Someone wrote the other day asking about an old Soldier's Home in Franklin County. I got this response from the Brookville Town-Township library , I'm not aware of an "old 'soldier's home in Brookville. There was a children's home located at the entrance to the county park...also a county infirmary located inside the park. (I believe any destitute person ended up in the county infirmary...so a few could have been veterans.. There was a Soldier's Home in Marion Indiana, Grant County. Hopefully that will answer any questions Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

The obituaries on the website are in the process of being updated for me by Bonnie Stokes in West Harrison, Indiana. Tonight we have posted obits for the rest of July, 1998....I have August 1998 in my possession and she is working on September 98 now. A BIG thanks to Bonnie for lending me a hand. Hopefully we can things rolling again. Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

Randy, My modem must have been tired last night when I got "document done" at 1 minute 15 seconds. After reading this morning's e-mail I timed it again: 9 seconds to first picture and document done in 33 seconds! I suggest leaving everything alone. Others' problems may be with their Internet Service Providers or their modems and PCs. Mason

I give a hearty "Amen" to Darrell's sentiments. The site is well worth any potential wait. Jari -----Original Message----- From: Darrell O'Day <aesellers@yahoo.com> To: INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com <INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, February 01, 1999 10:15 AM Subject: [INFRANKLI-L] Re: Website Speed >Randy and all, > >I spent many years as a writer and researcher using pen and paper, and >an old Underwood typewriter. > >I am thrilled to have access to such a wonderful website, and gladly >spend three or four minutes waiting for it to open. I could wait ten >minutes, and still be thrilled! That would give me time to brew a pot >of coffee and ENJOY genealogy! > >Remember the old Underwood! > >Darrell > > > > >_________________________________________________________ >DO YOU YAHOO!? >Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com >

I love to hear the nostalgic sound of those keys clacking, but I agree with Darrell. I just move on down and click on the link I want...I don't have to see all the graphics to appreciate the site. I don't know much about the technology, Randy, but I do believe it is just that there is SO MUCH on the site. And that is the way we like it! Thanks, Ruth Cox Schlemmer -----Original Message----- From: Darrell O'Day <aesellers@yahoo.com> To: INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com <INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, February 01, 1999 11:14 AM Subject: [INFRANKLI-L] Re: Website Speed >Randy and all, > >I spent many years as a writer and researcher using pen and paper, and >an old Underwood typewriter. > >I am thrilled to have access to such a wonderful website, and gladly >spend three or four minutes waiting for it to open. I could wait ten >minutes, and still be thrilled! That would give me time to brew a pot >of coffee and ENJOY genealogy! > >Remember the old Underwood! > >Darrell > > > > >_________________________________________________________ >DO YOU YAHOO!? >Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com >

Randy and all, I spent many years as a writer and researcher using pen and paper, and an old Underwood typewriter. I am thrilled to have access to such a wonderful website, and gladly spend three or four minutes waiting for it to open. I could wait ten minutes, and still be thrilled! That would give me time to brew a pot of coffee and ENJOY genealogy! Remember the old Underwood! Darrell _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Well I have just about done everything suggested to me to get the site to load faster. The only other thing left is to take some of the links off. If some of the graphics are the problem, there is not much I can do else, do to the fact some of the graphics are required to be a USGenWeb site and also to help promote the site to let everyone know about it. On my system the site loads in 37 seconds. If anyone has any suggestions or just let me know what links to take off and we will discuss it Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

I would like to know if anyone has a Colgate or Colegate (or even Collegate) in their family line as a marriage, etc in or around Franklin County.... There were connections through marriage with LYON and BURGESS... Thanks for any help. Nancy Goodman in TN

Okay, this is the second person that said other sites load faster....does anyone have any suggestions. I am not a computer wizard but I will see what I can do.... BTW, Bonnie Stokes of West Harrison has been busy working on the Franklin County obits and there will be a slew of them added just as soon as I get a little time....THANKS BONNIE!!! Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator -----Original Message----- From: Donald L. Jones <dlj62@upstate.net> To: INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com <INFRANKLI-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 10:25 PM Subject: [INFRANKLI-L] Web Page Loading Time >Randy - Just as another data point I checked the time to load the >Franklin County GenWeb page tonight, at 10:15 PM ET. The time required >was 4 min. 20 sec. This is consistent with what I have experienced in >the recent past on this site. Other sites are downloaded much faster. - >Don > >

