AZ-CEMETERIES-L Archives

Archiver > AZ-CEMETERIES > 2002-01 > 1011480545


From: "Gail Meyer Kilgore" <>
Subject: Re: [AZ-CEMETERIES] HELP
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:49:05 -0700
References: <001201c1a02f$8d35b9a0$ce961ece@wgkish> <006001c1a130$70fcc380$60f1fea9@c7v8i2>


Hi Fern and Bill,

I think I will step in here before things get out of hand.

First Fern, we have here on this mail list the best group of people that I
have ever been associated with on any mail list. When they get a query or
request they bust their bottoms to try and help. The only way that we can
help is if we can maybe have a location and some dates and we all know that
some times this information is not available but then it is hard on all our
members to surf thru their info to try and find a name. I know that some of
our people will go so far as to go to the cemetery and take pictures if the
cemetery is in their area or will go so far as to go to their closest source
of information to try and look the information up, and that means time and
gas on their part but because this group is so great, they do it on their
own free will to help others.

Second, we have all found in walking our cemeteries that many, many graves
are unmarked. We are a state that came into the Union in 1912 and before
that we were a Territory and when someone died they were buried, right on
the spot, one due to the intense heat that we have and second they were
miles from no where. I have walked a small cemetery and out of the whole
cemetery maybe 15 if that were marked with a name and a date. The Mexican
population did and still do mark their graves with a cross, the Indians do
the same thing. I asked on the reservation how they know who is buried
where since there are no names on the graves. They told me that the only
ones that need to know are the family. The Mexican population is the same
way. They know who are in those graves and could care less if we know who
is there or not. It is some thing that is carried down within a family. As
the population grew the bigger cemeteries are marked with stones but only if
they are put there by the family as with any cemetery. We are a state of
many transients who die here and are buried here with unmarked graves.

Three, there is no set law about keeping burial records. Maybe now there is
but back then you should see some of the cemetery books that I have looked
at. Some people went out and dug their own graves, made their own coffin
and buried their loved ones themselves because of lack of money so, there
was a cross put on the grave which eventually rots and falls away.

Fourth, we are trying to get all our cemeteries documented as best we can.
Most of us can only work in the winter time because of the heat. I am the
coordinator of the Tombstone pages and am having a little problem right now
with the coordinator of all the states but we are working at it and that is
a plus for us. I will be getting more cemeteries online as soon as possible
but what I really want to say is, "don't expect miracles" just hope and pray
that someone took the time for care for your loved one so that there is a
trace of them after death.

Please understand that we are working at it and we have many cemetery
volunteers working thru out the state and we for being a laid back state are
trying to reach our goals of transcribing our cemeteries.

I also have a cemetery page, not a lot on it but I do add to it. It can be
found at www.rootsweb.com/~azcemete/azcemeteries.html

I hope you know where we are all coming from and really you have entered a
world of fantastic volunteer's when you signed on to this mail list.

Gail


This thread: