LCandBC@aol.com wrote: > We are in the process of cleaning up and restoring an old family cemetery > (first known burial in 1796) in southeastern Patrick County. Within the rock > wall enclosing the cemetery there are several tree stumps. Two of these had > pushed two headstones (husband & wife buried beside each other) out of > alignment and very uneven. Prior to correcting this situation we decided to > remove the two stumps which both had the centers completed decayed to below > the surface of the ground (as much as 2/3rd or possible 3/4th). Both stumps > were cutoff by a saw at 10 inches above the ground (prior to a 1974 picture > of the cemetery that he have) and one stump measured 20 inches across at its > narrowest point and 23 inches at the widest at the cutoff point. The larger > stump measured at the same point 26 inches at the narrowest and 31 inches at > the widest. OUR SURPRISE WAS THAT BOTH WERE CEDAR TREES. > I would like some information on the following: > 1). How prevalent in Patrick County were cedar trees in Patrick County > in the nineteenth century? Today? > 2). How common were cedar trees in cemeteries, and if very, why? > 3). Is the diameter of the tree stumps cited above large for this type > of tree (Eastern Red Cedar)? What diameters have you seen? > 4). Can any estimate or guess of age of tree when cut be made from > the diameter of the stumps? > Larry I have no answer to your specific questions, but over here in the Tidewater area of Virginia, a cedar tree was planted to mark a burial site. About 4 years or so back, there was an article about some folks hereabouts who specialized in locating old burial sites, and it was noted in the article that it was a colonial folkway in this area of Virginia to mark the burial sites with a cedar tree. Ed Hamblin Virginia Beach, VA