The Van Horn Cemetery Toolkit Checklist
We have been asked on numerous occasions what gear we take with us when we are on a cemetery research trip. Below are some of the items that have traveled with us at one time or another. Not everything may be a go on every trip, but we take with us what we think we may need for the areas we are going to be researching in.
• Antibacterial liquid soap and/or waterless instant hand sanitizer (such as Purell)
• Batteries for the electronics
• Binoculars
• Boots/Sturdy shoes
• Cutoff broom or mop handle for probing.
• Brush; Soft-bristled plastic, nylon or natural bristle brushes only. Plain water, rags and a soft nylon brush are the items of choice for cleaning tombstones. Choose a brush, such as a kitchen scrub brush, with an easy-to-grasp handle and soft nylon bristles. No wire brushes - they can damage tombstones! Clean the tombstone from bottom to top to avoid further streaking or staining, rinsing well as you go. Old tootbrush for working small areas.
• Carpenters apron
• Cellular phone (sooner or later someone will fall over a tombstone or footstone)
• Composition book
• Digital Camera and accessories: memory cards, batteries, mirror, etc
• Digital Tape recorder
• Dog spray to keep away the stray dogs and animals.
• Drinking water and snack foods
• Family Radio Service Radios - pair
• First Aid kit and Snakebite kit (available from sporting goods stores that carry camping and hiking goods)
• Gardeners knee pads
• Gloves (leather work gloves, jersey work gloves and rubber gloves) Protective hand lotion (such as "Gloves in a Bottle" or Ivy Block (poison ivy, oak and sumac protectant)
• GPS device to record the position for your County and the DHPA's Cemetery and Burial Ground Registry.
• Hand tools: Rakes, Shovels and spades, Trowels, Clam-shell post hole digger, Grubbing hoe, Machete, Chain saw, Weed eaters, Pruning, shears, garden trowl.
• Insect repellant and Bee and wasp spray.
• Jumbo Wax Crayons. An inexpensive alternative to rubbing wax for tombstone rubbings is a jumbo crayon, such as the ones used by young children. Peel the paper off of the crayons (your toddler can probably do this quicker than you can) and use the side of the crayon for your rubbing, rather than the point.
• Kodak Photo-Flo (1/4 oz. to 5 quarts of water; used for initial cleaning) [wash stone with Photo-Flo and water, using a soft-bristled brush; rinse thoroughly]
• Long-sleeved shirt
• Magnifying glass
• Paper: Parchment, butcher paper, wax paper for rubbings
• Pens and pencils
• Plastic trash bags
• Probes (i.e., "Smart Stick" sold by T&T Tools, Forestry Suppliers Bench Meadows or your local plumbing supply dealer) Ask for tile probes.
• Rags
• Safety goggles
• Spray bottle with water
• Sunscreen and hats
• Tape Measure
• Tombstone cleaning compound; Also you might try 1 part Ammonia and 4 parts water. Be sure to rinse the stones well with clean water in the beginning and at the end. Start at the bottom and work upwards.
• Tombstone cleaning soap: Orvus soap by Proctor & Gamble (available at farm and animal supply stores; 1/4 cup to 1 gallon water for cleaning) Wash stone with Orvus and water, using a soft-bristled brush; rinse thoroughly
• Tombstone rubbing Pellon Interfacing. Soft non-fusible Pellon interfacing material is perfect for tombstone rubbings. It folds neatly in a bag without wrinkles, takes crayon beautifully and can even be ironed when you get back home to melt the wax into the fabric and preserve the rubbing for years to come. It is readily available from your local fabric store. Be sure to get the non-fusible variety!
• Water: Lots and lots of water, always start with water and finish with clean rinsing.
• Wet Wipes
• Whisk broom
• White Chalk (no colored chalk)
