This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------4DF16FD8DFECF19417D2D8A2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This was posted on the state PCRP board from our state assistant coordinator. I am also checking into cemetery laws from other states that have been forwarded on to me....Thanks for everyone's support and writing of letters!!! Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy and PCRP Coordinator --------------4DF16FD8DFECF19417D2D8A2 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Received: from fp-1.rootsweb.com (fp-1.rootsweb.com [207.113.233.233]) by si-net.com (8.9.0/8.8.5) with ESMTP id DAA13600 for <randyk@si-net.com>; Tue, 25 Aug 1998 03:31:59 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from slist@localhost) by fp-1.rootsweb.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id FAA06580; Tue, 25 Aug 1998 05:28:08 -0700 (PDT) Resent-Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 05:28:08 -0700 (PDT) X-Sender: LawOfficeInformationSystem@postoffice.worldnet.att.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.2 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Old-To: KENTUCKIANA-L@rootsweb.com, INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com From: Lois Mauk <LawOfficeInformationSystem@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Bob Hill's Column in 8/25/98 C-J Message-Id: <19980825122800.CMBF27789@LOIS> Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 12:28:00 +0000 Resent-Message-ID: <"w6ZtzB.A.OmB.V3q41"@fp-1.rootsweb.com> To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Resent-From: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com X-Mailing-List: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/341 X-Loop: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Precedence: list Resent-Sender: INPCRP-L-request@rootsweb.com If you are in the Louisville area, columnist Bob Hill ran a prominent column in this morning's Courier-Journal concerning Donnie Loweth's fight to save his family's cemetery on Blackiston Mill Road. (I've asked the C-J webmaster to add Bob's column to the stories on the C-J webpage at http://www.courier-journal.com.) For reasons that I fully understand, Bob Hill had to tone down his article, lest he and the paper risk being sued by the property owners. He couldn't say that they had paved over two-thirds of this cemetery and that about half of the shopping center's parking lot is over graves. Though we have the survey evidence and circa 1923 photos of the cemetery showing dozens of stones in the now-blacktopped portion of the cemetery, the fact remains that, under current Indiana law, the property owners can get away with this! IT'S LEGAL!!! The real story here is the insensitivity of our lawmakers in making this possible. Write letters today to your Legislators, especially Rep. Markt L. Lytle (D) of Madison, a funeral director who may be sympathetic to this cause. The Indiana State Legislators' e-mail and mailing addresses are available at: http://www.state.in.us/cgi-bin/legislative/legislator_list.cgi If you haven't read Bill Shaw's Sunday 8/23/98 "Death of a Cemetery" article in the Indianapolis Star, see http://www.starnews.com/news/citystate/98/aug/0822SN_rhoads.html for the full devastating article and photo. I'm asking you to take a minute to write a concise, heartfelt letter to the Editor of the Courier-Journal pleading for overhaul of the statutes that make this sort of thing possible. It's only by reinforcing and bolstering the public's awareness of the devastating impact of current law on pioneer cemeteries in this state and others that we can perhaps pluck the heartstrings of the legislators who make this sort of thing possible. The other sad side of this story is that it is happening all over Indiana and everywhere in the country. Unless there is a great grassroots consciousness-raising effort, nothing will change. The e-mail address for the Editorial Department is: cjletter@louisv02.gannett.com The snail-mail address is: Readers' Forum The Courier-Journal P.O. Box 740031 Louisville, Kentucky 40201-7431 The fax number is: (502) 582-4290 Be sure to include your full address and telephone number or else they will not print your letter, though your street address will not be published. Lois ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== This Can't be my family tree, I'm a peach and its full of nuts! --------------4DF16FD8DFECF19417D2D8A2--

This is a note posted to our state PCRP list that is for all to read.....It's from our state assistant coordinator Lois Mauk of Clark County... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy and PCRP Coordinator I think it would be appropriate for members of this group who are outraged by the fact that Indiana law permits property owners to do this sort of thing to write letters to the Editors of the: The Indianapolis Star: stareditor@starnews.com The Indianapolis News: newseditor@starnews.com Star/News Online: jsmall@starnews.com Let them know how you feel about this situation. If they print some of our letters, maybe, just maybe, we could get the attention of the Legislature. Frankly, a drastic overhaul of the laws governing the protection of our pioneer heritage is our only hope. By the time Indiana's bicentennial rolls around in a few years, there won't be much left to save! Lois

This is a note posted to our state PCRP list that is for all to read.....It's from our state assistant coordinator Lois Mauk of Clark County... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy and PCRP Coordinator

