Apparently I cannot send all the files through to rootsweb - please do email me if you are interested, I will send directly, which I did to a House cousin just now, all fine. --- On Fri, 9/30/11, avis walker <awalker719@yahoo.com> wrote: From: avis walker <awalker719@yahoo.com> Subject: Little Cemetary with Joel Blankenbaker & wife,Susanna House near Renssalaer IN. To: germanna_colonies@rootsweb.com Date: Friday, September 30, 2011, 1:44 PM Hi, I am sending along this information on behalf of Von Blankenbaker, who is spearheading the project of restoring the Harris Family Cemetary in the cornfield with which it is surrounded. Many of the stones therein were vandalized over the years and are not set on their bases. The headstones of our relatives: Joel Blankenbaker and Suzanna House are very much legible still, but are broken. I myself 'discovered' the plot some years ago with my son Nick. We were led there by a Thornton Cousin, Genevieve Williamson, saying that they were buried in their daughter's husband's farm cemetary.  It is found when the corn is up by looking for the tree that marks the center of the cemetary. We had quite an adventure that day. It is listed now on the Newton County Indiana map as Harris Cemetary. When Von originally set out to get this resurected, the county was involved, but the Indiana State rules say that unless the land belongs to the county, no upkeep nor restoration can be paid for with public funds. Since the farmer is not willing to sell the land to the county, that is no longer an option. The farmer did agree however to allow access to family and to allow restoration work to be completed.  The original contact for the county project restoration priced the work at about $2000 with some of the exploration and marking of the stones to be acomplished by outside parties (aka relatives). We are set to do just that later in October once the harvest is in. I agreed to come down to assist - sounds like fun! I have attached some of the information that Von forwarded to me, (if it doesn't not come through with this email, email me at awalker719@yahoo.com, I will send to you) he has asked that I share with any cousins of House/Blankenbaker that I know in the hopes any of us can help financially as well, since he and his immediate family are bearing the cost to date. Von has also done an abreviated genealogy report on them, going forward in time, but not backward - Joel was born in Virginia, and is a direct to Germanna - if you wish more information on his lineage, I can provide - but I would believe most everyone connected to him knows who he and his family are....please look through the information...this is an opportunity to do something positive in our genealogy work. All the best - Avis Walker - my great grandmother was Joel's daughter, Louisa Mildred Blankenbaker married to George R. Thornton.