Check with a lawyer Berta, There were laws put on the books in Missouri recently that protect these old cemeteries from what this man has allowed to happen. I am pretty sure, that as long as you have family buried there, you have the right to do anything that will improve the cemetery. If it were me, I would sue the man, and make him pay the cost of refurbishing that cemetery! It's time the farmers in this country are made aware that those cemeteries are sacred ground, and not extra grazing area. I would also contact the Missouri Genealogical Society and see what they can do to help you out. Try the Missouri State Genealogical Association, P.O. Box 833, Columbia, MO 63834. At the very least, they can tell you what the laws are and who to contact to start proceedings if that is what you want to do. A stern letter to the farmer from a lawyer, telling him what he is risking in a court battle, might be enough to get him to move his herd. Mike says, if you put barbed wire at the top of the fence, that will stop the cattle from pushing against the top. If the fence is fastened good to the bottom, that will prevent them from getting in. Mike wants to know how old the fence was, what kind of fence it was, what condition was it in, what type of fence posts, how deep were they sunk, how far apart were they, etc. You might want to check and see if any of the wires were broken or cut. Cattle can't cut wire! If there is evidence of cut wire, you have a very good court case! In the meantime, why not put out a plea to both the Randolph and Howard county lists, as well as the Robb surname list, for donations to help you pay for a new fence, a stronger fence around that cemetery. I can send you a $50 check to start it, if this is what you want to do. Kathy Bowlin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roberta Sheridan" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 06, 2001 9:26 AM Subject: [MOHOWARD-L] Robb Cemetery & Higbee > First of all I went to Higbee last Sat. I ask around town about the K. > K. K. girls no body seemed to know anything about it. But they all knew > Dr. Burkhalter and his wife and spoke very highly of them and didn't > think they would have anything to do with the Ku- Klux Klan. but I will > keep asking. My 3 cousins and I went to the Robb cemetery, when we got > there, the man that bought the farm had fenced off some of his ground > and put in cows. Well for some reason, he bought them out of the fenced > in area and had them up by the cemetery, they knocked down our fence and > totaly wrecked the cem. out of 28 stones there or 2 left standing, most > of them or knocked over and broken, What are my rights to do now. We had > put out $325 last year to have all the trees removed and sprayed for > the weeds, thats what we went out their for Sat. to spray for weeds > again. We have been trying to get the money together to put a new fence > around it. It is very large and the stones are scattered about. We are > thinging about having someone one come in with a lift and move all the > stones out and make it about 1/2 the size it is, and put a new fence up, > I don't think anyone has been buried there since 1920, We would like to > lay concrete slabs and lay the stones down on that. Does anyone know if > I have the right to do this. Or is there someone I have to contact. I > hope someone out their has some answers for me, I'm about at my wits > end. Roberta > >