I believe the VA will issue a marker for any vet of any war if you can document it. I *think*.... Kathleen ----- Original Message ----- From: B. Warner <bkwofc@i1.net> To: <MO-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 4:24 PM Subject: Re: [MO-CEM] Re: Cemetery disrepair > Hi Listers! > > I've been lurking out here following this thread on restoration of > cemeteries with interest. I agree with Howard, it can be done, but it > usually takes someone from in the family to give it the tender loving care > touch that it deserves! I live in Southeast Missouri. There's an old > family cemetery near Farmington that someone in the family has restored. > Previously, it was just a plain little old cemetery with a rock wall around > it, not really neglected but nothing special either. When I stopped by > there this past summer, I could not believe my eyes. It was like stepping > into the Garden of Eden. There were new shrubs and evergreens, stone > benches, bird baths, and new sod. There wasn't a weed in the place. They'd > also wired the cemetery with electricity and had a sprinkling system on a > timer. I know because it went off on me while I was there! Just about > every > grave was decorated with gorgeous floral arrangements. It looked like > something out of Better Homes & Gardens Magazine. In fact, it's the first > cemetery that I've ever been to that I wished I'd brought a book as I wanted > to sit down and stay awhile. It was like being in a shady, lush courtyard. > I have pictures if anyone is interested. > > My cousins and I recently discovered a family graveyard on private farm > property in which our 4th greatgrandfather and his immediate family is > buried. It's way back in the woods and has a beautiful decorative iron > fence around it. You can see that it was a pretty little cemetery in its > day. However, it's now so overgrown and neglected that we had to fight our > way through the weeds and brush just to find the stones. My 4th great > grandfather has thousands of descendants as he had 14 children himself and > several of his children had between 10-15 children each. The farmer who > owns the property is not related, but he's not a problem. He's been very > nice in allowing us access to the cemetery. The problem is finding someone > to help me clean it up. I've tried posting messages on the appropriate surn > ame boards, contacting descendants directly, putting out requests to boy > scout troops, etc. but have only received lukewarm response. It seems that > most of the people who have contacted me supporting my clean-up effort are > either too old or too far away to help out themselves and the younger ones > don't have any interest. It's so far gone, that it would just be too big of > a job for just my cousins and I (who are all female) to handle on our own. > I guess my next step will be to solicit donations to hire it done. I > haven't been able to find any kind of endowment or trust that's ever been > established for this cemetery. I'm not really interested in getting into > all that red-tape, I just want to clean it up. By the way, my 4th great > grandfather didn't fight in the Civil War, but he did fight in the War of > 1812. Does anyone know if military markers can be ordered for that War like > they can for the other Wars from the VA? > > Thanks for listening! > > B. Warner > mailto:bkwofc@i1.net > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Howard Gadberry" <gadberry@sound.net> > To: <MO-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 2:20 PM > Subject: Re: [MO-CEM] Re: Cemetery disrepair > > > > Marilyn and List Members--- > > Don't despair! Abandoned cemeteries can be restored! > > > > I recently visited the Harmony Cemetery six miles east of Miami MO. > > This small cemetery formerly sat beside a Presbyterian church of the > > same > > name. In the "History of Saline County, Missouri" (page 39) the > > abandoned > > cemetery is described as "In bad condition, overgrown with brush and > > weeds > > - hard to get into. The church building is also in bad condition. Most > > stones > > are in good state, and can be read." > > > > Imagine my surprise to find the cemetery neat and clean as if new! There > > was > > a new Metal sign reading "Harmony Cemetery - Established 1878" > > The church building had been removed leaving no trace. New trees had > > been > > planted, and stone benches installed at the corners. It took a lot of > > effort and > > time to restore that place. > > > > But the stingiest thing is -- I can not find out who was responsible for > > the great > > job of cleanup. Was it the County? Or the Saline Historical Society? > > Or some > > church from Slater, Miami, or Marshall? I would like to learn who did > > this job, > > and how they were able to organize the work that obviously was required. > > We could learn from them how to clean up other abandoned cemeteries. > > Does anyone out there happen to know about this cleanup? > > Howard Gadberry > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "mfwebber" <mfwebber@email.msn.com> > > To: <MO-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 12:53 PM > > Subject: [MO-CEM] Re: Cemetery disrepair > > > > > > > Dear List members, > > > I have tried to recruit family members from MO & KS who I know > > are > > > descendants of a family cemetery in Putnam Co. MO. I have received > > some > > > interest in cleaning and repairing the cemetery and also many many > > questions > > > on how to do it. The cemetery is located on private property by a > > fellow > > > who no longer lives in the state. The cemetery is almost totally > > unknown by > > > people who now live in the county. It is overgrown and totally hidden > > and > > > contains a Civil War soldier who was my great great grandfather, my > > > gggrandmother, several of their children and grandchildren. I have > > heard or > > > tried the following things and would like some feedback if any one > > else has > > > run into these issues or knows answers to them: > > > I have been told: 1).Once a cemetery is cleaned, sometimes Civil war > > > tombstones are stolen and placed on the market for sale. They are > > hard to > > > trace unless close up photos are taken and other photos to prove where > > the > > > stones came from. This is especially true if the site is remote. 