Jane: I remember that story in the local newspaper about bones being found near Morristown. What I am doing in Bartholomew county is (mostly through Historical Society papers, DAR records, Deeds and old newspaper articles) trying to document each individual burial place EVER in the county, regardless of whether or not it has been moved (I have even got some old articles on "Indian Mound" excavation in the 19th century). There are too many stories about not really moving all of the bodies, so I figure it will be of interest to any landowner that there is a risk that they MIGHT encounter remains and have to stop their work. That's why I am working with the Auditor's office and marking property cards of lands with proven cemeteries located on them. The next time those pieces of property exchange hands, the new owners, auditor, recorder, commissioners and DNR will be alerted to the situation (I hope it works, but I know the odds). Anyway, I read where someone replied back saying it wasn't against the law when those property owners removed the stones, I believe it might have been. Granted, it doesn't help us any now, but, as with the Lewelling family cemetery that was plowed under (the headstones were actually buried in a shaft by the farmer) I have realized that since the cemetery existed when he bought the ground around 1900 and in the deed it was "excepted" out and he didn't pay taxes on it, he actually was on someone else's property when he removed the stones from ground he didn't own. In my eyes, he broke the law and knew he was doing it. Like I said, though, that doesn't help us much now, but it makes those who could do such a thing a little more responsible for their actions in my mind. Good luck. Cris West Columbus, IN ----- Original Message ----- From: <Misyjane15@aol.com> To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 7:18 PM Subject: [INPCRP] Cemetery or not? > Hello List, > I need some help/advise on this one. It is similar to the recent septic tank > cemetery. Two weeks ago my sister, myself and our husbands took a Sunday > drive to Shelby county near Morristown in hopes of finding our fourth > greatgrandparents. Armed with a cemetery list from the State Library compiled > in 1952 that had some simple ( and incorrect as it turns out) directions we > drove the area looking for likely places for a Pioneer Cemetery. The > Cemetery List listed four marked graves on three of our ancestors and one > other person. The list mentioned as many as 40 other graves marked with > fieldstones, one with initials carved rudely. The dates from the ancestors > 1835, 1836 and 1846. The list mentioned that when Asbury Cemetery was started > that no more burials were made in this older cemetery. To make a long story > short, we saw a man trimming trees and asked him if he knew of an old > abandoned cemetery. He said that actually he was told that at one time there > was supposed to be an old cemetery on his land and he was told that the > headstones had been turned face down to "preserve" them and covered over with > dirt. He said that actually his wife had made a rock garden from large rocks > that had been in the yard when they built their house 10 years ago, one of > them had initials carved on it and would we like to see it. We looked at the > rock garden and indeed there were initials carved in one stone. I don't have > the knowledge to say whether this was a grave marker at one time but it > seemed suspicious to me having read the comments on the 1952 Cemetery List. > He then seemed embarrassed and said that when the foundation was dug for > their house, some remains (bones) were brought up along with old nails. The > sheriff was called and someone from the state to determine whether the > remains were from a Native American and it was determined they were from a 17 > - 19 year old male caucasion. We went inside to talk to the man's wife and > she remembered that they had found a headstone - when she told me the name, > it was my 4th great grandmother. They gave the headstone to someone at the > fire station that was supposed to be a decendent. We called that person to > see what happened to the stone and he couldn't remember!!! We called the man > who owned the land before the present owners and he said that he had been > told that there was a cemetery on the land but all the graves had been moved > to Asbury Cemetery and he didn't know anything else. About that time the > wife's father and mother drove up and the older man said he remembered one > time WHEN THEY WERE HAVING THEIR SEPTIC TANK WORKED ON in the winter he was > walking in the backyard and thought he could see a headstone just below the > surface. We probed a little in the area where he thought it was but didn't > find anything. We have checked the list for Asbury Cemetery and an old entry > indicated some "bones" moved from the property I am writing about. I > personally think that some bones were moved, the Cemetery List says three or > four" but the four graves that had markers were there in 1952 and very > possibly are there now. I would like to get this "cemetery" registered with > the DNR but if there really aren't any remains there, is it really a > cemetery? If there are remains, is there someone out there that would like to > help me probe or do whatever to find them. The people that own the land now > said they would gladly let me try to find any graves short of digging up > their backyard. This is entirely to much for me to handle without some help - > any takers? > Jane Kesslar > misyjane15@aol.com > 11227 Rolling Springs Drive > Carmel, IN 46033 > (317)848-7416 > > ______________________________