Randy - Just as another data point I checked the time to load the Franklin County GenWeb page tonight, at 10:15 PM ET. The time required was 4 min. 20 sec. This is consistent with what I have experienced in the recent past on this site. Other sites are downloaded much faster. - Don

I am searching for information on George Adam RIPP, b. 1812 d. 1882, and Catherine Ann BRILL, b. 1800 d. 1856, both immigrants from Germany who settled in Franklin County, and their children, including Otto John Franklin RIPP, b.1836 d. 1891. Through the many helps afforded by Randy Klemme's website I have determined that George and Catherine were married in Franklin County on June 9, 1835, that George initiated his naturalization papers in Franklin County in 1837, and that both George and Catherine received land patents for land near Blue Creek in Highland Township in 1836 and 1837. Extracts from a copy-book written by Otto John Franklin RIPP include mention of Catherine BRILL RIPP's death on August 6, 1856 and of her obituary in a newspaper or church bulletin titled "The Christian Apologist", which mentions a Br. Muth in whose church she was a member. I will appreciate any information received about any of the above persons and newspaper, and any suggestions as to finding further information as to church, cemetery, and other family relationships. Thanks much, Mason Ripp mlripp@worldnet.att.net

Three or four weeks ago, I mailed copies of five hundred signatures to the legislators sponsoring bills. Last Wednesday, I delivered copies of slightly more than six hundred signatures to the Senate Committee on Governmental and Regulatory Affairs. As of Friday evening, we've received EIGHT HUNDRED FOUR petition signatures! With the delay of the House Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development hearings being postponed until Monday, February 8, I think there is a good chance we can hit 1,000 by the end of next week. Wouldn't that be cool?!!! Lois Lois is the state PCRP coordinator....anyway wanting me to e-mail a copy of the petition to be printed and signed can e-mail the list and I will see that you get one. Maybe a little easier than downloading the ADOBE program that is necessary on the PCRP website. The petition is also on the state PCRP website. There is a link on the Franklin PCRP website at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/6893 Randy Klemme Franklin County genealogy and PCRP Coordinator

Dear Randy, Recently I ran across a genealogical search engine that leads both to free-access websites, and to paid-subscription websites. Despite its commercial angle, I found it to be quite useful. You might want to consider adding it to the Franklin County Index: <A HREF="http://www.familytreemaker.com/ifftop.html">Family Tree Maker Global Search Engine</A> at: http://www.familytreemaker.com/ifftop.html Best wishes! Larry Christensen San Diego