Rep Bischoff I contacted you several months ago about our concerns for the upkeep of our pioneer cemeteries in the state of Indiana and how there are NO laws that actually govern the care of these cemeteries. It was very disturbing today to read in the Indianapolis Star about a pioneer cemetery in Indianapolis and can see how this can and will eventually happen in our area. These cemeteries contain the remains of the families that helped tomake what we have today.....frankly if it were not for these people, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE!!! Our group would like to discuss with you a couple of proposed changes in Indiana Law that would create protection for such cemeteries. Please feel free to contact me at anytime in the future. If we don't do something now....our history WILL be lost forever.... I have also attached a copy of the article for your information... Respectfully, Randy Klemme 722 Western Avenue Connersville, Indiana 47331 Coordinator of the Franklin County Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project The Death of a Cemetery 23-Aug-1998 Indianapolis Star Wayne Township graveyard destroyed for warehouse shows final resting places aren't so final under state law. By Bill Shaw Indianapolis Star/News INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 22, 1998) -- Sometime in 1844, James Rhoads, a prominent Wayne Township farmer, died. He was 70. His family members and friends buried him in a grove of walnut trees on a hill overlooking a little creek. It was the first burial in what would become Rhoads Cemetery. During the next half-century, 43 members of the Rhoads, Foltz, Shute and Rude families would be sent to eternity in the walnut grove. The tiny cemetery was the scene of extraordinary grief over the years as members of the four families repeatedly journeyed in horse-drawn wagons across the sweeping fields and up the lonesome hill to bury their children. Thomas B. Rhoads was 7 months old in August 1849 when he died of an inflamed brain. Elmer Shute was 2 when he died of a bowel infection in August 1859. Hiram Foltz was an infant. George Foltz was 1. Lillian Rhoads was 2 and died of whooping cough on Aug. 13, 1878. Casey Rhoads died of an inflamed brain when he was 2. Emma Rude died at 18 months. On and on they died until there were 35 children buried in the peaceful cemetery on the hill. By the dawn of the 20th century, the burying ceased as the four families either died out or drifted away from southern Wayne Township. Nobody paid much attention to the old cemetery anymore. The cemetery and surrounding farmland changed owners several times. Each new owner farmed the fields and tended the old cemetery out of respect for earlier generations of Hoosier families. The farmers could have knocked down the trees, plowed under the tombstones, planted corn on the graves and made a few more dollars at harvest. But they didn't. The pace of change in Wayne Township picked up dramatically in 1931 when the Indianapolis airport opened on 900 acres, gobbling up farmland and triggering a development explosion in western Marion County. Still, the land around the old cemetery remained untouched, save for the annual spring plowing. The burying ground remained unmolested, decade after decade, hidden on the hill in a 60-foot-wide opening in the walnut grove Danny J. White grew up in the Lafayette Heights neighborhood, just south of the cemetery. In the 1970s, the field around the cemetery served as a dirt bike track for White and his teen-age buddies. He crossed it many times walking to Ben Davis High School. The old dead-end dirt road served as a teen- age lovers' lane. Neighborhood families held picnics beneath a massive, gnarled oak tree just east of the cemetery. White, 41, is a tool and die maker and an Indy Racing League mechanic. He helped fabricate the car Eddie Cheever drove to victory in the 1998 Indianapolis 500. Every day driving to work along I-465 near the airport, he'd glance to the east through the sprawl of hotels, office buildings, warehouses, parking lots, gas stations and fast food joints, and take comfort that the solitary hill and the dark grove of trees remained in this mass of concrete and asphalt. "Even when I was a kid the cemetery and the area surrounding it was breathtaking," he recalled. In the name of development By 1995, the fields that stretched to the horizon when James Rhoads was buried so long ago had shrunk to 21.2 acres. Now jet planes scream overhead, and the rumble of nearby I-70 and I-465 is constant. Cement trucks and construction equipment line the old lovers' lane, and new buildings seem to appear daily, landscaped with skinny stick trees, surrounded by acres of asphalt. One day about 18 months ago, Danny J. White was driving to work and glanced toward the familiar hill and the concealed cemetery. He was startled to see it surrounded by yellow trucks, graders, backhoes and dirt scrapers. He raced immediately to the cemetery and felt his stomach heave. The tombstones were gone. There were ugly gashes in the earth. The big yellow machines had pulled the graves from the earth. "It was sickening," he recalled. He was furious. He made dozens of phone calls and fired off angry letters to an assortment of government officials seeking an explanation. He got one. It was all quite legal, according to state officials. Now go away and quit bothering us, Danny J. White. He wondered how such an abomination could occur in conservative, family-values Indiana where, he, like most Hoosiers, was raised to respect the dead and revere their hallowed, final resting place. "How did this happen?" he asked. "You don't mess with graves." Well, here's what happened, Danny. They do mess with graves. James Rhoads, Thomas, Henry, Casey, Elmer and the other children and eight adults who rested more than 150 years in the safety of the walnut grove became the property of Duke Realty Investments Inc. Duke, which owns or manages 60 million square feet of real estate in eight states, bought the 21.2 acres and the 360-square-foot cemetery in 1995. "We purchased the land for development purposes," explained Donna Coppinger, the helpful vice president of marketing for Duke. "We couldn't develop a site with a cemetery on it." Why? "It wasn't what we wanted to do," she said. Duke will soon level the hill and build a 458,000-square-foot bulk distribution warehouse on the 21.2 acres, obliterating the one-tenth-acre Rhoads Cemetery. It's legal Nearly two years ago, after they bought the land Duke hired an archaeology company called NES Inc. in Blue Ash, Ohio, and together they filed the necessary forms with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology to dig up the Rhoads, Foltz, Shute and Rude families. State laws, which are made by the 150 members of the Indiana General Assembly with extensive guidance from corporate lobbyists, allow property owners to demolish old cemeteries they find on their land. Throw away the tombstones, plant corn or build a warehouse on the