If you are interested in the cemeteries of Wilkinson County, Georgia, a new reference book, published by the county genealogical society, may be the ticket to new family connections.
The Cemeteries of Wilkinson County, Georgia book has been published and is now ready for delivery. If you want a copy, drop a check in the mail to the Wilkinson County Historical Society, P. O. Box 476, Gordon, GA 31031, and Jimmy Lord will mail it to you immediately. The cost is $55.00 plus $6.00 S&H.
You can contact the Society directly through their websote at http://www.netstarz.net/wilco/
Showing posts with label Cemetery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cemetery. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A headstone leads deputy to old grave
Thanks to my friend Al Swint on the ClayCountyGenealogyGroup Yahoogroup for the link to this interesting story. An Oconee county deputy sheriff and genealogists identified the cemetery from which came an old, mysterious headstone found on the side of a road near Athens, Georgia. It is a great story and thanks Al.
http://onlineathens.com/stories/012211/new_774400973.shtml
Oconee County sheriff’s Lt. David Kilpatrick makes a photographic documentation recently of the spot where he returned an infant’s gravestone in an abandoned cemetery. (Picture via link courtesy of the Athens Banner-Herald Online Athens website)
http://onlineathens.com/stories/012211/new_774400973.shtml
Oconee County sheriff’s Lt. David Kilpatrick makes a photographic documentation recently of the spot where he returned an infant’s gravestone in an abandoned cemetery. (Picture via link courtesy of the Athens Banner-Herald Online Athens website)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Our Cemetery Research Toolkit
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)
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)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Cemetery Repair/Inventory - Possible Source of Help
The New Garden Cemetery below is one of many examples of our family history that is decaying away or being destroyed. One avenue that individuals, historical societies, genealogy groups, etc. might want to consider in restoring and cleaning up our history is using the services of the Boy Scouts of America.
From the Eagle Scout.org website:
Eagle Scout Requirement 5: While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. The project idea must be approved by your Scoutmaster and troop committee and by the council or district before you start.
Two of the recommendations made to these scouts as possible service projects involve working in community cemeteries.
"Cemetery Directory: I catalogued all of the grave stones in our city cemetery. Then I worked with the troop to put together a cemetery kiosk where visitors could look at a large map and find the graves they wanted to visit."
"Clean up and repair headstones in an old community cemetery. 10 or so Scouts for two full days of work + Adults. Can require expertise if repairing large Monuments."
The scouts working towards their Eagle rank need projects and if you need help, these excellent youngsters in our community can be the catalyst to get your local cemetery cleaned up and/or inventoried.
You can find a local troop that might have members needing a project at
http://www.4yoursafety.com/scouts/Boy/troops/
You might also want to contact the BSA Council serving your area with a request. They serve a larger area and they would have a larger pool of scouts to draw from. Locate your local council at http://www.scouting.org/councils/.
Bottom line: These future leaders need a project and you need a hand. It is a match made in heaven for restoring and preserving family history.
From the Eagle Scout.org website:
Eagle Scout Requirement 5: While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. The project idea must be approved by your Scoutmaster and troop committee and by the council or district before you start.
Two of the recommendations made to these scouts as possible service projects involve working in community cemeteries.
"Cemetery Directory: I catalogued all of the grave stones in our city cemetery. Then I worked with the troop to put together a cemetery kiosk where visitors could look at a large map and find the graves they wanted to visit."
"Clean up and repair headstones in an old community cemetery. 10 or so Scouts for two full days of work + Adults. Can require expertise if repairing large Monuments."
The scouts working towards their Eagle rank need projects and if you need help, these excellent youngsters in our community can be the catalyst to get your local cemetery cleaned up and/or inventoried.
You can find a local troop that might have members needing a project at
http://www.4yoursafety.com/scouts/Boy/troops/
You might also want to contact the BSA Council serving your area with a request. They serve a larger area and they would have a larger pool of scouts to draw from. Locate your local council at http://www.scouting.org/councils/.
Bottom line: These future leaders need a project and you need a hand. It is a match made in heaven for restoring and preserving family history.
Old New Garden Cemetery - Limestone County AL
Photo courtesy of Evelyn Maples and Find A Grave.
From Patrick R. Thomson via the Redus Family newsgroup.
"My name is Linda Nelson and I am the Vice President of the Limestone County Historical Society in Alabama. We have taken on the Old New Garden Cemetery (in Elkmont) where William Penn Redus and a number of his family members are buried as our project. We want to save this cemetery. Where do you think would be a good website to post a request for help to save this very old and historic cemetery?"
Thanks,
Linda Nelson
Photo of New Garden courtesy of the Limestone County Historical Society website.
The Limestone County Historical Society website is at
http://www.limestonecountyhistoricalsociety.org/
And from cousin Dennis Simpson:
"I am a life member of the Limestone County Historical Society. Unfortunately, every single tombstone has been ran over by uncuth people driving their motor vehicle inside the ungated old cemetery. These people who are destroying these cemeteries, don't give a damn about people's final resting place. The Society has already started working on this project. It is a time consuming job they are doing and fixing these graves in the heat of summer makes the work unbearable. This is one project we as descendants should stand behind and help any possible way we can."
Dennis
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