An update on the cemetery bills going through the state legislature from the INPCRP Coordinator Lois Mauk Randy Klemme -----Original Message----- From: Lois Mauk <LawOfficeInformationSystem@worldnet.att.net> To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Thursday, January 28, 1999 11:12 PM Subject: [INPCRP-L] Belated Report on Senate Committee Hearing 1/27/99 >This is my belated report on our appearance before the Senate Committee on >Governmental and Regulatory Affairs on Wednesday, January 27, 1999: > >I was joined in Indianapolis by Ron Baldwin and his wife Mary Jane, David >Foster and Jack Eaton. Also there was Bill Shaw, the Indianapolis Star-News >reporter who wrote last year's "Death of a Cemetery" story. > >There were about 40 people crammed into a room better suited to hold 30 or >so. We were permitted to testify with respect to both Senate Bills. > >Senator Paul opened the discussion by commenting that he was inspired to >draft the bill after attending the funeral of a friend and being surprised >at the declining condition of the cemetery where the friend was buried. He >mentioned that the cemetery was in desperate need of "rehabilitation" but >that the cemetery association was without funds to do the work needed. >Obviously, this was an "active" cemetery as the friend's burial was taking >place there and the cemetery had an association to help take care of it. > >I suspect that that situation is similar to many happening here in the >state. The site is associated with a church or other group, there is a >loosely-organized association which keeps an eye on it, they have a small CD >in the bank and use the interest on that CD to pay for keeping the grass >mowed. There are no funds available for stone repair, removing trees, etc. >The same scenario is playing out all over the state. > >I suspect, however, that the cemetery is on "private" property, not owned by >the state, the county, the township or the city. In which case, I question >whether the cemetery Senator Paul was trying to help would even be eligible >for the funding to be provided by SB 178. > >When called to speak, I told them that rehabilitation funds were, in fact, >desperately needed by Indiana's cemeteries but that they were needed even >more so by Indiana's abandoned and neglected pioneer cemeteries, especially >the poor forgotten ones on private property. We explained to the Senators >that, by reliable estimates, 70 to 90 percent of all of Indiana's cemeteries >are in fact small private cemeteries established in the early to mid-1800s >on private property. > >They did not understand what I meant when I referred to most of these being >on land that was never "deeded out" of the main tract. I told them about >our blacktopped cemetery down here in Clark County and that it was legal to >pave these occupied graves because taxes were "assessed and paid" on the >property. > >I'm still hoping I didn't come across as a blithering idiot when I spoke >concerning SB 178. I got very nervous and seemed to lose the ability to >read. :-{ I did have the presence of mind to deliver to the Committee >copies of the 600+ petition signatures. At the last minute, I grabbed a >couple of pictures of "typical" abandoned and neglected Indiana pioneer >cemeteries out of my briefcase. I wanted them to have SOME idea of what we >were talking about. > >Ron reported that, of the 300 cemeteries identified to date in Monroe County >(Bloomington), only TWELVE of them are on "public" land, owned or controlled >by the county, cities or townships. The rest are on private land and, as >such are not eligible for care by township trustees. > >We talked to them about the blight of these lost and forgotten burial >grounds. I them pictures of two cemeteries that, for all appearances, are >nothing but an expanse of weeds and trees. > >The Committee members did not seem to understand the true condition of these >blighted, neglected, abused sites. They did not seem to grasp the vastness >of the problem. Next time I'll take giant poster-sized blow-ups. > >After further testimony, the Committee decided unanimously to HOLD on the >passing of SB 178. > >After several other bills were discussed, the Committee turned to SB 280, >the bill sponsored by Sen. Pat Miller. > >David Foster made several comments about the bill, including a suggestion >that the party seeking to move graves be required to file notice of a >specified type size in hopes that the notices won't get lost in the >classifieds and talked about the difficulty of moving some of the large >monuments, such as the tree-trunk type. (I don't think the Senators knew >what he was talking about but I think most of us have seen these Woodsmen of >the World concrete tree trunk markers. I agree with David that they are >going to be difficult if not impossible to move.) > >Mr. Williamson of Historic Landmarks spoke briefly in favor of SB 280. > >The President of Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis spoke about making >available burial space for "dislocated pioneers" (my expression, not his) in >Crown Hill. He described Crown Hill's pioneer graves section with 1,063 >relocated graves. It was not clear to any of us whether Crown Hill was >offering free burial space for relocated graves and their markers. I rather >doubt that the space will be free and I was unclear whether he was >suggesting moving human remains from the far reaches of the state to Crown >Hill. The Senators certainly seemed to respond more attentively to his >comments than the pleas we were making. > >The Committee stopped short of telling us to "go pound sand". There were >comments made that the State could do nothing about graves on private >property and could not be expected to help. > >Among other comments that I made, I questioned the appropriateness of the >Department of Natural Resources seeming to swoop down on every accidental or >intentional exposure of human remains in Indiana and warehousing the remains >at the University of Indianapolis Forensics and Archeology Laboratory. > >I told the Committee that we have filed an Open Records Act request with the >DNR and the University of Indianapolis requesting information on the number >of pioneer graves excavated, the number of human's remains and the counties >in which they were located. Tomorrow will be a week since I sent those >requests and, much to my amazement, I have not yet heard from the State >Archeologist or the U of I. > >I did a better job of sticking to my script on the second bill and was able >to read both pages of my notes. > >The Committee voted unanimously to pass SB 280. > >Additional information on each of these bills is available on the INPCRP >website at: > http://www.rootsweb.com > >Sorry this report was so late. I was just beat when I got back from Indy >last night and then I worked 11 hours today. > >Lois >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >Have you signed an Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project >PETITION TO THE INDIANA LEGISLATURE calling for revision of current >state laws regarding protection and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries? > See http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >Next meeting of the Clark County Cemetery Preservation Committee: > Saturday, Feb. 6, 1999 at 2 PM at Pleasant View Methodist Church on > Highway 60/111, near entrance to Deam's Lake, south of Borden > Website: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5881 >- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > >==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== >Please do not send querries through this list. > >