graves. It's legal. DNR's chief archaeologist Rick Jones is monitoring the Duke demolition. He said his agency issues about 10 cemetery relocation permits a year. How many cemeteries simply are destroyed, he doesn't know. "We have no way of knowing," he said. But throwing away tombstones and paving over graves doesn't require a permit. Just do it. It's legal. In fact, old tombstones often end up in flea markets. "Most people think cemeteries are forever," Jones explained slowly and uncomfortably. This is not a topic most state officials enjoy discussing. "In Indiana, cemeteries are not forever. If you own the property, you can bulldoze them down. Basically, in Indiana, nothing is sacred." Digging into graves and moving them does require some paperwork, except for farmers who are exempt from even that minor inconvenience. "Farmers can just throw away the tombstones and plow up the graves," said Jones. "And they do. The Indiana Farm Bureau got the legislature to exempt farmers." A couple years ago, DNR proposed a bill to offer some mild protection for old pioneer cemeteries. Corporate lobbyists smothered the bill in committee, and it never received even token consideration. The end of Rhoads Anyway, Duke's cemetery demolition project proceeded under DNR Digging Permit 960062. NES Inc. archaeologist Jeannine Kreinbrink directed the removal of "remains," once known in another life as James Rhoads, Elmer, Thomas, Casey and others. Kreinbrink, who now works for Natural and Ethical Environmental Solutions Inc. of Liberty Township, Ohio, did not return phone calls. She did submit a preliminary report, as required, to the DNR's Rick Jones. It's a haunting document, complete with photographs of the "remains." In many cases, much remains of the remains, like the perfectly preserved bones of little children, their arms crossed, lying in tiny hexagonal coffins. Pieces of shoes and clothing remain. The report also contains a diagram of each grave's location, the shape of the coffin and what was in it. Each former person is identified by a letter and a number. For example, C-2 was the "well-preserved remains of an adult. Sex unknown. Head to west. Arms at side." B-10 contained the "well-preserved remains of an adult. Arms folded with hands over waist." Mr. D-1 was obviously a wheat farmer because he was buried with a wheat scythe and a small plate. Infant D-6 was buried beneath 2.8 feet of dirt in a decorative metal coffin called a sarcophagus with a glass viewing window. E-7 was an older adult male with a engraved tulip on his coffin and the words "Rest In Peace." A-1 was the "poorly preserved remains of an infant, sex unknown. Few scattered post cranial remains." B-1 was an "adult female 20-35 years. Well-preserved remains." And on it went in graphic detail. Most people were buried under only 2 feet of dirt, symbolically facing the setting sun, the western horizon. "I feel a connection with these people," Rick Jones said quietly, flipping through the depressing document. "You feel something looking into a child's grave after 150 years. These are people that used to live, walk around and breathe. We're literally looking into the past and I feel a profound sense of respect." He paused, blinked a couple times. "This is a serious thing." Once Elmer and the others were dug up, labeled with numbers and letters, they were shipped to anthropologist Stephen Nawrocki at the University of Indianapolis on the Southside. He was hired by Duke under terms of digging permit 960062, which required an "osteological" investigation by an anthropologist. That is a study of the bones and "artifacts" for historical significance. "I haven't been cleared by Duke to discuss this with reporters. I'm just a sub, sub contractor," said Nawrocki. Jeannine Kreinbrink called and told him not to talk, he said. Her firm is paying his fees. When will your report be done, doctor? "I don't know." Once his report is complete, DNR will either order Duke to rebury the "remains" somewhere else or they will "be kept in a lab for future study," said Jones. Last December, Blair D. Carmosino, Development Services Director, Duke Construction Inc., fired off a stern letter to DNR officials. "Duke's schedule for construction start-up in this project area is rapidly approaching, so it is imperative that the (DNR) properly issue a clearance letter for this project area." Part of the reason for delay was DNR's displeasure with Jeannine Kreinbrink's preliminary report. Jon C. Smith, director of DNR's Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, found about 40 points in her report he wanted explained, corrected or expanded upon -- like what did Duke plan to do with the "unwanted" headstones they dug up? On July 22, DNR issued a conditional permit to begin "ground disturbing activities" but demanded an archaeologist be present in case additional "human remains" are uncovered. "We'll probably start drainage work and soil things soon," said Donna Coppinger, the Duke marketing person. "Site preparation before winter means if we can get the site ready, we construct our industrial warehouse product this winter. The building will be 1,032 feet long and 440 feet wide." This is good news? "It is good news. We're good corporate neighbors," she said. Property of Duke The other day Danny J. White visited the old cemetery one last time before the ancient walnuts and solitary oak are bulldozed, the hill flattened and the "final" resting place for 35 kids and eight adults is erased from the face of the earth. He hiked through the alfalfa field, brimming with buzzing bees, butterflies and summer wildflowers and up the hill. He rummaged around through the dense brush at the edge of the cemetery. Day lilies planted 150 years ago around the graves still flourish. "Look what I found," he said suddenly, emerging from the brush with the broken top half of a tombstone bearing the words "WIFE OF JAMES RHOADS. DIED." He found it in a bulldozed pile of dirt between two old tires, beer cans and soda pop bottles. What to do? Surely the DNR would want Mrs. Rhoads' broken tombstone. It couldn't be left in the pile of tires and broken glass. Somebody might steal it. It might be demolished in "site preparation." It could be lost forever, a historic treasure, the last poignant symbol of a person's life, sacrificed on the altar of economic development and corporate neighborliness. A quick phone call to DNR research archaeologist Amy L. Johnson provided the answer. "Put it back," she said firmly. What? "Put it back," she said again. Why? "It belongs to Duke. It is their property." James Rhoads' wife's name was believed to be Hannah, and she died on July 24, 1849, at age 85. Her husband, remember, was the first person buried in the cemetery in August 1844. Her broken tombstone, which was carefully placed in the Hoosier soil during solemn, no doubt tearful, ceremonies 149 long summers ago, was returned to the pile of bulldozed dirt, tires, broken glass, beer and pop bottles. It belonged to Duke. It's the law.

Here is a URL for all the addresses to all state representatives.....If you can take a moment to e-mail your disgust to your state representative it would be much appreciated...If you live out of state, by all means, we here are in districts 55 & 68.... I am sure if everyone raises some questions, some things may get done.... By the way, I was told a few months ago by a member of state rep Bischoff's office that they start work on putting things together for the next session in mid sept to late oct.....so this is perfect timing.... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy and PCRP Coordinator

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------37FC917413A3B9AFBA950F90 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This article was in today's Indianapolis Star....THIS IS WHY WE STARTED THE "PIONEER CEMETERY RESTORATION PROJECT".....to try to prevent this from happening. It is now time to lobby our lawmakers to get the laws changed.....I am sending this to State Rep Bischoff and State Rep Hoffman also.... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy and PCRP Coordinator --------------37FC917413A3B9AFBA950F90 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Received: from fp-1.rootsweb.com (fp-1.rootsweb.com [207.113.233.233]) by si-net.com (8.9.0/8.8.5) with ESMTP id HAA04523 for <randyk@si-net.com>; Sun, 23 Aug 1998 07:23:29 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from slist@localhost) by fp-1.rootsweb.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id JAA15978; Sun, 23 Aug 1998 09:20:09 -0700 (PDT) Resent-Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 09:20:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Kjtcet2@aol.com Message-ID: <cb107b1a.35e040ef@aol.com> Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1998 12:18:54 EDT Old-To: INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Subject: The Death of a Cemetery Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 for Windows 95 sub 76 Resent-Message-ID: <"gUltkB.A.S4D.1EE41"@fp-1.rootsweb.com> To: INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com Resent-From: INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com Reply-To: INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com X-Mailing-List: <INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/396 X-Loop: INDYTALK-L@rootsweb.com Precedence: list Resent-Sender: INDYTALK-L-request@rootsweb.com Can you believe this one? Cripes! Cheryl The Death of a Cemetery 23-Aug-1998 Indianapolis Star Wayne Township graveyard destroyed for warehouse shows final resting places aren't so final under state law. By Bill Shaw Indianapolis Star/News INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 22, 1998) -- Sometime in 1844, James Rhoads, a prominent Wayne Township farmer, died. He was 70. His family members and friends buried him in a grove of walnut trees on a hill overlooking a little creek. It was the first burial in what would become Rhoads Cemetery. During the next half-century, 43 members of the Rhoads, Foltz, Shute and Rude families would be sent to eternity in the walnut grove. The tiny cemetery was the scene of extraordinary grief over the years as members of the four families repeatedly journeyed in horse-drawn wagons across the sweeping fields and up the lonesome hill to bury their children. Thomas B. Rhoads was 7 months old in August 1849 when he died of an inflamed brain. Elmer Shute was 2 when he died of a bowel infection in August 1859. Hiram Foltz was an infant. George Foltz was 1. Lillian Rhoads was 2 and died of whooping cough on Aug. 13, 1878. Casey Rhoads died of an inflamed brain when he was 2. Emma Rude died at 18 months. On and on they died until there were 35 children buried in the peaceful cemetery on the hill. By the dawn of the 20th century, the burying ceased as the four families either died out or drifted away from southern Wayne Township. Nobody paid much attention to the old cemetery anymore. The cemetery and surrounding farmland changed owners several times. Each new owner farmed the fields and tended the old cemetery out of respect for earlier generations of Hoosier families. The farmers could have knocked down the trees, plowed under the tombstones, planted corn on the graves and made a few more dollars at harvest. But they didn't. The pace of change in Wayne Township picked up dramatically in 1931 when the Indianapolis airport opened on 900 acres, gobbling up farmland and triggering a development explosion in western Marion County. Still, the land around the old cemetery remained untouched, save for the annual spring plowing. The burying ground remained unmolested, decade after decade, hidden on the hill in a 60-foot-wide opening in the walnut grove Danny J. White grew up in the Lafayette Heights neighborhood, just south of the cemetery. In the 1970s, the field around the cemetery served as a dirt bike track for White and his teen-age buddies. He crossed it many times walking to Ben Davis High School. The old dead-end dirt road served as a teen- age lovers' lane. Neighborhood families held picnics beneath a massive, gnarled oak tree just east of the cemetery. White, 41, is a tool and die maker and an Indy Racing League mechanic. He helped fabricate the car Eddie Cheever drove to victory in the 1998 Indianapolis 500. Every day driving to work along I-465 near the airport, he'd glance to the east through the sprawl of hotels, office buildings, warehouses, parking lots, gas stations and fast food joints, and take comfort that the solitary hill and the dark grove of trees remained in this mass of concrete and asphalt. "Even when I was a kid the cemetery and the area surrounding it was breathtaking," he recalled. In the name of development By 1995, the fields that stretched to the horizon when James Rhoads was buried so long ago had shrunk to 21.2 acres. Now jet planes scream overhead, and the rumble of nearby I-70 and I-465 is constant. Cement trucks and construction equipment line the old lovers' lane, and new buildings seem to appear daily, landscaped with skinny stick trees, surrounded by acres of asphalt. One day about 18 months ago, Danny J. White was driving to work and glanced toward the familiar hill and the concealed cemetery. He was startled to see it surrounded by yellow trucks, graders, backhoes and dirt scrapers. He raced immediately to the cemetery and felt his stomach heave. The tombstones were gone. There were ugly gashes in the earth. The big yellow machines had pulled the graves from the earth. "It was sickening," he recalled. He was furious. He made dozens of phone calls and fired off angry letters to an assortment of government officials seeking an explanation. He got one. It was all quite legal, according to state officials. Now go away and quit bothering us, Danny J. White. He wondered how such an abomination could occur in conservative, family-values Indiana where, he, like most Hoosiers, was raised to respect the dead and revere their hallowed, final resting place. "How did this happen?" he asked. "You don't mess with graves." Well, here's what happened, Danny. They do mess with graves. James Rhoads, Thomas, Henry, Casey, Elmer and the other children and eight adults who rested more than 150 years in the safety of the walnut grove became the property of Duke Realty Investments Inc. Duke, which owns or manages 60 million square feet of real estate in eight states, bought the 21.2 acres and the 360-square-foot cemetery in 1995. "We purchased the land for development purposes," explained Donna Coppinger, the helpful vice president of marketing for Duke. "We couldn't develop a site with a cemetery on it." Why? "It wasn't what we wanted to do," she said. Duke will soon level the hill and