On one of my other listservs a question was ask on how to read old tombstones. The gentleman said he had heard shaving cream worked. This is the reply. PLEASE ALL< NO SHAVING CREAM, CHALK, FLOUR or ANYTHING ELSE on tombstones! They are made of stone, but are really quite fragile, even granite!...Take a SOFT brush to brush away grime! Don't attempt to remove lichen except to wet stone, (even that isn't REALLY good)and softly brush away, If it doesn't come off, leave it there! It will hurt the stone less than you would trying to take it off of it! Even rubbings have been stopped by some cemeteries. IF you just have to do it, and can't get out of it> FOR PHOTO"s, either take person to hold, or prop up a mirror and set it so that it will reflect the light onto the tombstone. It shadows it in such a way you may not see, BUT in the picture it shows up super-well! FOR RUBBINGS: Use only paper (acid free is best, and will last the longest), soft charcoal pencil, and a bit of masking tape to hold paper in place. Make sure to take tape off also, as this will also destroy the integrity of the stone! My Hubs does stone work, and knows all about the different kinds of stones, and because I love my genealogy, I was asking him about it, and he swears that with the genealogy bug growing and growing, that MANY a tombstone will totally be lost! Some to this generation, and definitely to future ones. Let's all do what we can to make sure that those that come after us, will have something to see also! T