I'm sure there are many, many stones that are grown over. I know I have to keep digging out the stones on my ancestors at Mt. Olivet. The stones are actually a few inches below grade now. I always thought Mt. Olivet was a perpetual care cemetery, doesn't that mean they raise the stones every so often so they don't get over grown by the lawn? Or does the perpetual care just mean they cut the grass? As far the toppled stones go, the ones I'm talking about are the hugh monoliths you see in these older cemeteries. I'm sure they were purposely toppled by vandals. I know that frost does move the smaller stones and you can see evidence of frost damage to alot of them. Some time ago I remember reading about a lot of damage done by vandals in quite a few of the cemeteries in and around the city of Saginaw. It's a shame some of our youth have no respect for these sacred places. Does anyone know of an organization that takes care of fixing this type of damage? I know the city will never do anything about it. I'd be happy to help out if there is such an organization. Pat Freeman Coats wrote: >><Many of the tombstones are of the old type that are only about 2" thick, >> >> >and many have toppled over. When they do, the sod starts creeping up on >them. A few years ago, I searched the cemetery for a tombstone that was >definitely supposed to be buried there. I didn't find it but I found many >tombstones that had been toppled (possibly accidentally) and the sod nearly >covered all of them. I imagine that there are many, many tombstones here >that are covered by a couple of inches of sod. > >

Many graves have toppeled stones due to th people that cut the grass. I won't mention what cemeteries but you can tell when a stone has been hit by a lawn mower. Many of these are just to big to be pushed over by vandals and it would take some kind of machine to know them on an angle. Patrick Bohinski <Bohinski@chartermi.net> wrote:I'm sure there are many, many stones that are grown over. I know I have to keep digging out the stones on my ancestors at Mt. Olivet. The stones are actually a few inches below grade now. I always thought Mt. Olivet was a perpetual care cemetery, doesn't that mean they raise the stones every so often so they don't get over grown by the lawn? Or does the perpetual care just mean they cut the grass? As far the toppled stones go, the ones I'm talking about are the hugh monoliths you see in these older cemeteries. I'm sure they were purposely toppled by vandals. I know that frost does move the smaller stones and you can see evidence of frost damage to alot of them. Some time ago I remember reading about a lot of damage done by vandals in quite a few of the cemeteries in and around the city of Saginaw. It's a shame some of our youth have no respect for these sacred places. Does anyone know of an organization that takes care of fixing this type of damage? I know the city will never do anything about it. I'd be happy to help out if there is such an organization. Pat Freeman Coats wrote: >>>> >> >and many have toppled over. When they do, the sod starts creeping up on >them. A few years ago, I searched the cemetery for a tombstone that was >definitely supposed to be buried there. I didn't find it but I found many >tombstones that had been toppled (possibly accidentally) and the sod nearly >covered all of them. I imagine that there are many, many tombstones here >that are covered by a couple of inches of sod. > >

Many stones below grade are easier to run a lawn mower over Patrick Bohinski <Bohinski@Chartermi.net> wrote:I'm sure there are many, many stones that are grown over. I know I have to keep digging out the stones on my ancestors at Mt. Olivet. The stones are actually a few inches below grade now. I always thought Mt. Olivet was a perpetual care cemetery, doesn't that mean they raise the stones every so often so they don't get over grown by the lawn? Or does the perpetual care just mean they cut the grass? As far the toppled stones go, the ones I'm talking about are the hugh monoliths you see in these older cemeteries. I'm sure they were purposely toppled by vandals. I know that frost does move the smaller stones and you can see evidence of frost damage to alot of them. Some time ago I remember reading about a lot of damage done by vandals in quite a few of the cemeteries in and around the city of Saginaw. It's a shame some of our youth have no respect for these sacred places. Does anyone know of an organization that takes care of fixing this type of damage? I know the city will never do anything about it. I'd be happy to help out if there is such an organization. Pat Freeman Coats wrote: >>>> >> >and many have toppled over. When they do, the sod starts creeping up on >them. A few years ago, I searched the cemetery for a tombstone that was >definitely supposed to be buried there. I didn't find it but I found many >tombstones that had been toppled (possibly accidentally) and the sod nearly >covered all of them. I imagine that there are many, many tombstones here >that are covered by a couple of inches of sod. > >