build a 458,000-square-foot bulk distribution warehouse on the 21.2 acres, obliterating the one-tenth-acre Rhoads Cemetery. It's legal Nearly two years ago, after they bought the land Duke hired an archaeology company called NES Inc. in Blue Ash, Ohio, and together they filed the necessary forms with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology to dig up the Rhoads, Foltz, Shute and Rude families. State laws, which are made by the 150 members of the Indiana General Assembly with extensive guidance from corporate lobbyists, allow property owners to demolish old cemeteries they find on their land. Throw away the tombstones, plant corn or build a warehouse on the graves. It's legal. DNR's chief archaeologist Rick Jones is monitoring the Duke demolition. He said his agency issues about 10 cemetery relocation permits a year. How many cemeteries simply are destroyed, he doesn't know. "We have no way of knowing," he said. But throwing away tombstones and paving over graves doesn't require a permit. Just do it. It's legal. In fact, old tombstones often end up in flea markets. "Most people think cemeteries are forever," Jones explained slowly and uncomfortably. This is not a topic most state officials enjoy discussing. "In Indiana, cemeteries are not forever. If you own the property, you can bulldoze them down. Basically, in Indiana, nothing is sacred." Digging into graves and moving them does require some paperwork, except for farmers who are exempt from even that minor inconvenience. "Farmers can just throw away the tombstones and plow up the graves," said Jones. "And they do. The Indiana Farm Bureau got the legislature to exempt farmers." A couple years ago, DNR proposed a bill to offer some mild protection for old pioneer cemeteries. Corporate lobbyists smothered the bill in committee, and it never received even token consideration. The end of Rhoads Anyway, Duke's cemetery demolition project proceeded under DNR Digging Permit 960062. NES Inc. archaeologist Jeannine Kreinbrink directed the removal of "remains," once known in another life as James Rhoads, Elmer, Thomas, Casey and others. Kreinbrink, who now works for Natural and Ethical Environmental Solutions Inc. of Liberty Township, Ohio, did not return phone calls. She did submit a preliminary report, as required, to the DNR's Rick Jones. It's a haunting document, complete with photographs of the "remains." In many cases, much remains of the remains, like the perfectly preserved bones of little children, their arms crossed, lying in tiny hexagonal coffins. Pieces of shoes and clothing remain. The report also contains a diagram of each grave's location, the shape of the coffin and what was in it. Each former person is identified by a letter and a number. For example, C-2 was the "well-preserved remains of an adult. Sex unknown. Head to west. Arms at side." B-10 contained the "well-preserved remains of an adult. Arms folded with hands over waist." Mr. D-1 was obviously a wheat farmer because he was buried with a wheat scythe and a small plate. Infant D-6 was buried beneath 2.8 feet of dirt in a decorative metal coffin called a sarcophagus with a glass viewing window. E-7 was an older adult male with a engraved tulip on his coffin and the words "Rest In Peace." A-1 was the "poorly preserved remains of an infant, sex unknown. Few scattered post cranial remains." B-1 was an "adult female 20-35 years. Well-preserved remains." And on it went in graphic detail. Most people were buried under only 2 feet of dirt, symbolically facing the setting sun, the western horizon. "I feel a connection with these people," Rick Jones said quietly, flipping through the depressing document. "You feel something looking into a child's grave after 150 years. These are people that used to live, walk around and breathe. We're literally looking into the past and I feel a profound sense of respect." He paused, blinked a couple times. "This is a serious thing." Once Elmer and the others were dug up, labeled with numbers and letters, they were shipped to anthropologist Stephen Nawrocki at the University of Indianapolis on the Southside. He was hired by Duke under terms of digging permit 960062, which required an "osteological" investigation by an anthropologist. That is a study of the bones and "artifacts" for historical significance. "I haven't been cleared by Duke to discuss this with reporters. I'm just a sub, sub contractor," said Nawrocki. Jeannine Kreinbrink called and told him not to talk, he said. Her firm is paying his fees. When will your report be done, doctor? "I don't know." Once his report is complete, DNR will either order Duke to rebury the "remains" somewhere else or they will "be kept in a lab for future study," said Jones. Last December, Blair D. Carmosino, Development Services Director, Duke Construction Inc., fired off a stern letter to DNR officials. "Duke's schedule for construction start-up in this project area is rapidly approaching, so it is imperative that the (DNR) properly issue a clearance letter for this project area." Part of the reason for delay was DNR's displeasure with Jeannine Kreinbrink's preliminary report. Jon C. Smith, director of DNR's Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, found about 40 points in her report he wanted explained, corrected or expanded upon -- like what did Duke plan to do with the "unwanted" headstones they dug up? On July 22, DNR issued a conditional permit to begin "ground disturbing activities" but demanded an archaeologist be present in case additional "human remains" are uncovered. "We'll probably start drainage work and soil things soon," said Donna Coppinger, the Duke marketing person. "Site preparation before winter means if we can get the site ready, we construct our industrial warehouse product this winter. The building will be 1,032 feet long and 440 feet wide." This is good news? "It is good news. We're good corporate neighbors," she said. Property of Duke The other day Danny J. White visited the old cemetery one last time before the ancient walnuts and solitary oak are bulldozed, the hill flattened and the "final" resting place for 35 kids and eight adults is erased from the face of the earth. He hiked through the alfalfa field, brimming with buzzing bees, butterflies and summer wildflowers and up the hill. He rummaged around through the dense brush at the edge of the cemetery. Day lilies planted 150 years ago around the graves still flourish. "Look what I found," he said suddenly, emerging from the brush with the broken top half of a tombstone bearing the words "WIFE OF JAMES RHOADS. DIED." He found it in a bulldozed pile of dirt between two old tires, beer cans and soda pop bottles. What to do? Surely the DNR would want Mrs. Rhoads' broken tombstone. It couldn't be left in the pile of tires and broken glass. Somebody might steal it. It might be demolished in "site preparation." It could be lost forever, a historic treasure, the last poignant symbol of a person's life, sacrificed on the altar of economic development and corporate neighborliness. A quick phone call to DNR research archaeologist Amy L. Johnson provided the answer. "Put it back," she said firmly. What? "Put it back," she said again. Why? "It belongs to Duke. It is their property." James Rhoads' wife's name was believed to be Hannah, and she died on July 24, 1849, at age 85. Her husband, remember, was the first person buried in the cemetery in August 1844. Her broken tombstone, which was carefully placed in the Hoosier soil during solemn, no doubt tearful, ceremonies 149 long summers ago, was returned to the pile of bulldozed dirt, tires, broken glass, beer and pop bottles. It belonged to Duke. It's the law. --------------37FC917413A3B9AFBA950F90--

