Please read the forwarded mail below. I am forwarding this to the lists as a request for this information. I and my husband will obtain the map for Thomas Co. someone else will need to do this for the other SWGA counties. My husband as a designer/draftsman will be able to see that the information is placed in the proper place on the map. Anyone with information regarding cemeteries and unmarked graves please do send the information to me to include. Please feel free to forward this to the counties I may have overlooked. Thank you for your help. Winnette Stinson ----- Original Message ----- From: <Danelliott@aol.com> To: <gnw@rose.net> Cc: <EbenezerArcheo@aol.com> Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2002 4:38 PM Subject: Thomas co cemeteries Winnette Stinson: Hello. I am Dan Elliott, an archaeologist with the LAMAR Institute (our web site: http://shapiro.anthro.uga.edu/Lamar/ . I live in Box Springs, Talbot Co, Ga. Our organization is currently surveying archaeological sites in 14 counties of southwest Georgia for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Our survey includes Thomas where your data is prominent on the GaGenWeb Tombstone project. We are including cemeteries in our domain of things to record as official "archaeological sites". In addition to our own survey investigations, I have accessed the UGSG GNIS cemetery lists, and have downloaded the GaGenWeb pages for specific cemeteries. While many of these have verbal descriptions of the cemetery locations, for our purposes we need very specific locations on the USGS topographic map (7.5 minute quadrangle series). Our survey resources will not allow us to visit every cemetery in the 14 counties of course, so I am hoping to get some information from local history buffs on these locations. Any that are shown on the topographic map, I can get from the maps, but for the more obscure cemeteries, I need a little help. Having cemeteries included in the archaeological files will help give them recognition. This is very helpful in case someone wants to put a Walmart on top of it, for example. The Georgia Archaeological Site Files in Athens is an important repository of information on sites, which is always consulted by archaeologists working on development projects. In their haste to meet deadlines and because of limited budgets the researchers often do not consult all the local historical societies, etc. for potential cemetery information. The Georgia DNR is currently developing a plan to bring all types of cemetery data together into one huge database that will be made widely available, but it is a ways off. Meanwhile, I am attempting to demonstrate in this SW Ga survey the various places that cemetery data is available. What would be most helpful for my purposes is a xerox or scan of a topographic map, or a county highway map if the former is not available, showing a dot or outline for the cemetery. With this information I record the cemetery in the state files. If anyone cares to send me additional sketch maps, etc. of the cemeteries, that information is appreciated and will be put in our project files that will be turned over to Georgia DNR. This is a good opportunity to get better recognition for the cemeteries in your area. Also, I am interested in any unmarked graves as well as marked graves, so if anyone has information on unmarked cemeteries or unmarked graves within othe cemeteries that information will be helpful as well. I will be contacting others who have made major contributions to the GaGenWeb tombstone project, but feel free to pass this message along to anyone you feel is appropriate. One last point, if anyone knows of archaeological sites in their area other than cemeteries, we are recording them as well and I welcome any information about them. The results of our study should be available by early next year and some portion of it will be distributed to the general public. I appreciate your efforts in Georgia's mortuary research and urge you to keep up the great work! Thanks, Dan My contact information is: Daniel T. Elliott President, The LAMAR Institute, Inc. P.O. Box 317 Box Springs, GA 31801-0317 danelliott@aol.com phone 706-269-2857 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.371 / Virus Database: 206 - Release Date: 6/13/02