Received this post on the Coordinators List. I know many of you have been discussing this very issue regarding some of our Decatur County and Crawford County Cemeteries. Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 19:15:02 EDT Subject: New Rootsweb Mailing List - CEMETERIES-HISTORIC-PRESERVATION My cousin David Reed, the List Adminstrator for _Maine@rootsweb, _ (mailto:Maine@rootsweb, ) _New-Eng-Gen@rootsweb_ (mailto:New-Eng-Gen@rootsweb) ) and I have had many online conversations about how sad it is to see old historic cemeteries fall into disrepair and neglect. We have done a lot of research on what can be done to preserve these places that have such significant genealogical value. We decided to ask Rootsweb to establish a new list that covers historic preservation of cemeteries. There are Rootsweb lists that answer queries about cemeteries in specific states, but nothing that covered methods of preserving and restoring cemeteries. If asked whether we have all the answers, of course the answer is "no", but hopefully, we can find answers through the sharing of information, and resources. This is the description of the group that David and I have created, although Rootsweb had to shorten it a bit to fit the space they have available: "Discussion and sharing of information by individuals interested in saving local history and culture through the preservation of historic cemeteries that may be the only remnant of information regarding early settlements and the pioneers who link us to past history and genealogical information. Discussions shall include: Preservation of historical information about cemeteries, identification of groups interested in historical cemetery preservation, research techniques on how to locate historic and abandoned cemeteries, methods to photograph historical tombstones, research documentation suggestions, computer databases for organizing databases for organizing research, potential funding grants (USA), the safeguarding and distribution of transcription records and hopefully, the creation of new groups with a commitment to cemetery preservation and the preservation of local history and culture in areas where none exist. Queries regarding specific ancestors and local cemeteries should be referred to: _http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Cemeteries/_ (http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/other/Cemeteries/) _ Although a single Administrator must be named for a given Rootsweb online list, David Reed and I will share the responsibilities equally. As of today, the list is "open for business". To make it easy, if you will send me a PRIVATE e-mail at _Scrapcat2@aol.com_ (mailto:Scrapcat2@aol.com) _ and tell me whether you want the digest version of individual messages, I can press some buttons behind-the-scenes to make it easy for you to join. Or you can join through the regular sign-up method.