Thank you Randy for forwarding the article to Reps. Bischoff and Hoffman. What else can we do? This is a sad price to pay for attaining one of our primary objectives, Public Awareness! But, since it has happened, it is an opportunity to use it to get a foot in the door of these offices. I read the article and wondered if it predicts the fate of the old Longnecker Cemetery south of Metamora, sitting innocently in its little grove of trees in a remote location where there may not even be one person driving by to witness. I encourage everyone to contact their representatives as Randy did. Would following up with copies by snail mail be effective? Maybe paper on their desk would be harder to ignore (they can't just hit the delete button). This incident and publicity emphasizes the urgency of actively supporting the Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project. http://www.np.huntington.in.us/inpcrp/ With a big lump in my throat, Ruth Cox Schlemmer Franklin County, Whitewater Twp. Pioneer Cemeteries

Hello folks, Does anyone know how to find out if there are (or were) any grave sites in the SW quarter of Section 26 in Metamora Township, Franklin Co. IN? According to the latest plat map, this quarter-section is owned by the Harrison Sand and Gravel Corp. and it's not likely that they would give permission to walk the property unless they knew the person and had executed a personal injury disclaimer of some sort. Any ideas? Thank you, Harold Clupper halclup@chesco.com (Chester Co., PA)

Well, you may have noticed, yesterday we celebrated our one year annivesary on the Franklin County Genealogy Website. WE have come along way baby...in one year's time. For those of you who remember the old website....we have changed slightly....:o) One year in the books.....think what we are going to look at one year from now.....I want to put another heaping of info on-line.... Thanks to all who have donated and assisted in putting information on the website.... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

St. Michael's has been updated the years 1915 to 1925. Enjoy , Kris

maple grove has been updated. should be complete this pm. sometime kris

Herman Bernard RULMANN, Sr. b. 1835 Messingen, Germany immigr. 1865 to USA from Germany, in 1876 in Franklin Co., IN., he marr. Mary (BROKAMP)(HACKMAN), the widow of Anton HACKMAN of Oldenburg, Franklin Co., IN. Mary was the dau. of John Henry BROKAMP & Mary Katharine FREIKING. Sister Of Mary BROKAMP HACKMAN was Elizabeth (BROKAMP) KESSING, who also resided in Oldenburg. Herman RULMANN owned a flouring mill in Laurel, Franklin Co., IN., which burned in 1886 & Herman & family then moved to Minster, Auglaize Co., OH. where his son Rudolph A. RULMANN was a physician. Desire to exch. data with other descendants of these families. Lucy Weaver north@defnet.com

Hello everyone, Just a little FYI to let you know that Maple Grove has been updated, and entering the last page of names. Kris

I requested a marriage record from the Franklin County clerk and recieved a copy of a page with names starting with W. The following is transcribed from that page. All the people were white. Name of Groom/Bride Name of Spouse DoB DoM Book Page Wachsman, Henrietta M Edward a Flodder Oct 30 1884 July 27 1910 15 74 Wachsmann Charles H Dorothea S Koster ------ Dec 13 1892 12 258 Wachsmann Frederick Caroline Kramer ------- Jan 1 1867 8 443 Wachter Mary Joseph Brink ------- Nov 10 1863 8 156 Waddell Herbert J Margaret F Schum Dec 31 1888 Oct 28 1914 15 543 Waddell Robert Anna C Rehme ----- Mar 18 1886 11 344 Wade Erma William S Dare ---- Oct 11 1900 13 218 Wade Lutie E Peter Clear ---- Oct 7 1903 13 423 Wade Silas Florence Hamilton ------ Feb 14 1852 6 406 Wadler Lawrence B Christina Morelock ------ June 7 1876 10 118 Waechter Amelia Frank Meyer Mar 25 1898 Oct 14 1919 16 443 Waechter Anton Maria Bassler ------ Jun 16 1897 12 566 Waechter Philomena Bernard Lukedamnes --------- May 28 1865 8 272 Waer James W Mary J Rainey ------ Oct 8 1979 10 415 Waesmon Mary Dederick Sendman ---- May 3 1855 7 131 Wagenmacher Anna M Ferdinand Luken ----- Jun 4 1867 8 483 Wagenmacher Caroline John B Hoelscher ------ Oct 15 1863 8 148 Waggone Belle M John C Naylor ---- Oct 3 1883 11 160 Waggoner Bertha E Corda E Thompson --- Jan 12 1905 13 506 Waggoner Eugene T Emma Blacklidge ----- Jan 10 1878 10 276 Waggoner Eugene T Carrie Duggins --- Apr 11 1883 11 132 Waggoner John A Mary E Rose ----- Aug 26 1883 10 128 Waggoner Lot S Rebecca Rose ---- Mar 4 1883 11 124 Waggoner Mary E George B Roberts ---- Jul 23 1895 12 451 Waggoner Minnie Levi K Masters --- Oct 10 1889 12 20 Waggoner Noah Buttler Jennie Van Meter ----- Sep 3 1893 12 307 Waggoner Orpha Asbury Fishback --- Dec 13 1883 11 177 Wagner Catherine Henry Flittner --- *May 31 1852 6 422 Wagner Catherine C Willard S Chance Nov 7 1893 Nov 2 1904 13 490 Wagner Catherine E George Herman Fosler Sep 4 1895 12 457 Wagner Cecelia T Alva Ray Chance Nov 7 1893 Aug 29 1912 15 301 Wagner Charles G Maria S Kieseler ---- Mar 10 1891 12 133 Wagner Christine Fred T Bateman Jul 15 1881 Jul 22 1909 14 559 Wagner Conrad Helena Ripperger ---- Nov 26 1867 8 538 Wagner Earl May Anna Weber Sep 3 1895 Jun 12 1918 16 326 Wagner Elizabeth Peter Cordier ---- Jan 15 1896 12 485 Wagner Emma George Havens --- Jul 4 1899 13 122 Wagner Francis Walburga Schneider --- Aug 1 1865 8 288 Wagner Frank Mollie E Maley ---- Sep 23 1890 12 97 * date of license I hope this helps someone Phil Di Matteo Researching Sellmeyer, Dahmus/Damnes/Lukedamnes, Waechter