Several members of the Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project (INPCRP) appeared Wednesday afternoon (1/27/99) to testify before the Senate Committee on Governmental and Regulatory Affairs, which was discussing two cemetery bills (SB 178 and 280). There will be a hearing before the House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development on: Monday, February 1, 1999 at 3:30 P.M. in the House Chambers (third floor of the State House; east side) Additional seating is available in the gallery, accessible from the fourth floor. The House is considering SIX very important cemetery bills, the details of which and links to the various sponsoring legislators and the full text of the bills can be found on the INPCRP website under "Pending Legislation" at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp If ANY of you are in the Indianapolis area or can be in Indianapolis on Monday afternoon, we would dearly love for you to join us there. Since the meeting will be in the House Chambers, they should be able to accommodate a large turnout. (There were about 40 people crammed into the Committee room on Wednesday, though a number of them were present regarding other bills.) This is a unique opportunity to see our goverment in action and a chance for our voices to be heard by the men and women who make our laws. In my honest opinion, I don't think the Legislators are getting the big picture here. I don't think they are in touch with the desperate reality of this situation and it's only by showing up in numbers that they are going to realize that large numbers of potential voters are watching what happens in the State House this year. Indiana's pioneer family cemeteries (which by some estimates account for 75 to 90 percent or more of all the burial grounds in the state) have little or no laws to protect them. Property owners are permitted to abuse, neglect and obliterate these sites pretty much with abandon. There is only minimal enforcement of the laws that DO exist. Most of the proposed bills will have impact only on cemeteries on "public" property -- sites owned or controlled by the state, the counties, the townships and the cities and towns. One bill (HB 1522) will govern how and under what circumstances our ancestors and predecessors' remains will be disinterred and reinterred when the real estate upon which they are buried becomes "ripe for development". The real estate developers in this state consider pioneer cemeteries an impediment and an encumbrance. I can guarantee you that, in years to come, you will at some point learn that a cemetery to which you feel some bond will be subject to relocation. How that takes place and what happens to those human remains, if it must happen, is of tremendous importance to family historians, genealogists and right-thinking people everywhere. Today, if a property owner wants to move a known cemetery on his/her property or if human remains are found in an unknown cemetery is found during construction, there is almost a 100% chance that those remains will be excavated and then warehoused in a university archeology laboratory where they will be housed INDEFINITELY for "archeological research". It's happened on three occasions in the past two years that we know of today. We're sure it's happened more often that that, but these things are usually kept hush-hush because they don't want to "offend our sensibilities". The 35 children and 8 adults that were exhumed two years ago in Indianapolis to make way for the construction of a warehouse are STILL on deposit in a laboratory in Indianapolis and there is apparently no timetable for their reinterment. It happened last summer in Dubois County and it happened again last December in Shelby County. Read the bills yourself. They are all linked from the INPCRP Pending Legislation pages. Make up your own minds about them. Contact your legislators and tell them your opinion. Come to the hearing on Monday in Indianapolis if you can and stand up and tell your Representatives' what you know and what you believe about the desperate state of the vast majority of Indiana's pioneer cemeteries. Lois Mauk INPCRP State Coordinator

At 28,800 bps, and at 11:54 p.m. on Wednesday, the Franklin County site loaded for me in 75 seconds. The graphics appeared within 30 seconds so that I could begin scrolling through the site. I was careful to erase my history and all automatically stored sites to avoid a false reading. My guess is that the 10 minute load time experienced by the other user was a personal equipment problem, or a local server problem that would affect all sites he looked at during that time. Once again, Randy, you're doing a wonderful job. Best wishes! Larry Christensen San Diego LHChristen@aol.com

These load times came from www.siteinspector.com 14.4K (slow) 74.91 seconds 28.8K (average) 37.46 seconds still do not see a problem Randy Klemme

I just checked the website and with my 28.8 modem it loaded in just under a minute from top to bottem on the front page... Randy

I just got shot this e-mail....is anyone else having 10 minute problems loading the website? I have asked for a further explanation but i want to check with everyone to see if there was a problem....Here is his e-mail... ------ what used to take 1:40 minutes to reach you now takes 10:40 minutes to do. Thats hardly an improvement, even though you have a very good site. waiting 10 minutes to get connected is not incouraging. al -------- It does not take my system long to load the main page.....the picture pages are a little slow but that is because of the graphics... PLEASE HELP Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

We are looking for any information concerning on any of the Campbell's which were living in the Pepper town are in the early 1900s. Thank you.