I have told my family to never pay for perpetual care. I see stones that have the placque for perpetual care on them and the only care I see is the grass is mowed. A generation after a person dies you don't see them being kept up anymore. Who is there after a few generations pass to complain? Patrick Bohinski <Bohinski@Chartermi.net> wrote:I'm sure there are many, many stones that are grown over. I know I have to keep digging out the stones on my ancestors at Mt. Olivet. The stones are actually a few inches below grade now. I always thought Mt. Olivet was a perpetual care cemetery, doesn't that mean they raise the stones every so often so they don't get over grown by the lawn? Or does the perpetual care just mean they cut the grass? As far the toppled stones go, the ones I'm talking about are the hugh monoliths you see in these older cemeteries. I'm sure they were purposely toppled by vandals. I know that frost does move the smaller stones and you can see evidence of frost damage to alot of them. Some time ago I remember reading about a lot of damage done by vandals in quite a few of the cemeteries in and around the city of Saginaw. It's a shame some of our youth have no respect for these sacred places. Does anyone know of an organization that takes care of fixing this type of damage? I know the city will never do anything about it. I'd be happy to help out if there is such an organization. Pat Freeman Coats wrote: >>>> >> >and many have toppled over. When they do, the sod starts creeping up on >them. A few years ago, I searched the cemetery for a tombstone that was >definitely supposed to be buried there. I didn't find it but I found many >tombstones that had been toppled (possibly accidentally) and the sod nearly >covered all of them. I imagine that there are many, many tombstones here >that are covered by a couple of inches of sod. > >

Pat, I have read about groups in other parts of the state that have gotten together for the sole purpose of taking care of cemeteries such as this. They organized a group of people, and got permission from the government agency to proceed. I know I have read that they raised money or got grants to take care of the stone repairs, also. You would need the plat map if the city would give it or has it to start that shows the layout. A list of burials, not stone readings, which the city would have and may be in the computer database already that is available. And then a group of volunteers to go in and do the work. The last time I was there which was a good five years ago, it was in sorry shape, also. Tire ruts, right up to the stones and the stones toppled. I am sure also that many stones are under the sod as you think also. The cemetery that is on Midland Rd. by the park also has stones that are down, but looked to be fallen over due to age, and upon looking we found that some were under the sod also. It would be great to see a group form to preserve the old cemeteries in the area. I will go surfing and see if I can find the references again for what other groups in the state have done and send the links when I find them. Pat Hamp ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Bohinski" <Bohinski@Chartermi.net> To: <MISAGINA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 4:24 PM Subject: Re: [MISAGINA] Re: Forest lawn & Brady hill Cemeteries > I'm sure there are many, many stones that are grown over. I know I have > to keep digging out the stones on my ancestors at Mt. Olivet. The stones > are actually a few inches below grade now. I always thought Mt. Olivet > was a perpetual care cemetery, doesn't that mean they raise the stones > every so often so they don't get over grown by the lawn? Or does the > perpetual care just mean they cut the grass? > > As far the toppled stones go, the ones I'm talking about are the hugh > monoliths you see in these older cemeteries. I'm sure they were > purposely toppled by vandals. I know that frost does move the smaller > stones and you can see evidence of frost damage to alot of them. Some > time ago I remember reading about a lot of damage done by vandals in > quite a few of the cemeteries in and around the city of Saginaw. It's a > shame some of our youth have no respect for these sacred places. > > Does anyone know of an organization that takes care of fixing this type > of damage? I know the city will never do anything about it. I'd be > happy to help out if there is such an organization. > > Pat > > Freeman Coats wrote: > > >><Many of the tombstones are of the old type that are only about 2" thick, > >> > >> > >and many have toppled over. When they do, the sod starts creeping up on > >them. A few years ago, I searched the cemetery for a tombstone that was > >definitely supposed to be buried there. I didn't find it but I found many > >tombstones that had been toppled (possibly accidentally) and the sod nearly > >covered all of them. I imagine that there are many, many tombstones here > >that are covered by a couple of inches of sod. > > > > > > ______________________________ --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.443 / Virus Database: 248 - Release Date: 10 January 2003