Dear Franklin County Folks, Thanks for all the help I have received from you in the past. I would like to ask another favor. Would you please look over this list of 80 married Franklin County, Indiana, couples? The maiden name for each wife is missing, and sometimes other names are also missing. Any help you can provide will be deeply appreciated! Thanks! Larry Christensen San Diego LHChristen@aol.com 1 [----------], Anna, [BOLLINGER, Anna, Mrs.] Married: BOLLINGER, ---------- [Mr.] 2 [----------], Anna Barbara Married: BLENZINGER [BLINZINGER], Johann George 3 [----------], Anna Catharina Married: WAMBACH, Johannes "John" 4 [----------], Anna M. Married: WITKEMPER, Heinrich ["H.H."] 5 [----------], Anna Margarethe Married: DIETZEL, Adam 6 [----------], Anna Maria Married: POESTEL [POSTEL], Jakob 7 [-----------], Barbara Married: BAUMAN, Adam 8 [----------], Barbara Married: KLEMME, Carl 9 [----------], Caroline Married: BECHT [BOECHT], William 10 [----------], Caroline Married: GESELL, John 11 [----------], Christine Married: HORSTMAN, ---------- [Mr.] 12 [----------], Catharina Married: KNERR, Jakob 13 [----------], Catherine Married: BUEHLER, ----------, Mr. 14 [----------], Catharine Married: FAIST [or GAIST], Johann 15 [----------], Catherine Married: GOEHRINGER, Jakob [Jacob] 16 [----------], Christine Married: HORSTMAN, Wilhelm [HORSTMANN, Friedrich Wilhelm] 17 [----------], Christina Frederica, born 1800, died 1874 Married: WOLF, Ferdinand 18 [----------], Clara Married: DICKEY, James 19 [----------], Dorothy Married: ABBOTT, ---------- [Mr.] 20 [----------], E. [HEMKE, E., Mrs.] Married: HEMKE, ---------- [Mr.] 21 [----------], Ellen Married: DAVIS, Allen 22 [----------], Elizabeth Married: ALLEY, William 23 [----------], Elizabeth Married: ELLERMAN, Herman 24 [----------], Elisabeth Married: HERA, Adam 25 [----------], Elizabeth Married: MILLER, Friedrich 26 [----------], Elisabetha Married: SCHLAPP, Johann Georg 27 [----------], Elisabeth Married: SWARTZ, Jos. [Josiah? Joseph?] 28 [----------], Elizabeth Married: TEUFEL, Johann Christian 29 [----------], Eva [Her husband was a pastor of the Peppertown German Lutheran Church] Married: KEIFER, ----------, Pastor 30 [----------], Eva Catharine, born 1812, died 1870 Married: MOHR, Jacob 31 [----------], Eva Marie, born 1817, died 1869 Married: STIRN, Georg Michael "Michael" 32 [----------], Friedericka Married: ADAMS, Patrick 33 [----------], Friederike Married: GESSLER [GAESSLER], Johannes 34 [----------], Friedricke Married: LORAY, Phillip 35 [----------], Hanah [Hannah] Married: JACKSON, James E. 36 [----------], Hel. Married: PETZOLD, Will 37 [----------], Helena Married: YOST, Christian 38 [----------], Henricke [PETERSON, Henricke, Mrs.] Married: PETERSON, ---------- [Mr.] 39 [----------], Josephine Married: HORNUNG, Ludwig [Louis] 40 [----------], K., Mrs. Married: PROUTY, ---------- [Mr.] 41 [----------], Kate [ADAMS, Kate, Mrs.] Married: ADAMS, ---------- [Mr.] 42 [----------], Kate Married: WEBER, ---------- [Mr.] 43 [----------], Katharina Elizabeth Married: REIFEL, Johann Theobald 44 [----------], Katharine, Widow Married: HEINEMANN, ---------- [Mr.] 45 [----------], Katherine Married: BAKER, ---------- [Mr.] 46 [----------], Lesta Martha - - - - - - - - - - Married Twice - - - - - - - - - - 1st Husband: FOREMAN, ----------, [Mr.] 2nd Husband: STIRN, William, Jr. [Junior William] 2nd Husband's Parents: STIRN, William Andrew, Sr., & his wife, PEPPER, Augusta "Gussie" 47 [----------], Licho. Married: ADAMS, McNoet 48 [----------], Louisa [HAY, Louisa, Mrs.] [HEY] Married: HAY, ---------- [Mr.] 49 [----------], Louise [BLOEMER, Louise, Mrs.] Married: BLOEMER, --------- [Mr.] 50 [----------], M. Dorothea "Dora" "M.D." Married: KERNER [KOERNER], Matthaeus 51 [----------], Magdalena Married: BECHT, John [BECK] 52 [----------], Magdalena Married: DIEHL, Charles Fred, Pastor [Her husband was one of the pastors of the Peppertown German Lutheran Church] 53 [----------], Margaret Married: LANDSIEDEL, ---------- [Mr.] 54 [----------], Margaret Married: ROEMER, Otto H. 55 [----------], Margaret Married: STIRN, ---------- [Mr.] Note: This does not appear to be Margaretha B. TEUFEL, wife of Louis Friedrich STIRN 56 [----------], Margaretha Married: BAUER, Michael 57 [----------], Margaretha Married: BOHLANDER, H. [Mr.] 58 [----------], Margarethe Maria Married: LOESCHER, Casper Heinrich 59 [-----------], Margarethe Married: MUELLER, Johann 60 [----------], Margarethe Married: REIFEL, ---------- [Mr.] 61 [----------], Margaretha Married: WEHVANG, Jakob [Jacob] 62 [----------], Margarethe Married: WOLF, Karl 63 [----------], Maria Married: BECKER, Philipp 64 [----------], Maria Married: BUNZ, Wilhelm 65 [-----------], Maria Elisabeth</font Married: KELLER, Carl Gottfried 66 [----------], Maria E. Married: LANZ, Andreas 67 [-----------], Maria Married: SCHUSTER, John 68 [----------], Maria Christina Married: STORCKELL, Daniel 69 [----------], Martha Married: SUNMAN, ---------- [Mr.] 70 [----------], Martha Married: WAMBACH, Johannes 71 [----------], Mary Married: KOCH, Henry 72 [----------], Rosa Married: FREY, ---------- [Mr.] 73 [----------], Rosina Married: SCHLENKER, Jakob [Jacob] 74 [----------], Sarah Married: ADAMS, Burguine 75 [----------], Sarah Married: SENIOUR, ----------- [Mr.] 76 [----------], Scynthia [Cynthia?] Married: WOLF, Charles 77 [----------], Sophia Married: SCHNEIDHORSCH, Rudolph 78 [----------], Sophie Cathrine Married: STEINHAGEN, ----------- 79 [----------], Sylvia Married: DROCKELMAN, ---------- [Mr.] 80 [----------], Wilhelmine Charlotte Married: TESOTER, Conrad [TESTER?]