2). > > > There are Civil War groups that are interested in helping identify and > > clean > > > cemeteries where former soldiers are buried and they keep the > > information > > > regarding these old sites relatively private to avoid desecration. > > 3). > > > That the land owner can refuse to let repair take place. ( I plan on > > getting > > > copies of the MO laws). > > > I have tried: 1) I called the KC area Veterans Administration to > > find out > > > if there was any group that helped with this type of issue. They > > didn't > > > know. 2) I spoke with the tombstone company in the county and was > > told > > > they really didn't now how to repair old stones. They had no list of > > local > > > groups that could help. They suggested I hire local jobless workers > > clean > > > the site. > > > Any ideas or comments would be appreciated. I would really like to > > clean > > > and repair my ancestors family cemetery. Marilyn > > > > > > > > > ==== MO-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== > > > Checkout the other lists being watched over by your List Mom; > > > http://mailing_lists.homestead.com/lists.html > > > To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > > > Vist the Mo-Cemeteries Volunteer and Cemetery List > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mocemete/mocem.htm > > > > > > ============================== > > > Search more than 150 million free records at RootsWeb! > > > http://searches.rootsweb.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MO-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== > > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, > political > > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for > removal. > > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett > kburnet@efortress.com > > To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > > Vist the Mo-Cemeteries Volunteer and Cemetery List > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mocemete/mocem.htm > > > > ============================== > > Search over 900 million names at Ancestry.com! > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Howard Gadberry" <gadberry@sound.net> > To: <MO-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 2:20 PM > Subject: Re: [MO-CEM] Re: Cemetery disrepair > > > > Marilyn and List Members--- > > Don't despair! Abandoned cemeteries can be restored! > > > > I recently visited the Harmony Cemetery six miles east of Miami MO. > > This small cemetery formerly sat beside a Presbyterian church of the > > same > > name. In the "History of Saline County, Missouri" (page 39) the > > abandoned > > cemetery is described as "In bad condition, overgrown with brush and > > weeds > > - hard to get into. The church building is also in bad condition. Most > > stones > > are in good state, and can be read." > > > > Imagine my surprise to find the cemetery neat and clean as if new! There > > was > > a new Metal sign reading "Harmony Cemetery - Established 1878" > > The church building had been removed leaving no trace. New trees had > > been > > planted, and stone benches installed at the corners. It took a lot of > > effort and > > time to restore that place. > > > > But the stingiest thing is -- I can not find out who was responsible for > > the great > > job of cleanup. Was it the County? Or the Saline Historical Society? > > Or some > > church from Slater, Miami, or Marshall? I would like to learn who did > > this job, > > and how they were able to organize the work that obviously was required. > > We could learn from them how to clean up other abandoned cemeteries. > > Does anyone out there happen to know about this cleanup? > > Howard Gadberry > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "mfwebber" <mfwebber@email.msn.com> > > To: <MO-CEMETERIES-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 12:53 PM > > Subject: [MO-CEM] Re: Cemetery disrepair > > > > > > > Dear List members, > > > I have tried to recruit family members from MO & KS who I know > > are > > > descendants of a family cemetery in Putnam Co. MO. I have received > > some > > > interest in cleaning and repairing the cemetery and also many many > > questions > > > on how to do it. The cemetery is located on private property by a > > fellow > > > who no longer lives in the state. The cemetery is almost totally > > unknown by > > > people who now live in the county. It is overgrown and totally hidden > > and > > > contains a Civil War soldier who was my great great grandfather, my > > > gggrandmother, several of their children and grandchildren. I have > > heard or > > > tried the following things and would like some feedback if any one > > else has > > > run into these issues or knows answers to them: > > > I have been told: 1).Once a cemetery is cleaned, sometimes Civil war > > > tombstones are stolen and placed on the market for sale. They are > > hard to > > > trace unless close up photos are taken and other photos to prove where > > the > > > stones came from. This is especially true if the site is remote. 2). > > > There are Civil War groups that are interested in helping identify and > > clean > > > cemeteries where former soldiers are buried and they keep the > > information > > > regarding these old sites relatively private to avoid desecration. > > 3). > > > That the land owner can refuse to let repair take place. ( I plan on > > getting > > > copies of the MO laws). > > > I have tried: 1) I called the KC area Veterans Administration to > > find out > > > if there was any group that helped with this type of issue. They > > didn't > > > know. 2) I spoke with the tombstone company in the county and was > > told > > > they really didn't now how to repair old stones. They had no list of > > local > > > groups that could help. They suggested I hire local jobless workers > > clean > > > the site. > > > Any ideas or comments would be appreciated. I would really like to > > clean > > > and repair my ancestors family cemetery. Marilyn > > > > > > > > > ==== MO-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== > > > Checkout the other lists being watched over by your List Mom; > > > http://mailing_lists.homestead.com/lists.html > > > To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > > > Vist the Mo-Cemeteries Volunteer and Cemetery List > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mocemete/mocem.htm > > > > > > ============================== > > > Search more than 150 million free records at RootsWeb! > > > http://searches.rootsweb.com/ > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== MO-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== > > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, > political > > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for > removal. > > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett > kburnet@efortress.com > > To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > > Vist the Mo-Cemeteries Volunteer and Cemetery List > http://www.rootsweb.com/~mocemete/mocem.htm > > > > ============================== > > Search over 900 million names at Ancestry.com! > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > > > > > > > ==== MO-CEMETERIES Mailing List ==== > List problems? Contact the MO-Cemeteries List Mom <kburnet@efortress.com> > Use Kathleen as the subject line for your post > To learn more about my world visit http://dwp.bigplanet.com/kburnett > Vist the Mo-Cemeteries Volunteer and Cemetery List http://www.rootsweb.com/~mocemete/mocem.htm > > ============================== > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2 >