I received this from a friend in one of my genealogy groups. I thought it well worth passing on. Susan GOD BLESS THE USA! All, There has been some discussion recently regarding cemeteries and their destruction by current land owners, loggers, etc. Apparently this isn’t limited to any one area of the country, but the mountainous areas of KY, NC, TN, VA, and WV are more than prime candidates. Those who settled the mountains and surrounding foothills were hearty, brave, and God-fearing, but most importantly, the majority of them were poor. Because of that reason, and long before church cemeteries came into existence, most folks were laid to rest in family plots on a hillside not too far from the cabin, and always facing to the east becase of Biblical belief. The countless gravesites were usually marked with fieldstone, carved soapstone if they were lucky, and in the case of a gravemarker I saw at Crooked Creek PBCC in Carroll Co., VA, a carved wooden marker. Time alone has destroyed all evidence of thousands of graves of our ancestors, and many more will be lost over the next 100 years. Why am I saying all this, when it is nothing new to most people? I’m saying it because it is time to rectify the situation. There are a heck of a lot more genealogists than there are politicians, so here is an idea for everyone to kick around. Contact your State House and Senate Representatives and have them pass a law that makes it mandatory to identify all cemeteries on any land transfer and have them recorded BY NAME AND LOCATION on the deed. I know this can’t be grandfathered, but it can be done for every land transfer from this day forward. A hypothetical example is as follows: A property owner has 25 acres in Grayson Co., VA, that he plans to sell. Under the 'new" law he must affirm, under penalty of a Felony conviction, that there are no known cemeteries on the said property, OR, he must identify any and all cemeteries, pointing them out to the surveyors so they can record their name and location on the survey plot. In time, and in a perfect world, County Land Records will have the exact location, and MAYBE the cemetery name of all cemeteries within the county. This new law should also make it mandatory for loggers to sign a document stating they have walked the entire tract they intend to log and found it free of cemeteries, OR, noting areas where graves are located, as well as where grave depressions give the appearance of a lost cemetery. The law should forbid them to operate heavy equipment in such areas where graves are suspect. The logger should also affirm he has searched the deed for known cemeteries BEFORE he begins cutting timber. Failure to comply should be a Felony. While this probably needs some fine tuning, give its some thought, get together with your friends, and contact you State Representatives. Laws are on the books to protect cemeteries, so the Representatives shouldn’t be opposed to passing such a law. The cost to do this would be minimal at most. I worked one summer while in school for a survey company back in the chain-toting days, and with today’s laser equipment, they can pinpoint the location of a cemetery in relation to a point in the boundary line in the matter of minutes. Adding the estimated number of graves requires someone who can count. No biggie. Please pass this around the genealogy sites, and then call write your State Representatives. You can usually find the email addresses in your State Government webpage. Let’s save those cemeteries. Who know, but maybe future genealogists may be able to put names with those ground depressions that have no markers. Len Chapel