I am starting to put together a page on our website in regards to historic landmarks, buildings, and other things of historic nature in Franklin County. I am heading out now to take some pictures....If anyone has pictures, stories, or ideas that they would like to pass along I would appreciate it. It is just another piece of history we are going to try and preserve on the website. This stems from an article that I will be posting on the website in the next couple of days in my local Connersville Newspaper in regards to one of the two remaining covered bridges in Franklin County that is in danger of being destroyed. Those stories will be posted soon, as soon as I get a moment. Am looking for old school houses, old churches, historic landmarks, anything that we can preserve in pictures....let me know.... Randy Klemme Franklin County Genealogy Coordinator

Searching for family information [descendents/ancestors] of Joel MANN and Meribah WHIPPLE. Joel and Meribah were married in Franklin CO, IN 11 Oct 1832. In Dearborn Co, IN in 1850 census: Joel b NY ~1811, Meribah b RI ~1811, Children: Nathan 16, Poly 15, Anna 13, George 11, Ormand 9, Persa 7, Jno 6, Eliza 4, Jessee 2. Orman[d] married Mary REDFORD in Jasper Co, IL 17 Jun 1866. Persa (Persey/Persia] married Charles SEELEY 31 Dec 1863, Jasper Co, IL. Jessee maried Cynthia Ann WARD, then Emmal Ellen SHEPHERD, then Nancy Ann COFFMAN. Jessee, Emma Nancy, Joel and Maribah are buried in the SONGER Cemetery, Jasper Co, IL . Joel MANN is noted to be a Civil War Veteran. Cynthia Ann WARD MANN is buried in the WARD cemetary. Any additional information would be most helpful. Also would like to know locations of these cemetaries in Jasper Co, IL. Believe I know who Joel MANN's father was, and definitely have information on the WHIPPLE ancestors to share. Thanks for the help. Diana Goldenberg

Hi all, Before 1860 there was a JOHN AND ELIZABETH STEEL living in Franklin County near Blooming Grove. John was born in Ireland. They had at least 6 daughters, Hannah, Sarah, Jemima, Caroline, June and Margaret. I know nothing about John and Elizabeth except they do not appear in the 1860 census but 4 of their daughters are in Fayette County living together. Elizabeth's maiden name could be GLENN. Any info on the Steel's or Glenn's would be helpful. I descend from Caroline. Caroline Steel married AMBROSE MANRING (Mannering). Ambrose was born 14 Feb 1841 in Franklin County. He is the son of Ambrose Manring and Nancy SCOTTEN. According to the 1880 census the elder Ambrose was born in Maryland and Nancy was born in Delaware. I do not know Nancy or Ambrose's parents. Anyone researching these names please contact me. Sharlene Bumgarner

Hi all I am trying to find more information on the families of James Adair who died in Franklin County 1831.� He had at least one son, John and possibly a James, Jr.� I am trying to connect my 2ggrandfather, Joseph H. Adair.� Joseph married my 2ggrandmother, Margaret Jane For(e)man in 1872 in Owen County.� I'm not sure when he was born, but it could have been as early as 1830-40.� There were no Adairs in Owen County when Joseph married Margaret so I've been forced to look elsewhere.� It's possible Joseph traveled to Owen County without his family.��� If anyone is researching Adairs in Franklin County, would you please contact me??!!� Sue Rodgers

In a message dated 98-07-21 13:12:58 EDT, you write: << Hello everyone, Looking for my Franklin families as follows; Fielding Stewart (1821-IN), wife Mary E.(1830-IN), children Henietta (B.1845, m.Wilson Webb), Jacob M.(B1851-IN, m Harriett Godwin) and Sarah (1856). Also Godwin, Heasom, Frank and Deitz. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks Dinah Pascal >>