The suggestion of photographing the stone instead of do rubbing or any other substance on the stone is the best suggestion. First what are you going to do with the huge piece of paper with charcoal on it which rubs off on you your clothes and everything else that it comes in contact with? Secondly the rubbing on a sand stone or the older stones causes small particles (sand) to be removed and the lettering becomes less readable for the next person. I visited a cemetery once that a person had used lipstick to highlight the lettering on the stone...10 years later guess what there is still lipstick on that stone. The lanolin from soap, shaving cream or any other substance of that sort is left on the stone and softens the stone and eventually distorts the face of the stone. So please for the rest of us only take pictures do rub, spray, or shaving cream the stone. Connie Brubaker ----- Original Message ----- From: <pagreene-request@rootsweb.com> To: <pagreene@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 3:00 AM Subject: PAGREENE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 78 > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: [PAWASHIN] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > (HHite94965@aol.com) > 2. Re: Charcoal rubbings of gravestones (Leslie Nelson) > 3. Re: [PAWASHIN] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones (William Davison) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 07:17:47 EDT > From: HHite94965@aol.com > Subject: Re: [PAGRE] [PAWASHIN] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > To: Lemeterio@aol.com, PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com, > PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <d61.4727399c.3704a75b@aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > I like to use a bar of soap. You can not only read the inscription but the > next rain it helps to clean the tombstone just a little. > > Ken Hite > York,Pa. > HHite94965@aol.com > **************New Low Prices on Dell Laptops ? Starting at $399 > (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631247x1201390185/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubl > eclick.net%2Fclk%3B213540506%3B35046329%3Bx) > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 15:42:32 -0400 > From: "Leslie Nelson" <myancestry@rogers.com> > Subject: Re: [PAGRE] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > To: <PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com>, <PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <037663EAD90F4476BE838A34E0942067@LAN> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Please don't make rubbings of gravestones, or put a substance on them > (such as soap or shaving cream) to make them more "readable". I've seen > the damage it can do, especially to old sandstone monuments, and many > cemeteries don't allow it. > > Photograph the stone instead. If the inscription is faded, photographing > the stone at an angle in early morning or late afternoon light will often > bring out the inscription. At other times of day you can create an > angled-light effect with a flash, unless the daylight is very bright. > Digital cameras are a great advantage - you can see immediately whether > you "have" the shot, can make adjustments on the spot, and afterwards use > your photo editing software to enhance a faint inscription. > > Leslie > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Lemeterio@aol.com > To: PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com ; PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com > Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 5:45 PM > Subject: [PAGRE] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > > > Dear lists, > > I would like to know any pointers anyone has on charcoal rubbings of > gravestones. Type of paper, type of charcoal (or will crayon work), how > best to > attach the paper, etc. > > Having never done this process, any advice is greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > > Lou > > Lou Emeterio > 403 Wayne Street > P.O. Box 485 > Claysville, PA 15323 > (614) 206-4945 Cell > (724) 663-5149 Home > lemeterio@aol.com > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 15:59:47 -0400 > From: "William Davison" <bocsi505@windstream.net> > Subject: Re: [PAGRE] [PAWASHIN] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > To: "Leslie Nelson" <myancestry@rogers.com> > Cc: PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com, PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com > Message-ID: <001001c9b304$6944d6d0$01fea8c0@YOURB3034FDC32> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > I am sooooooooooooo glad to read this posting. Thank you Leslie !!!! > > Digital photos can be wonderously revealing. And leaves not one little > tiny > trace of who was there. Soap and other items placed on the stone stay > there > until "washed" off. ..or falls off...and soap is meant to "clean" and > "clean" can mean to "get under" and "lift off" dirt and grime! > > Most digital cameras will also do video. Try all angles in a short movie. > And audio .. narrate the movie. Sometimes a lot easier than handwriting > names and dates and such. > > Again...thanks Leslie! > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Leslie Nelson" <myancestry@rogers.com> > To: <PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com>; <PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 3:42 PM > Subject: Re: [PAWASHIN] [PAGRE] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones > > >> Please don't make rubbings of gravestones, or put a substance on them >> (such as soap or shaving cream) to make them more "readable". I've seen >> the damage it can do, especially to old sandstone monuments, and many >> cemeteries don't allow it. >> >> Photograph the stone instead. If the inscription is faded, photographing >> the stone at an angle in early morning or late afternoon light will often >> bring out the inscription. At other times of day you can create an >> angled-light effect with a flash, unless the daylight is very bright. >> Digital cameras are a great advantage - you can see immediately whether >> you "have" the shot, can make adjustments on the spot, and afterwards use >> your photo editing software to enhance a faint inscription. >> >> Leslie >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Lemeterio@aol.com >> To: PAGREENE-L@rootsweb.com ; PAWASHIN-L@rootsweb.com >> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 5:45 PM >> Subject: [PAGRE] Charcoal rubbings of gravestones >> >> >> Dear lists, >> >> I would like to know any pointers anyone has on charcoal rubbings of >> gravestones. Type of paper, type of charcoal (or will crayon work), how >> best to >> attach the paper, etc. >> >> Having never done this process, any advice is greatly appreciated. >> >> Thanks, >> >> Lou >> >> Lou Emeterio >> 403 Wayne Street >> P.O. Box 485 >> Claysville, PA 15323 >> (614) 206-4945 Cell >> (724) 663-5149 Home >> lemeterio@aol.com >> >> **** >> Please visit http://www.chartiers.com/pages-new/pawashin.html for list >> information, particularly the bottom of the page. >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> PAWASHIN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the PAGREENE list administrator, send an email to > PAGREENE-admin@rootsweb.com. > > To post a message to the PAGREENE mailing list, send an email to > PAGREENE@rootsweb.com. > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PAGREENE-request@rootsweb.com > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. > > > End of PAGREENE Digest, Vol 4, Issue 78 > *************************************** > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. 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If I could make one more suggestion: BEFORE a cemetery trip, write to a (1) local library and (2) local genealogy or historical society. Ask if they have a "reading" of X Cemetery in X Township. MANY of the old cemeteries were "read" by groups from the historical or genealogical society, generally in the mid-1960s. While some "readings" have mistakes, omissions, or some wrong info, it is still a good place to start. (Omitted often were young children and infants). If you find your family in the list, then you won't have to resort to trying to re-read or re-capture the info. Take a photo and put it with the "reading recorded by Mrs/Mr. XYZ, date" and put the source info. Everyone has made good points about the damage done by rubbings, shaving cream, etc. I *think* one article I read said to use a SOFT bristle brush (check hardware store) to *lightly* brush the face (dry brush). By soft it means really, really super soft, the kind of brush you could take up your face and say "ah, that's sooo soft" and to not apply any more pressure on a stone than you'd apply to your own cheek. Just always be aware that PA has sandstone rock and most old tombstones are simply cut sandstone blocks narrowed into tombstone sizes. It's amazing so many made it 100 years but every grain of sand we remove by "rubbings" is destroying what we (you) want to preserve. ALSO, I'm on a Spring quest to encourage everyone to adopt a cemetery or adopt a grave. Find out who owns the cemetery or ask about a caretaker. Then ask if they have a "perpetual care fund" you can donate into, or if you can make a yearly donation for upkeep. Just to mow a 1/4th acre was costing about $65 or more for ONE cut. Many small unused cemes mow at least 2x per year---or they let it go. Volunteer to cut / mow (be aware of poison oak / ivy and do NOT use a weed-wacker unless you've got your legs, arms, hands covered completely). After a ceme trip, leave some part of it better than when you arrived--weed, mow, pick up fallen branches and move them to an unused corner, etc. There is a LOT you can do to improve and preserve old cemeteries. If you have some bucks (a few hundred for several stones) and there's a cemetery in need, call a local Monument Company---they KNOW who to contact for *most* cemeteries because they deal with each other over the years. Contract a monument company to right fallen stones, re-connect stones to footers/bases, and bring in top soil for sunken graves. The monument co. will contact the "owner/caretaker" for permission to do the work, but *YOU* will contract with the monument co. to directly pay for the work. The monument company will often offer to send you photos of the finished job. Join in preserving a cemetery this year! Also, do you know you can buy a US Savings Bond in the name of a church or cemetery and send it as a gift? Using your Soc Sec number to buy it has NO impact on your Taxes---when the church/cemetery cashes in the bond, they will give the church's tax ID and they won't likely pay any tax because they are tax exempt. If you buy a bond on paper by a form or in a Bank (not online), $25 dollars will buy a $50.00 face bond which matures in 5 years (they can cash it in 3 to 5 years). If you want to leave "something" for future upkeep but you don't have much cash, you could contact the Federal Reserve Bank (such as in Pittsburgh PA), then ask them for forms to use for a church or cemetery, and several times a year buy a $50.00 bond for $25.00 and have it mailed to the church/cemetery(or caretaker). For twenty-five little bucks, you can do something to help. If you put it into your budget, you can make a schedule of every few months to buy a Bond. Judy On Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Connie Brubaker <cbrubaker@onlyinternet.net > wrote: > The suggestion of photographing the stone instead of do rubbing or any > other substance on the stone is the best suggestion. First what are you > going to do with the huge piece of paper with charcoal on it which rubs off > on you your clothes and everything else that it comes in contact with? > Secondly the rubbing on a sand stone or the older stones causes small > particles (sand) to be removed and the lettering becomes less readable for > the next person. > I visited a cemetery once that a person had used lipstick to highlight > the lettering on the stone...10 years later guess what there is still > lipstick on that stone. The lanolin from soap, shaving cream or any other > substance of that sort is left on the stone and softens the stone and > eventually distorts the face of the stone. > So please for the rest of us only take pictures do rub, spray, or shaving > cream the stone. > > Connie Brubaker