Dear listers, Sorry I missed the discussion on Ceemtery Protection but I was headed back to Harrison Co from California on the 18th and just got home last night. Some of my objectives are to preserve these historical burying grounds. I first started with this concern when I could find no stone readings for my lines. I felt that my 5th great grandparents and members of their families could be buried in those hills. The same goes for other generations in different states from PA to KS. My priorities have been to locate the lands that they lived on. For two years now I have been trying to locate the land one of my ancestors lived on even though he did not own the land. Ten days ago - I drove over that land, photographed it and talked with hunters and landowners of that land. About four years ago, I found a tombstone in an overgrown cemetery, the only stone in my line since the immigrant ancestor in four generations. It was not in Harrison Co. as I had suspected, but I found a death of a grandaughter of hers in a river landing on the Ohio in 1843 in Kentucky which led me to locate her daughter's family who she lived with after her husband died. In locating other related burial sites in WV, I have found errors in the stone readings, and misplacement of the cemetery in the right districts. I would suggest that every one become very particular in reseaching their ancestor's burial grounds. The most improtant thing to do would be to locate from the reords who the current owner of the land is and find ntheir deed to determine if there has been an "reserving" of the cemetery land. In one of my ancestors; land the cemetery land was reserved out the deeding of the parcel to his son- in -law, the reserve clause has been continued in every deed since then. I have written, phoned and talked with the current landowner and told him that I know of the cemetery and wish to have it preserved. I don't feel that this is enough and am working on a means to insure that the are is protected. The other thing, is that the cemeteries may include neighbors' families of your ancestor. Getting inforamtion on possible burials in each cemetery is a very important and will help identify those unmarked graves. First, these are "intended" archaeological sites - historical places where artifacts have been purposely left by our ancestorws for us to find, study, contemplate and respect. Chapter 29 of the Code of West Virgnia Prohibits the removal and or destruction or vandalism of a historical burial ground defined as being older than 50 years. The biggest problem is the forgetting and disappearance of old cemeteries - from neglect, being overgrown and forgotten. We really need to thank the WPA and people like John House, Harley Queen, Elaine Post who have documented what they have found. But we need to make sure that his is not wasted but is used as a stepping stone to further the protection of these sites. Another issue - is that we rely on "tombstone readings" to do our research. However there it more to this. First, Tombstones deteriorate. Second, some are removed or moved. There is a trend particularly in PA and MD to line up tombstones in rows edge to edge. This causes the "context" to be lost. If you go to a cemetery relatives are buried near each other. With the movement of stones this context is lost, especailly if the cemetery is not platted out, mapped, or marked and stone locations are recorded. Most tomstones in Central WV seem to start about the 1840's. Prior to that and even later for more poorer families. Field stoens were used, some etcehd with a wrought iron tool some not. I have heard of one cemetery where there are rows of fieldstoens, but somoen knows who they all are - this inforamtion should be preserved. Also, many probably used wooden marked, long ago gone. These may have marked the "unmarked sites of today. The question is - there may be5., 20 or 40 or whatever grav estones - but how many people are actually buried in a a cemetery - unmarked graves probably outnumber the marked graves maybe as much as five to one or more. Crtainly many pioneers and settlers graves are unknown. When I was trying to find a cemetery I knew was between Jane Lew and Last Creek, I was takling with a farmer who had seen the cemetery and he said there were fieldstones of the families slaves. Well they were PA dutch and I doubted that they owned slaves. When I located the cemetery, I found one fieldstone with just two initals. Based on the fact that her son was in the grav e next to her and that it was her father's farm, I immedaitely knew it was the grave of a woman who had died in the 1840's with all her children being young. There is no record of her death no family records. But he memory can be memorialized. If any one has any particular concerns with a cemetery particualry in North Central WV or to Wood CO. Please feel free to contact me. I am developing a means to help protect some cemeteries. Best regards, Paul Pettit