Winnette, Al Medcalf writes: "The original data is not being destroyed. The old stones are being moved to the foot of the graves and being used as footstones with the full inscriptions visible." Response: The best place to hide a lie is in a half-truth....the OLD STONES WILL NEVER BE REPLACED WITH A DUPLICATE HEADSTONE. That is because the decaying old stones are being left to decay (at the foot of the grave) and no policy of the cemetery or the SCV anticipates to ever renew those inscriptions. This is the double talk of Al Medcalf...HE'S not destroying the stones.....MOTHER NATURE is doing that....all Al Medcalf is doing is NOT REPLACING the stones with like for like. All Al Medcalf is doing is adding something NEW to the grave until the old stones decay....then what....only the NEW Altered stones will remain. Al Medcalf writes. "The information on the old stones is preserved in the History of Lamar County book and on internet sites." Response: God Bless others because the cemetery won't be preserving the data. Everything hinges on private individuals to preserve this data for the next million years....because the Cemetery and Sons of Confederate Veterans will not preserve it. If the data is in a history text about the cemetery, why is the data not on the new headstones at the cemetery. The SCV throughout the nation are doing headstone replacement much like what is happening at Barnesville Cemetery. The old stones decay out of existence and everybody doesn't get concerned because the SCV has said they have replaced the stones....but they have altered the data on the new stones.....when the old stones decays to nothing...then what and in a overwhelming number of cases they are gone, no books, no internet, no private lists. When the Sons of the Confederate Veterans in Barnesville are finished...where do they go next. Everyone should get active and record these inscriptions before the SCV comes to town to re-write your cemetery. If you don't preserve this data, the SCV won't, the cemetery won't. Al Medcalf freely admits that what is in the Book "History of Lamar County" is not what is on the headstones now. WHY NOT? WHERE DID AL MEDCALF GET THE POWER TO REWRITE HITORY. AL Medcalf says that he is indeed altering the stones and that others must record the history...because he is not. Al Medcalf writes: "This isn't even original data as Childress states. The original markers were wood and were replaced around 1896 and I am sure they had become decayed and hard to read." Response: It is not the wood headstone marker that is valuable it is the ORIGINAL DATA on the headstone. When the wood markers where replaced in 1896 the DATA was transferred faithfully. Shame on Al Medcalf and the Barnesville Cemetery for now altering the 1896 DATA. They should have been the first line of preservation of what that data said. Instead they alter the data, as are a plethora of other SCV stone replacement projects, and it is up to other Good Samaritans and historians to record the data before it disappears. It is a race against time and you don't quite know when the SCV is coming to your cemetery to re-write headstones...but it is everywhere the SCV operates. Al Medcalf writes: "Furthermore it has been proven by DNA testing that Gary Childress is not related to Lt. D. M. Childress." Response: Not so...but doesn't matter. I am the Project Administrator for the Childress DNA Project with Family Tree DNA Laboratories. I the person who started and administers the DNA Project for our surname. I know more about the DNA research on our surname than any other person in the country and more than AL Medcalf. Childress researchers disagree on who is in this grave at Barnesville Cemetery. That may always be the case and may be the case for ALL THE SURMAMES in the cemetery. Let the researchers debate the issues to their hearts content....but the Cemetery should have ABSOLUTE responsibility to the preservation of data than to let the Al Medcalfs of this world alter the data and not let the original data decay and just hope some unrelated Good Samaritan is going to keep a record for posterity. Al Medcalf writes: "However, a Mrs. Mary Smithey of Texas is the closest living relative to lt. Childress and she has requested that a new stone be installed." Response: Mary Smithey does not own the grave or have any legal rights to decide what happens at the grave. Mary Smithey is not on my DNA list but she is welcome to argue into the future with other researchers about who, exactly, is in this grave. These are Civil War graves on City property....owned by the City of Barnesville and maintained by the city of Barnesville. Mary Smithey is a nice person but has no more right to decide the fate of this grave than any other person. The City of Barnesville is calling the shots. The bigger problem is that the SCV is largely unchecked at all cemeteries and is changing stones as they wish to their new improved, error free modern versions of headstones. The grave stone replacement issue is huge in its scope. Everywhere I have seen that the SCV participates the headstones are being re-written. Al Medcalf writes: "Mr. Childress has not been to the cemetery and has repeatedly ignored explanations concerning the work being done there." Response: I live in California not Georgia, which maybe why the Mayor and other locals dismiss the issue but I have asked all who will listen to take an interest. I have contacted the office of Mayor of Barnesville who has not replied. I have contacted the Cemetery Administrator who has not replied. I have contacted the City Administrator who has not replied. I have contacted the Congressman, who has referred me to the above. I have contacted historical societies and have not received any explanation as to why this data can be altered with impunity. Ultimately the locals must decide and, if there is no interest, these headstone data will be re-written and the old stones will decay out of existence. So be it. Gary Childress List Administrator for Rootsweb Childress surname mail list Administrator for the Childress-Childers DNA Project Source: GA-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: Barnesville Confederate Cemetery I should think any further questions regarding this should be taken off list. I send the email below only for your information only and not to cause a problem. Please, no personal remarks on the list. Thanks, Winnette ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Barnesville Confederate Cemetery From: TSM773@aol.com To: gnw@rose.net Winnette, The reason you can't believe this is happening, is because it isn't. Mr. Childress is making false accusations. The original data is not being destroyed. The old stones are being moved to the foot of the graves and being used as footstones with the full inscriptions visible. The information on the old stones is preserved in the History of Lamar County book and on internet sites. This isn't even original data as Childress states. The original markers were wood and were replaced around 1896 and I am sure they had become decayed and hard to read. Furthermore it has been proven by DNA testing that Gary Childress is not related to Lt. D. M. Childress. However, a Mrs. Mary Smithey of Texas is the closest living relative to lt. Childress and she has requested that a new stone be installed. Mr. Childress has not been to the cemetery and has repeatedly ignored explanations concerning the work being done there. Thank you, Al Medcalf 10th Brigade Commander Georgia Division SCV --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.726 / Virus Database: 481 - Release Date: 07/22/2004