post script to my posting on cemeteries. Our local society copied many old tombstones in the 60's, 70's and 80's, including this Rohlf cemetery. Since my current cemetery project involves a small cemetery, with only 26 stones (copied in the 70's) you can imagine my shock, when one of the other people who wants to help clean up this cemetery, went over the list while at the site, to be sure he found them all..............and discovered a new surname, not listed on the 1970's list. He can't find two old names on the old list, but he did find two NEW stones. Or did the somebody type out a wrong name????? Yikes, looks like our work is never done!!! needless to say, I think we will re-do the entire site while we are cleaning it up, including probing the soil for buried stones. new motto........be ever vigilant!! tracy reinhardt ----- Original Message ----- From: "R.M.N." <ocontogal2000@yahoo.com> To: <WIGEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 6:04 PM Subject: [WIGEN-L] old cemeteries > One quick addition to this terrific posting by Tracy; > The information below is in regards to the cemetery burial grounds only. "Perpetual Care" refers only to the burial grounds. Actual care of the gravestones and markers is up to the descendant families for all time. The grounds keepers are not obligated to do repair or replacement of stone or monuments and if they fall, they can be left in place flat on the ground. Above ground structures such as mausoleums may be torn down and removed if they become a safety hazard, and > the bodies, if above ground, are buried in graves on that spot. Marking those graves is up to the family descendants or interested groups. > > (Long term protection and repair can be done very well with the "Outdoor Goop" product which dries clear, seals into the stone or wood to protect from moisture, expands and contracts with temperature changes along with the stone/wood so as not to crack, maintaining a 50 to 100 year seal that does not discolor. - I have 12 year old repairs to absolutely shattered stones that look like the day I completed putting them back together, up north here. Stones should be washed > and left to fully dry before gluing pieces together and coating the outside. It smells like horseradish. Do the work outdoors). > > Although some grounds keepers are now using "Roundup" or "Safer" weed control products to keep the fallen slabs viewable, not many are doing this and they are soon grown over with sod. Basically this means they are lost unless a family member or group project (church, scouts, vets, historical society, etc.) comes along to dig and return them to upright positions on the graves. The grave must then be fully leveled, raked and grass seeded so grounds care can be maintained > properly. This is especially true to municipally maintained cemeteries, and some religious affiliated ones as well. With any privately or group owned cemetery it is strongly suggested that you ask for their own policies on repair and replacement. > > Private cemeteries on land that is no longer family owned are often lost. The stones are generally removed and piled at one edge of the property with the fieldstone, or may be erected in local cemeteries, but the remains are not moved unless the family does so with the land owner's permission. Literally "from dust to dust". > Hope this helps. > Rita > > tracy reinhardt wrote: > > > thank you to those who responded. > > > > For your information, here is what I sought: > > > > Q: Whose responsibility is it to take care of a local cemetery? > > > > Care and maintenance of a cemetery falls to the property owner. The property owner may be a private individual, association, organization, or municipality. > > > > If a cemetery has fallen into despair or has been abandoned, for five or more years, then the responsibility for the care of the cemetery reverts to the municipality the cemetery is located in. If the municipality fails to care for the cemetery, 6 or more interested persons can petition the circuit judge to order the municipality to care for the cemetery. The municipality will then be required to care for the cemetery as they provide for other cemeteries in the town. > > > > a.. Wisc. Stat 157.115(1)(b)2-(b)3. > > thanks again > > tracy reinhardt > > > > ==== WIGEN Mailing List ==== > > Celebrate Wisconsin! > > Visit the Washburn County WIGenWeb Project Pages > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwashbu/ > > > > ==== WIGEN Mailing List ==== > Celebrate Wisconsin! > Visit the Walworth County WIGenWeb Project Pages > http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwalwor/ >

I received a letter from a publisher requesting permission to use one of my cemetery photos in their new book. They weren't sure which photo it was they wanted (saw it a while back & can't remember the details, just the surname and that it was an old stone) and said if I didn't know which one they meant (I was able to figure it out), could I recommend another good photo? First of all, I'm honored. Second, I'm stumped. My photographic methods are odd, to say the least (walk, point, shoot, walk, point, shoot), as is the "instrument" I use to photograph (a 5+ year old digital camera that uses 3.5 floppies). Third, "recommend another good photo?" That's like asking me which is my favorite piece of hay in the haystack! I have 3,327 tombstone photos online (all but about 100 taken by me) and just over 2,000 sitting on my computer waiting for me to edit them and put them online. Anyhow, I gave permission for the one they weren't sure they could remember. If anyone's curious as to which one it was, here's the link to it... <http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~wirockbios/Tombstones/00777.jpg> Yeah... just an average photo, if you ask me... If anyone's curious about the book, I'm told it's The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy, 3rd Edition. I (living in my hermit cave) have never heard of Edition 1 or 2. Lori in Rock

Lori - what I like is the fact that you took a "far" shot and a "near" shot - which let's the viewer see the dimension of the cemetery - as if they were there - Good job!!!! I am impressed with the amount of photo's that you have - R/S MAK --- Lori Niemuth <dawnlea@ticon.net> wrote: <http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.com/~wirockbios/Tombstones/00777.jpg> > > Yeah... just an average photo, if you ask me... MAKtranscriber http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwood http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiportag http://www.rootsweb.com/~wimonroe __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

Things are always a bit nuts down here but two weeks ago things went beyond nuts. Rock County's largest & oldest local newspaper called me for some information regarding a few of our cemeteries and next thing I know... this happened... <http://freepages.books.rootsweb.com/~wirockbios/Newspapers/JGaz/JGaz200602.html> Following that, I've been inundated with comments and queries regarding Rock's cemeteries and history. I've also been to several local government meetings regarding my work and ended up being asked to assist with the Planning & Development Agency's county mapping project due in 2010 (I'm involved in mapping historical sites, cemeteries, old school houses, town halls, original settler homes, etc.). It's odd and it's an honor and I'm still not used to all the attention. I'm used to sitting in my old house at my old computer and wasting hours on end putting up data "anonymously" because few knew what I looked like. So, I guess I'm also a little miffed at being "outed" <grin> Anyhow, I told Tina and she said, "Tell the crew," so... done. Lori in Rock