This may apply to many of us who, having established where our families were buried, arrive on a visit only to find no sign of them anywhere. More than 20 years ago, a cemetery in New Zealand was in the way of a new motorway. The remains were dug up re-interred in a mass grave and, in at least this one instance, a relative gave the grave marker (headstone) to a local museum. Following a twenty-year search, a direct descendant of the man commemorated on the headstone has finally rediscovered it - buried at the back of a shed and destined for dumping. It does make you wonder if some of our missing Hampshire headstones are languishing in a shed somewhere, to say nothing of what happened to this museum 'gift'. Might it be worth contacting museums in Hampshire to see if they have ever received any such gifts?

Another trend over here is to use the headstones as paving to make pathways in the churchyard. Lyndhurst I think it is has a path that seems to go on and on and is headstones all the way! They are now thinking of putting six people in one plot now, but only on graves that are over a certain age!! Must be following the trend of pulling down houses and building blocks of flats on the land!! chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Margaret Usmar" <margaretusmar@gmail.com> To: <HAMPSHIRE-LIFE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 11:20 AM Subject: [HAMPSHIRE-LIFE] Grave Markers This may apply to many of us who, having established where our families were buried, arrive on a visit only to find no sign of them anywhere. More than 20 years ago, a cemetery in New Zealand was in the way of a new motorway. The remains were dug up re-interred in a mass grave and, in at least this one instance, a relative gave the grave marker (headstone) to a local museum. Following a twenty-year search, a direct descendant of the man commemorated on the headstone has finally rediscovered it - buried at the back of a shed and destined for dumping. It does make you wonder if some of our missing Hampshire headstones are languishing in a shed somewhere, to say nothing of what happened to this museum 'gift'. Might it be worth contacting museums in Hampshire to see if they have ever received any such gifts?