I'd like to add, that I'm one of those "puritans" who prefers to leave stones alone rather than cleaning them and taking a chance on further harm. But since many don't feel that way... ;) Kimberly Powell -----Original Message----- From: Kimberly Powell, Genealogy Guide at About [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 10:17 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [NEWGEN] Please, hit us with the answers! The most important thing to remember when cleaning a tombstone is to be GENTLE. The first priority should be to make sure that nothing you do to a stone will cause harm. 1) Be sure that the tombstone is sturdy and stable, and not wobbly, flaking, chipping, or crumbling. 2) Clean the tombstone with plain water and a soft bristle (natural or nylon) brush. 3) Scrub the stone from the bottom up to avoid streaking and staining. Flush well with water as you go. 4) If lichen is stubborn then soak it well with water and gently scrape with a wooden craft stick/tongue depressor or a plastic putty scraper. 5) Stay away from chemicals and bleach on older stones. While these may provide immediate results, the chemicals may cause deterioration of the stone over time. 6) Don't aim for perfection! There are a lot of great tips for cleaning gravestones safely on the Net. You can find a list of some of the better ones here: http://genealogy.about.com/cs/cemeterytips/ Hope this helps, Kimberly Powell -----Original Message----- From: Dr.Bill [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 7:20 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [NEWGEN] Please, hit us with the answers! I know Cyndi knows the answer here but since she is usually running ragged between Mark, the baby and speaking engagements I will go to the list with it and pray! Dr. Bill Hi Dr. Fox Well I have a question that was given to me, and it seems to me I read something on NEWGEN a couple of years ago regarding this issue, so I have come to Dr. Fox my hero. How do you remove moss etc. from old gravestones without harming the stones? Do you remember a posting about this subject matter? Do you have the answer? I would sure appreciate any help you can give me, this is for my mother-in-law, who is planning a trip next spring back to Nebraska and wants to visit cemeteries and do some clean-up for some of her ancestors. Thanks from the get go. Susan Crom [email protected] [email protected] ==== NEWGEN Mailing List ==== NO BIT OF INFORMATION OR TIP IS MINOR AS IT CAN LEAD TO A MAJOR FIND. ==== NEWGEN Mailing List ==== BE SURE TO SHARE WITH THE OTHER LIST MEMBERS ANY SIGNIFICANT (OR INSIGNIFICANT) FIND YOU HAVE MADE. IT HELPS OTHERS TO PRESS ON WITH THEIR OWN SEARCH.

I agree. There are some gravestone materials that should never be "cleaned." Just remember, never do what can't be undone! Our Rural Cemetery Assoc. has a book that was put out, or endorsed by a well-known gravestone association. I sent an e-mail a day or so, ago, that lists the url for the site of that association. Joan in NH. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kimberly Powell, Genealogy Guide at About" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 10:43 PM Subject: RE: [NEWGEN] Please, hit us with the answers! > I'd like to add, that I'm one of those "puritans" who prefers to leave > stones alone rather than cleaning them and taking a chance on further harm. > But since many don't feel that way... ;)