I went to visit Gibeon Cemetery in Callao, VA on Friday. A car had run off the road at the back end of the cemetery and knocked over about 10 tombstones. Actually, it looked to me like it was done on purpose because the car went so far into the cemetery. Some of the stones are broken beyond repair and others are pulled up out of the ground and flung about. It's a very sad looking mess. I'm wondering if the person was caught. Also, who will clean up the mess and pay for the repairs? Luckily, none of my THRIFT, HALE or LEWIS family was disturbed but what about the poor souls that may be lost if nothing is done about it. Much of my research has been gathered from cemeteries and I give them the utmost respect whether or not I know anyone there. Gibeon really takes a beating. Seems like every time I visit, a car has knocked into the wall surrounding the cemetery but this is the worst! What can be done??

Cemeteries are under the care of someone....church, family group, municipality, etc....and who ever is in charge of upkeep is ultimately responsible. However, in my experience with cemetery vandalism, etc, in small cemeteries, NO ONE replaces the stones that are damaged ......many times they are simply "thrown" up under a tree or over the hill (I have experienced both of these)...so, stones are replaced by family members or folks who care about them. . Unless you find veterans with destroyed headstones...... and in this case the US Veterans Adm. will replace them free of charge if you send them a filled out form and a copy of the man's service records.... Have you tried to find out who is responsible for this cemetery? That's about the only way you'll find out what is going on; contact them. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Whittington" <Susan_Whittington@msn.com> To: <VANORTHU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2002 6:07 AM Subject: [VANORTHU-L] Destruction of Tombstones at Gibeon Cemetery, Callao, VA > I went to visit Gibeon Cemetery in Callao, VA on Friday. A car had run off the road at the back end of the cemetery and knocked over about 10 tombstones. Actually, it looked to me like it was done on purpose because the car went so far into the cemetery. Some of the stones are broken beyond repair and others are pulled up out of the ground and flung about. It's a very sad looking mess. I'm wondering if the person was caught. Also, who will clean up the mess and pay for the repairs? Luckily, none of my THRIFT, HALE or LEWIS family was disturbed but what about the poor souls that may be lost if nothing is done about it. Much of my research has been gathered from cemeteries and I give them the utmost respect whether or not I know anyone there. Gibeon really takes a beating. Seems like every time I visit, a car has knocked into the wall surrounding the cemetery but this is the worst! What can be done?? > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > >

----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Whittington" <Susan_Whittington@msn.com> To: <VANORTHU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, November 25, 2002 6:07 AM Subject: [VANORTHU-L] Destruction of Tombstones at Gibeon Cemetery, Callao, VA > I went to visit Gibeon Cemetery in Callao, VA on Friday. A car had run off the road at the back end of the cemetery and knocked over about 10 tombstones. Actually, it looked to me like it was done on purpose because the car went so far into the cemetery. Some of the stones are broken beyond repair and others are pulled up out of the ground and flung about. It's a very sad looking mess. I'm wondering if the person was caught. Also, who will clean up the mess and pay for the repairs? Luckily, none of my THRIFT, HALE or LEWIS family was disturbed but what about the poor souls that may be lost if nothing is done about it. Much of my research has been gathered from cemeteries and I give them the utmost respect whether or not I know anyone there. Gibeon really takes a beating. Seems like every time I visit, a car has knocked into the wall surrounding the cemetery but this is the worst! What can be done?? > Susan - What a shame! Note: if it is a church cemetery, they should have a plot of the grounds and who has been buried there. You might try the church office of pastor! As a retired pastor, I have been through this many times with church cemeteries. There usually is NO perpetual care and it is left up to the families or survivors who care. Henry. > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >