin to photograph and transcribe the > headstones in the THARP / GARRISON cemetery at Bethlehem Township. > These records will be submitted to the Hunterdon County Historical > Society at Flemington in Hunterdon County for future reference. > > As we know, in the "olden days" Hunterdon was primarily an > agricultural area. Farmers usually had large families, and maintained > between 150 to 250 acres per farm. Many of these familys buried there > loved ones (and slaves) on the farm itself, often with crude markers > or none at all. > > Presently, residential development is *booming* in Hunterdon. The old > farms are being sub-divided and sold off to developers, who try to put > as many expensive homes on one site that local zoning laws will allow. > In fact, there is an article this week in the Hunterdon Democrat > whereby one of these old farms in Union or Alexandria Township is > under threat of condemnation. A local school board wants to build a > new school on the site. The elderly farmer is pictured in a > wheelchair, suffering from MS, just wanting to keep his property > within his family. However, the school board and township contend > that their actions are for "the public good". Again, a battle was > lost to maintain an old farm on Creagar Road in High Bridge. And now, > we have a nice new golf course there. I suppose this is called > "progress". > > For those interested, here is a list of little-known, small family > cemeteries that I know of in my area. I believe all of them are > located on private property. > > Robbins Family Cemetery - Route 579, Union Township > Ruple / Rupel Cemetery - Route 625, Alexandria Township > Tharp / Garrison Cemetery - Route 579, Alexandria Township > Vanderbelt / Vanderbuilt Cemetery - Route 519, Alexandria Township > > Please send a message to the list if you know of others. > > Thanks, > > Beverly G. Kirby-McDonough > Holland Township, HC, NJ > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Andrew Johnson" <tajohn@mainlymac.com> > To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 9:25 AM > Subject: [NJHUNTER] Graveyards > > > > Dear Beverly Kirby-McDonough: > > I am not versed in the local situation in New Jersey nor of > its > > laws but I do know what can happen. Where residential development > > begins to encroach and where a cemetery is uncared for, the > gravestones > > will disappear and all information concerning the dead interred > there > > will be forever lost. The only real solution to the problem is to > > photograph each and every headstone and preserve the information > > thereon. If you have the means to do that in this case or know of > > someone who could do that and then turn in the work to one of the > active > > genealogical societies for permanent preservation, by all means do > it. > > If laws can be passed which would make such graveyards > > historical sites, they need to be passed if they are not already on > the > > books. Our heritage stands in jeopardy if these graveyards are not > > preserved and recorded. I hope you can do something to do this. > > Sincerely > > > > Andrew Johnson > > > > <tajohn@mainlymac.com> >> > > > ==== NJHUNTER Mailing List ==== > Visit the Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: > http://members.aol.com/njysprez/index.htm >