TIP #564 A LONELY GRAVE The tip for this week has been motivated by recent and past events in the author's life and I wished to share my thoughts with you. On November 1st of this year, the Governor of Kentucky sent representatives here to Barren County KY for a joyous time. With our State Senator Richie Sanders; State Representative Steve Nunn; the Mayor of Glasgow, Darrell Pickett; the County Judge Executive, Davie Greer, and four members of our Barren County Cemetery Board we met to receive a check for a $2,000, a matching grant, for the cleaning and preservation of two cemeteries here, the McDaniel's and the Burton Cemeteries. It was the culmination of a lot of paperwork, many meetings and first and second readings before the Barren County Fiscal Court - and the beginning of much hard labor. The Cemetery board members; Martha Powell Harrison, Wayne Davis, Ruth Hundley, Mary Green and I as chair, see this as one small step for preservation. We became involved in this project when we learned that the State of Kentucky would be awarding matching fund grants for the restoration of cemeteries in the various counties based on historical significance, diversity and need. None of us had ever done anything like this before and we approached the County Judge Executive to see if the county would approve the formation of a Cemetery Board, which was a prerequisite. She introduced this at the next meeting of the justices and it passed first reading. The following month, it passed second reading. The members of the Cemetery Board were picked, each serving different terms and from both political parties. We then met with a gentleman who wrote grants and picked our cemeteries. The cemetery selection was difficult. We have many hundreds of cemeteries here, primarily little family cemeteries that have fallen into great disrepair. Why? The reasons are myriad as they would be in any location - no family left in the area to tend them - family members too old to any longer maintain them - ice storms or wind storms that have downed trees that have crashed into the stones - farmers who have bought the land and totally showed no respect for the old family cemetery by letting cattle or hogs graze and roam through the cemetery; letting the cemetery grow up in underbrush and trees, some even plowing the cemetery under because the wife didn't like looking out the window and seeing a cemetery. The reasons could go on forever it seems. But - out there in the brambles, poison ivy, tall weeds and sometimes junk yard, sits a lonely grave. Oh, the grave might be covered over with crepe myrtle and located under a cedar tree - both common to old family cemeteries; or it might lie in the middle of a timber - or on a high hill. The stone might be broken into pieces and scattered, or it might be hand carved on sandstone. Perhaps there is a stone but now hidden from view. Buried there is someone's mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent or child. Revered and honored by the family, tended with loving care in the past. Now it sits there, unseen and forgotten. We chose two cemeteries as noted above. The McDaniel's Cemetery contains the remains of several families, related by marriage. Seven brave Confederate soldiers lie buried there; one rode with John Hunt Morgan. The rest, just the average mother and father, infant child, husband and wife. The second cemetery is an African-American cemetery lying close to the L&N tracks. Three stones are found, but more burials were done there; one a brave Union soldier. No family remains, no one to care. Our board is trying to restore these cemeteries while our hearts cry out for the others that need cleaning just as much. The work will be hard. In the McDaniel's cemetery perhaps up to 50 trees must be cut and removed; many downed over the years. Then the cemetery cleaned of undergrowth, an awesome task. Then the boundaries of the cemetery walked off and the stones located. We have already learned of five burials there that have never been recorded. While a fence is being built around the cemetery, and possibly white rock put all over, flowers planted, a sign placed to recognize the cemetery; the cemetery platted as to the location of the stones, pictures taken we will be moving on to the little Burton Cemetery. We are not the youngest, nor the oldest tacking like challenges. But our hearts are drawn to these lonely graves and we want to do what we can. Each state has its own rules and regulations concerning the old family graveyards; I have posted in the past on this subject on the laws in Kentucky. The availability of workers varies also from location to location. Sometimes Scout groups will help in earning a merit badge. Or local VFW or DAV members if young enough. The Amish will sometimes clean out a cemetery or neighbors. Funding is always a problem; it is not cheap to get the equipment. But where there is a will, there is a way. Some have started massive letter or email writing campaigns trying to locate family members and asking for donations. Many place ads in the local paper seeking funding and set up a special bank account. But some cemeteries - with their lonely graves - will just disappear into the pages of the past. Unless we, the "older generation" encourage a love of history and a pride of family in the "younger generation", there will be none left who care. In a generation or so, all memory of the ancestors of our past will have faded unless we save it. And their final resting place will soon return to pages of the past, overgrown and untended and no one will ever know. Do you care? Is there something YOU can do? Oh no! I'm too old to clean a cemetery! Or, I don't know anyone buried in the local cemeteries. Well - how about? 1 - Talking with the local historical society after visiting one of these overgrown cemeteries. Try to encourage them to become involved in restoring even one cemetery! 2 - Speak before a civil organization about the need? 3 - Write an article for the local paper? 4 - Write an article for the historical society quarterly. 5 - Make some phone calls! 6 - Talk to your children, grandchildren about their history; encourage them to want to learn about their heritage, take them to the cemetery with you (they really don't mind that much). There you can point out the graves of the family and maybe tell them a story about that individual. © Copyright 3 Nov 2005, Sandra K. Gorin Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html GGP: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/