Sharon, That is a wonderful idea and one I hadn't thought of. Thanks! I'll give it a try. Lisa ----- Original Message ----- From: "mills" <mills@reliable-net.net> To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 6:38 PM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Still learning . . . > > Lisa, > > You may discover which company provided those stones by reading the probate > records, including receipts, of one of the deceased. The executor(trix) > may have provided documentation of an expense to the estate. In one > instance, I found this information in a probate record for a gr gr gr uncle > in Montgomery Co. His widow, also my relative, sent off to Lafayette for > stones for her late husband and children who died young. The stones were > delivered by rail. Over 120 years later they were recovered, broken into > tiny pieces in a cow pasture. Currently they (and about 25 other stones) > are being fitted back together like puzzle pieces. > > Another reason for searching: the original size of the stones and > information about footstones will be included in the information. That way > you can learn if this is one of those old slab stones that was buried deep > without a base. > > Sharon Mills > > > > At 09:49 AM 10/3/01 -0500, you wrote: > > Thank you (!) to Ernie and Kyle for the advice. I had no idea what I > >did was actually illegal, I was just concerned that I might have damaged the > >gravesite somehow. I have been to that cemetery a total of seven times now > >and have never seen anyone else there, which is too bad because it is a > >lovely cemetery. About the stone: I saw no base at all beneath the > >headstone, and the stone itself is only about a foot tall and maybe a foot > >and a half wide. Thanks also for the links, I'll look into making a base > >for it. This is my g-g-grandmother's grave, and all the stones of her > >relatives in that area look just like hers, leading me to believe they were > >all carved by the same person/company. I really want to make sure they > >don't deteriorate any more than they already have. > > Thanks again, I'm having so much fun learning about all of this! > > Lisa > > > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: "Ernie & Connie" <elasley@sigecom.net> > >To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> > >Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 5:40 PM > >Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Still learning . . . > > > > > >> Hello Lisa, > >> > >> Gently dig around the stone to see if it is set in a square base with a > >> slot, or if it is a long stone set several inches into the ground. If it > >> is a square base with a slot, dig around it until you have exposed enough > >> of it to level it, then pack good dirt, sand or pea gravel under and > >around > >> it. If it is a long slab buried into the ground (usually 14" to 18"), > >> expose enough of it so you can stand it upright easily. Be careful not to > >> force it, the small flat stones may snap easily. If it resists standing > >> upright, dig a little deeper. Once you have it standing upright, pack a > >> mixture of sand and pea gravel around it. Tamp well, and fill the last 3" > >> to 4" with dirt or sod. > >> If it is a short stone (less than 12"under ground) it should have a base > >> with a slot. If the base is missing, you can find instructions to make a > >> new one here: > >> > >> http://www.gravestonestudies.org/preservation.htm > >> > >> There is lots of helpful information on the INPRCP website here: > >> > >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp/pcrpstepbystep.html > >> > >> If you have more questions, by all means please ask! There are many on > >> this list that will be happy to assist in any way they can. We may enen > >> have a member near Mt. Meridian who would be willing to come over and > >help. > >> > >> Ernie Lasley, Coordinator > >> Gibson County PCRP > >> PCRP page: http://members.sigecom.net/elasley/inpcrp/index.html > >> Cemetery page: http://www.usroots.com/~jmurphy/gibson/gibcem/gibcem.htm > >> > >> > >> > >> At 12:27 PM 10/2/01, you wrote: > >> >the trouble being that the headstone had fallen forward and sunken into > >> >the ground slightly, hiding the name. What is the proper thing to do > >when > >> >this happens? I gently pried it up, and "propped" it up by pushing some > >> >of the surrounding dirt underneath the front of the stone (it is a very > >> >small, hand-carved one). > >> >Should I have left the stone the way that it was, or was this ok to do? > >> >Thanks for any advice you can give-- > >> > Lisa > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > >> >This list is for discussion of topics related to the Indiana Pioneer > >> >Cemeteries Restoration Project only. > >> > >> > >> ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > >> If we cannot respect the dead, how can we respect the living? > >> > >> > > > > > >==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > >This list is for discussion of topics related to the Indiana Pioneer > >Cemeteries Restoration Project only. > > > > > > > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > Quote from William Gladstone (1809-1897), three-time Prime Minister of England > and Victorian contemporary of Benjamin Disraeli: > "Show me the manner in which a nation or community > cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical > exactness the tender mercies of its people, their > respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty > to high ideals." > >