This article appeared some time ago in the Lincoln Newspaper, and thought I would share it. It is interesting and thought you might enjoy. Milligan --Slowly walking forward, Sharon Elznic relaxed her grip on the two welding rods she held parallel before her. Suddenly and inexplicably, they swing together and crossed. "Somebody's buried here" she said calmly. The grave whicher had worked her magic. Like a water witcher seeking under ground water with divining rods, Elznic, a Geneva farmwife and a handful of of other helpers have been searching the past month for lost graves at Czech Bretheran Cemetery. Elznis said that she was suspicious when she first heard that unmarked graves could be located with divining rods, Roger Overtarf a cemetery caretake from Ong, taught her how to do it four years ago when she was documenting burials at Chelsea Cemetery near Milligan. She showed three other members of the cemetery board some who tried it . IT worked for them too. "I know it sounds weird until you go and try it," said Elznic. The key is to walk slowly and hold the rods loosely. When the holder reaches a graave, they cross, Elizni said and by uncrossing the rods, continue to walk and letting the rods cross again one can plot the graves demension, revealing whether it is an infant or and adult buried there. By holding one L-shaped rod downward over the grave, Elznic said, it is possible to determine whether the a male or female is buried there. The rod will being swaying east and west if it is a male and north and south if it is a female and if the body has been moved the rod will swing in a circle. Something about the disturbance of the soil causes the rods to cross, Elznic said, it makes sense, she said because she can find find water and undergound pipes or wires the same way. I can see that, but I can't figure out how they boy rild works, she said. You and I are made up of different chemistry and the wave lenths we send are different chemistry and wave lenghts we wend are different. Elznic and helpers have confirmed there results against cemetery records and recolletions of old times. The problem is that the cemetery records were destroyed in a fire in the 1940's. They expected to find about 100 unmarked graves Elznic said, but the more they walked the 2 acre graveyard, the more graves they found. At this point they have placed flags on more then 700 unmarked graves at the Milligan North Cemetery. Some were found under an old road and church moved by the cemetery in 19__ leading to suspiciouns that a fire swept the grave yard clean of wooded markers. A handful hvae been found outside the cemetery boundaries in nearby pastures, leading to teh speculation that the boundaries have been changed. Some were laid north and south but most graves face east they said. The oldest marked burial at the __________________ pioneers from passing wagon trains. It has become a fascinating history lesson for the quartet seaching the graveyard, Elznic, who is active in genealogy work, spends four afternoons a week witching at the cemetery in hope of finishing before harvest time. AAs people have watched the forest of plastic flags grow, interest in helping identify the unmarked graves has increased. Old timers, have stopped and hlped them re identify bout 109 graves so far. The women said they want to identify as many as possible but doubt that many of the oldest graves will be identified. If we lost one more generation, we would hvae lost a lof help said Elznic. She hopes more families will come forward with inofrmation to help solve some of this mystery _______________________- Where there are blanks, the article I have is either to dark to read or cut off. Just thought I would share this with all of you. Maybe you want to try it too??????? It does work. donna