Can someone tell me if the O'Rear cemetery is still used? I would like to find my O'Rear, Catlett and Moss family members burial place pr places. thanks, scarlett1@bwsys.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee Hoffman" <lhoffman@acm.org> To: <KYMONTGO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 11:19 PM Subject: Re: [KYMONTGO-L] Cemeteries > CABGENE@aol.com wrote: >>When was the first cemetery established in Mt. Sterling? Before that were >>they buried on there property? > > I do not know if it was the first, but it seems that the Presbyterian > Church may have established one of the first cemeteries in Mt. Sterling. > At least many interments were made there. Some time around 1904/1905, the > Presbyterian Church deeded the property between Montgomery and High > Streets adjoining Willow Street to the city. Maps of the time and > certainly the Beers and Lanagan 1879 map show this as "the old cemetery". > The City notes in its Council Minutes that the property was used for > grazing of the "city mule". Families were encouraged to move the remains > of family members to other cemeteries and burial places. Many of these > were moved to the present Machpelah Cemetery although there is no records > as to which were moved where. It is not known who was actually buried in > the "old cemetery" and it may safely be assumed that not all graves were > exhumed and moved. > > In the late 1930s, the City School District made an agreement to lease the > property for $1 per year from the City for use as a Football field. At > that time, a concerted effort was made to "clean up" the property and > remove all the graves. That some were missed is probable based on the > fact that a number of the football players of the 1940s tell that during > rainy weather it was not unusual to find bones protruding up from the > ground. Players often took breaks by sitting on stacks of old > gravestones. > > Personally I doubt that there were many bones found there as just one or > two would be enough to get the stories going. That would also get the > public up in arms as there were some citizens of the time that thought > such a use of the property was not right. My grandfather was on the City > School Board at the time and related that not a few persons were against > the school using the property for football. > > By the late 1940s, the "old cemetery" was almost forgotten, a fieldhouse > had been erected and named after the City School coach, Bain "Tiny" Jones > who led the school to many victories. > > The only other large cemetery of about the time, St. Thomas (Catholic) > Cemetery is still being used. Other than these, most burials were in > local family-owned graveyards and there are many in the county -- > something over 220. > > Hazel Boyd, a few others helped by a number of high school students > recorded most of the cemeteries in Montgomery County in the 1950s and > 1960s. Kendal Culbertson has verified and updated this effort in the last > few years. Unfortunately many graves are not marked or only marked by > fieldstones. These fieldstones either have completely worn away or had no > engraving but were only know to the families of the time. > > Hope this helps - > > Lee Hoffman/KY > TMG Tips: <http://www.tmgtips.com> > My website: <http://www.tmgtips.com/lhoffman> > A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG) > > > > ==== KYMONTGO Mailing List ==== > To UNSUBSCRIBE send a new e-mail to KYMONTGO-L-request@rootsweb.com or > KYMONTGO-D-request@rootsweb.com with nothing in the body of the e-mail > except the word unsubscribe. >