-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Item>Downriver Detroit Gen Soc & Holy Cross Cem Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 18:01:48 EDT From: Jippikid@aol.com To: MIGEN-admin@rootsweb.com Hello Listmembers, Evidently, occasionally our anti-spam programs are also not allowing items to be sent to our lists as well as keeping our lists from us. I sent this to 4 of our Michigan lists over a week ago (twice) and have still not seen it on any of them. If you have received this more than once, I apologize. The following is a newspaper article from Heritage Newspapers/The News-Herald from 25 June 2003 (Wayne County, MI). The article is copied exactly as printed. Main Headline: Keeper of the past Secondary Headline: Genealogical Society's project includes work at Holy Cross Cemetery Byline: Sarah Cormier The News-Herald Article: A new project is under way for the Downriver Genealogical Society. The group, whose mission is to find family history by transcribing gravestones, has begun work at Holy Cross Cemetery in Detroit. "It isn't just for us, but for anyone with ties to Michigan," society member Elaine Raymo said. The group has transcribed many cemeteries before, but this project was a bit different because the Archdiocese of Detroit owns the church and had to give special permission before digging could begin, society President Sherry Huntington said. The project began in the fall of 2000, with Mary Ann Bolak leading it. So far, the group has transcribed 10,000 stones at Holy Cross Cemetery, covering about one-fifth of the grounds. During winter, Raymo and Sandi Sitkowski, chairwomen of the project, concentrate on compiling all of the history and information found, including keeping accurate records of plot pieces and names so that family members can locate deceased relatives. Society members also utilize the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. During the summer, members of the society dig and transcribe the stones. All members of the group, who come from all over the United States, are volunteers. They currently are working on section B, the oldest of the cemetery's 14 areas. To date, the oldest stone found is for an 1849 burial. And 1854 stone for Josephine Levinway, which translated is "Livernois," also has been found. The site was established in 1838, so it is possible that Holy Cross contains earlier stones, group members said. However, in the early 1900s, a fire destroyed chapel records. "If the stones aren't brought to light, then they will be lost," Raymo said. Besides transcribing cemeteries all over Downriver, members of the group also have held seminars and published books about their findings. The society has a book store in the basement of the Library Lincoln Park Historical Museum. The nonprofit organization is funded by the money from the books it publishes and by annual donations of $10 each from members. "People should not be forgotten," Huntington said. "If it wasn't for them, we would not be here." ******************* I have no further information about this. jippikid@aol.com